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Aurelia
Guest
They taught the congregation a new Communion hymn this morning–something about eating “the bread of teaching” and drinking “the wine of wisdom.” No wonder people are confused about the Eucharist!
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cardenio
Guest
we eat the bread of teaching, drink wine of wisdom, are given here a taste of the kingdom… forever joined the greatest, and the least, we all are one, at wisdom’s holy feast
is that the one?
I share your sentiments completely. Instead of “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again,” sometimes we sing one that goes “when we eat this bread, when we drink this cup, we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, till you come in glory.” I don’t like that one, either.
is that the one?
I share your sentiments completely. Instead of “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again,” sometimes we sing one that goes “when we eat this bread, when we drink this cup, we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, till you come in glory.” I don’t like that one, either.
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Fortiterinre
Guest
Well said, aurelia and cardenio. I wish this would be addressed in the synod on the Eucharist.
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Confiteor
Guest
Actually, the one that starts “Christ has died” is the controversial one that the U.S. Bishops discussed in their meeting in June. It had no Latin antecedent–it was composed only for the English masses after VII. It will probably be eliminated in the new missal translation. For more on this, you can listen to the archive of EWTN’s show on the bishops’ meeting from this summer. Try here: ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=-6892288&T1= Alternatively,m read about it on the Adoremus Bulletin site.
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Rebecca_New
Guest
I agree totally. Our beautiful Priest at Mass yesterday gave a beautiful testamony about the Real Presence. I know he reached a lot of hearts. I am so blessed to be able to speak (write) with all of you, your wisdom inspires and brightens my day!!! 
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VociMike
Guest
I went to a different church this weekend and the communion song had the refrain “I myself am the bread of life. You and I are the bread of life” OCP #347, in case anybody wants to look it up. Thanks a bunch, OCP.
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twiztedseraph
Guest
Well I can agree its not the best way to articulate the beauty of God present under the visible bread. But the Eucharist is soooooo many things you can write almost anything positive about it and it would almost always be okay…well almost always. It really is a feast, it really is a banquet, it really is our God, it really is the source and summit of our faith, it really is the bread of Angels (though technically the Angels can’t receive communion, just take it poetically). So please, just educate, but lets not get SSPX over it.
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USMC
Guest
We should have a discussion on this topic, because the heresy behind the words to that song is very subtle and deceptive (and gaining in popularity). The heresy is that we, the members of the Church, undergo a “transubstantiation” and become gods.
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C_S_P_B
Guest
This almost exclusive celebration of the “We” in “We are the Church” tends to negate the Sacraments and marginalize the priest due to minimizing the Sacrifice.
The songs and words may be 100% true and correct but if presented as the central truth with silence on the fullness of truth, it will lead to heresy. Many of the heresies that have plauged the Church over the centuries have be due to lack of complete teaching rather than just teaching the wrong thing.
The misleading part of these songs is that the message is “we can do it as part of the body” or “we all are one”. Then we celebrate our doing it by communing with our brothers and sisters at the meal around the table.
We also rejoice in the fact that we have converted our hearts of stone to hearts of flesh when we celebrate reconciliation.
There is truth in these representations but the emphasis is mistakenly on us rather that the one who came to free us from our sins. (Notice the missing words of Sin and Sacrament in the previous two statements)
In uncovering these misleading teachings I think it is important to listen intently to what is not said.
The songs and words may be 100% true and correct but if presented as the central truth with silence on the fullness of truth, it will lead to heresy. Many of the heresies that have plauged the Church over the centuries have be due to lack of complete teaching rather than just teaching the wrong thing.
The misleading part of these songs is that the message is “we can do it as part of the body” or “we all are one”. Then we celebrate our doing it by communing with our brothers and sisters at the meal around the table.
We also rejoice in the fact that we have converted our hearts of stone to hearts of flesh when we celebrate reconciliation.
There is truth in these representations but the emphasis is mistakenly on us rather that the one who came to free us from our sins. (Notice the missing words of Sin and Sacrament in the previous two statements)
In uncovering these misleading teachings I think it is important to listen intently to what is not said.
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wOoKiE
Guest
I bet nobody ever had these problems with Gregorian chant 
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juno24
Guest
I don’t understand what some of our church “leaders” are thinking! Last week I attended Mass at a different parish than the one I normally go to. For the Eucharistic “hymn” they played-- I kid you not!!-- “The Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin! 
A secular song about a father who has no time for his son, and the adult son in turn who has no time for his father-- during the Eucharist! I almost cried. I just put my head in my hands and prayed that Our Lord give the priest of this parish some modicum of wisdom in the future.
A secular song about a father who has no time for his son, and the adult son in turn who has no time for his father-- during the Eucharist! I almost cried. I just put my head in my hands and prayed that Our Lord give the priest of this parish some modicum of wisdom in the future.
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Lucania
Guest
we eat the bread of teaching, drink wine of wisdom, are given here a taste of the kingdom… forever joined the greatest, and the least, we all are one, at wisdom’s holy feast
is that the one?
At my previous Church, we used to sing that on a regular basis. I don’t care for it either. Now at the Church I belong to, I have never heard it, not once!
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Neithan
Guest
Although I’ve never heard this song before, the words do not seem contrary to the meaning of Holy Communion. The Second Divine Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Word, is associated with the **Wisdom **of God. Therefore, Jesus Christ, his Body and Blood, is the Incarnate Divine Wisdom. Jesus’ Body is the Incarnate Divine Word Who teaches us. The accident of bread conceals the physical substance of our Divine Teacher.
When we partake of the Eucharist, we are incorporated into the Mystical Body. We are one Church, one Communion of Saints through, with, and in Christ. It is a foretaste of the feast to come, the seed and sapling of the Kingdom of God. Makes sense to me.
The problem I guess is with the words ‘Bread’ and ‘Wine,’ which may confuse the faithful into thinking that these words signify an actual substance of bread and wine, rather than mere accidents. Although, Christ described Himself as the ‘Bread of Life’ in John Chapter 6. If most Catholics were properly educated on Transubstantiation I don’t think this song would pose a problem.
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Chatter163
Guest
I would expect that someone with a screen name as lovely and melodious-sounding as Aurelia would definitely NOT like this contemporary-sounding him that was described here! 
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MarthaMartha
Guest
Oy gevalt. You’ve gotta be kidding. This song at ANY part of the Mass would be bad enough, but during the Eucharist!!!I don’t understand what some of our church “leaders” are thinking! Last week I attended Mass at a different parish than the one I normally go to. For the Eucharistic “hymn” they played-- I kid you not!!-- “The Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin!
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Prometheum_x
Guest
Actually, “when we eat this bread” is straight out of Scripture.
From usccb.org/nab/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians11.htm
1 Corinthians 11:26 “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.” (NAB)
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Prometheum_x
Guest
C S P B:
Indeed, many heresies stem from an over-emphasis of some point of doctrine to the exclusion of some other point. It is difficult to uncover these sorts of misleading teachings and has to be done by observing them in context over time. A “we are the Church” teaching or song on one Sunday may be fine in the context of the rest of the truth about the Church over the course of a year. Done to the exclusion of its proper context, and it becomes quite unacceptable, to put it politely.
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cardenio
Guest
Really. That’s the only other one I’ve heard. What’s it supposed to be?
Thanks for the link, but I have really slow internet and cannot download them.
C S P B:
Precisely. That was the bulk of Martin Luther’s problem.
Ah, yes, this is so, but it still bugs me because the real presence is something that most people don’t believe, or realize. And we’re not helping by metaphorically refering to it as “bread” and “wine.”
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revejj2000
Guest
The other day I was looking at my First Communion Prayer Book from 1969 (The old St. Joseph Missal that was found in my parish in the the 1950’s and 1960’s). The prayer book had the new Eucharistic Prayers listed and the Acclaimations. No mention was given for the “Christ has died. Christ is Risen. Christ will come again.” It only listed the other three. This showed to me that the “Christ has died. . . .” was added at the last minute by ICEL.
Just a comment and reflection.
Fr. Bro.
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juno24
Guest
I wish I were kidding. Father took from that Sunday’s readings that we are instructed by Christ to make more time to be with our families, and he went into how that song sums it all up beautifully. The homily was very weak (it seemed to me like he was just looking for a reason to mention his favorite song), but when it started playing during Holy Communion, I literally almost cried. My heart just sank! Needless to say, I will not be visiting that parish again.
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