"Bread" and "Wine" in hymn texts?

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PrayingTwice

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Have any statements been handed down on the use of “bread” and “wine” in place of “body” and “blood” in our hymn texts? You would think this would be a no-no for hymn composers but as we all know, one of the memorial acclamation texts is “when we eat this bread and drink this cup, etc.”

I am interested in everyone’s opinion but I’m especially interested in some actual official decrees or documents from the powers-that-be. Any help is appreciated.
 
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PrayingTwice:
Have any statements been handed down on the use of “bread” and “wine” in place of “body” and “blood” in our hymn texts? You would think this would be a no-no for hymn composers but as we all know, one of the memorial acclamation texts is “when we eat this bread and drink this cup, etc.”

I am interested in everyone’s opinion but I’m especially interested in some actual official decrees or documents from the powers-that-be. Any help is appreciated.
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There are certain song texts that I feel do not clearly reflect Catholic belief and IMO should not be used. However when it comes to “bread” and “The Cup”. The Scriptures and the early Christian writings often use these trems. “The Breaking of the Bread” and “The Cup of Salvation” is seen alot in the writings.
 
Struggling to think of any we use that use the words bread and wine other than offertory hymns.

I should think it’s fine in there though!

Interesting point, I’d never really thought about it before.
 
I’m surprised at the lack of response to my query. Has this issue been addressed in another post? If so, where?
 
I’m not aware of any ‘official’ documents or decrees on the use of the words ‘bread’ or ‘wine’.

I can think of several modern compositions that use “Bread of Life” and “Cup of [Life/Salvation/Blessing…]”. If I hear the words ‘bread’ or ‘wine’ they generally are used in some kind of figurative sense. When I hear ‘bread’ used in a hymn it often equates the bread to ‘the Body of Christ’, incorporating (isn’t that an appropriate word?) all possible meanings for that phrase.
 
I recall hearing that Bishop Imisch of Joliet had issued a memo that hymns containing the words “Bread” or “Wine” were not to be used during Communion in his diocese.

I don’t know if that was meant to be an absolute prohibition or any of the details surrounding it. It does seem that would preclude some traditional hymns like “Panis Angelicus”, as well as some “modern classics” like “I Am the Bread of Life” (which I like, but is overused in my opinion). But I’m not sure it would get rid of “Taste and See” or “Table of Plenty”, which I personally could do without hearing for a while.
 
There is a certain hymn/song with the antiphon/refrain that goes something like this: “I am the Bread of Life/You and I are the Bread of Life…” Does this refrain imply a serious theological insensitivity? I would assert that it does approach and might, even, cross over into being inappropriate if not wrong.

opinions?
 
It is important to be as clear and precise as possible when speaking about and singing about what we believe. Ambiguous words imply that we are not really certain about what we believe. And ambiguous words harm our faith and the faith of other people.

When we mean “body and blood”, we should say “body and blood”, and not say “bread and wine”.
 
I do not worry too much about the political correctness of each hymn. There were some that thought that* I Am the Bread of Life* was should not be sung. Every verse but the last is in the gospels verbatim.

We need to remember that bread and cup are used both by Jesus and Paul in the Bible in a symbolic sense. The sacraments are symbols. They are just symbols that embody what they symbolize. Therefore I would be slow to say any hymn, like the* Panis Angelicus*, that mentions bread should never be used.

That being said, if I was in a parish in which the Real Presence was** not** preached from the pulpit and taught through CCE, like some of you may be in, I would not like the confusion offered by any song that placed even the smallest emphasis on the “bread” part of the bread of life and bread of angels.
 
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frdave20:
There is a certain hymn/song with the antiphon/refrain that goes something like this: “I am the Bread of Life/You and I are the Bread of Life…” Does this refrain imply a serious theological insensitivity? I would assert that it does approach and might, even, cross over into being inappropriate if not wrong.

opinions?
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Here’s a great answer to your question. Take comfort in knowing you are not the only one who has questioned this hymn:
osv.com/periodicals/show-article.asp?pid=862
 
paul himself referred to it as “bread and cup”.

1Cor. 11:26- “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

so to refer to it as the bread and cup is biblical and historical. of course this doesn’t take away from Jesus saying that it is His body and blood, if it did then paul would not have used this language.
 
This thread in the Apologetics folder helps explain why they use of the word “Bread”, even if used ‘correctly’, can be so confusing.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=12345

I don’t know what this implies as to how the word should be used in hymns. It does tell me that Catholics need to be more familiar with Scripture so they know which references deal with the Eucharist and which don’t.
 
“When we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim you death, Lord Jesus, until you come in Glory.”

I guess in the Catholic Chruch I have always assumed that the Bread *is *the body and the wine is actually the blood. So when I hear “bread and wine” I automatically think “body and blood” so the hymns, unless they sound like they are totally against Catholic doctrine, which mention bread and wine do not bother me…

There is a contemporary “praise” song often used at our teen life Mass which is also popular on the raido 'This is the air I breathe (repeat) your Holy Presence, living in me… This is my daily bread (repeat) your very word, spoken to me and I, Im desperate for you, and I, Im lost without you…"

I like this song, but am a little uneasy with the the daily bread being referred to as “your very word” because our daily bread is *also *the Eucharist… and the song doesn’t mention that. It is a very “protestant” song. Again, like the song but wish we could add more lines about the Eucharist to it.
 
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redkim:
Here’s a great answer to your question. Take comfort in knowing you are not the only one who has questioned this hymn:
osv.com/periodicals/show-article.asp?pid=862
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After reading this link I realize that I may have thought the hymn at the beginning question of the thread was another song… if it is the song referred to in this link, then I agree that it poses some mixed up theology and is not a good song to use. I have never heard the song spoken of in this link, it sounds awful! I can’t believe that it woud refer to “us” as the bread of life. We are sinful, therefore not a perfect sacrifice like the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ.
 
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