Breaking the host question

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Susan_Calvin

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I watched part of the movie The Exorcist recently, a part where a priest is celebrating mass. Just before the consecration, at the words “He broke the bread”, the actor breaks the host in two. Obviously this isn’t the point in the mass where the host is actually broken, its later, after the consecration. But I am wondering, was it ever broken at that point? Or is the movie just in error? Thanks.
 
Susan_Calvin said:
I watched part of the movie The Exorcist recently, a part where a priest is celebrating mass. Just before the consecration, at the words “He broke the bread”, the actor breaks the host in two. Obviously this isn’t the point in the mass where the host is actually broken, its later, after the consecration. But I am wondering, was it ever broken at that point? Or is the movie just in error? Thanks.
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The movie is in error. Pope John Paul II very specifically said this is never to be done.
 
To further augment what Fr. David said, here is what Redemptionis Sacramentum notes:
[55.] In some places there has existed an abuse by which the Priest breaks the host at the time of the consecration in the Holy Mass. This abuse is contrary to the tradition of the Church. It is reprobated and is to be corrected with haste.
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Unfortunately, my pastor does this at every Mass. Attempts have been made to tell him not to do so (even his brother priests have told him), but, he still persists.
 
I was at a Mass at a parish I had never been to, and witnessed the priest do this. I almost fell out of the pew!
 
Hollywood gets all kinds of things wrong in filming a scene of a Catholic Mass or other service. Especially when it comes to something like vestment colors, which one would think would be an easy detail to get right. They also get military uniforms wrong all the time–again, it’s so easy to get it right, but they just don’t for some odd reason. Nothing new here.
 
Fronm the 2004 Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum:
“[55.] In some places there has existed an abuse by which the Priest breaks the host at the
time of the consecration in the Holy Mass. This abuse is contrary to the tradition of the
Church. It is reprobated and is to be corrected with haste.”
 
maryj said:
I was at a Mass at a parish I had never been to, and witnessed the priest do this. I almost fell out of the pew!
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I had read about this in Redemptionis Sacramentum but had never witnessed it until I was on holidays last summer and attended Mass in a small Quebec parish.

It surprised me that it was still happening after publication of RS but I’m finding out that that document has not been widely disseminated in Canada. The former Cathedral down the road still uses glass chalices and glass bowls instead of ciboria.
 
Old habits are hard to break. Many priests from the 70’s to the mid 80’s either saw this done or were taught to do it. So they’ve been doing it for 20 something years and suddenly one day they are told not to. For some its just a habit and they probably tried not to do it for a while but kept accidentally doing it so they just gave up trying to remember not to. Others are probably just being stubborn. I’ve heard the stubborn ones say things like, “in another 5 years something else will come out saying something completely different, I’m done hopping from one foot to another.”

At the end of the day it doesn’t affect validity so I’d advise just letting it go. I can’t imagine this inappropriate liturgical action would really cause spiritual agnst for anyone.
 
Well I’ve never seen it happen in real life, only in that movie. But its interesting that others have seen it. Does the priest then elevate the host broken in two? I guess he must. Anyhow, thanks very much to everyone who has responded to this thread, once I’ve learned a lot.
 
Susan_Calvin said:
Well I’ve never seen it happen in real life, only in that movie. But its interesting that others have seen it. Does the priest then elevate the host broken in two? I guess he must. Anyhow, thanks very much to everyone who has responded to this thread, once I’ve learned a lot.
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The one I saw do it held both pieces tightly together for elevation.

Similarly, I’ve seen priests try to pretend that the fraction rite had never happened (I’m sure that’s not the intention but it’s what it looks like) by holding the two pieces of the large host tightly together for the ‘This is he Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper.’ That can’t be done when you use a concelebration host since there are too many pieces.
 
Phemie said:
The one I saw do it held both pieces tightly together for elevation.
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Ah OK, kind of like 2 puzzle pieces being put back together and then held up… sorry if that sounds really irreverant, I’m just trying to picture it in my mind…
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Phemie:
Similarly, I’ve seen priests try to pretend that the fraction rite had never happened (I’m sure that’s not the intention but it’s what it looks like) by holding the two pieces of the large host tightly together for the ‘This is he Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper.’
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Oh I’ve never seen that either. My priest holds the pieces up sort of overlapping one another. You can definitely tell its been broken.
 
These posts are most enlightening but I once stumbled upon a Church document listing grave offenses against the Eucharist, and fraction during the institution was one of them ; I understand the need to preserve this liturgical treasure we partake of when the faction “signifies that the many faithful are made one body”, but apart from occulting that important meaning, I fail to theologically identify the gravity of this abuse as an offense against the Eucharist ; could it be because during the succeeding offering, The Spotless Victim is offered to the Father, thus raising an issue as to whether an already fractioned Host (in the erroneous spirit of re-enactment) is no longer considered a Spotless Vessel in its actualization of The Spotless Offering ; this occurred to me when reflecting upon the fact that not even one bone of our Lord was broken during the Passion… I need to come up with some valid theological reason because I have a friend, a priest, who indulges in this error, and I am trying to convince him to depart from this forbidden practice, yet he is not one who is easily impressed with episcopal “dos and don’t” ; so I need to provide him with a convincing reason for him to abandon what he considers an advantageous pedagogical demonstration (His parishioner are for the most part illiterate).
 
FrDavid96 said:
Hollywood gets all kinds of things wrong in filming a scene of a Catholic Mass or other service. Especially when it comes to something like vestment colors, which one would think would be an easy detail to get right. They also get military uniforms wrong all the time–again, it’s so easy to get it right, but they just don’t for some odd reason. Nothing new here.
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maybe they have Mel Gibson as a consultant 🤷😃
 
maryj said:
I was at a Mass at a parish I had never been to, and witnessed the priest do this. I almost fell out of the pew!
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I experienced the same thing last summer while on holidays. My reaction was “Oh, so THIS is what Redemptionis Sacramentum was talking about. Guess this guy hasn’t read it yet.”
 
FrDavid96 said:
Hollywood gets all kinds of things wrong in filming a scene of a Catholic Mass or other service. Especially when it comes to something like vestment colors, which one would think would be an easy detail to get right. They also get military uniforms wrong all the time–again, it’s so easy to get it right, but they just don’t for some odd reason. Nothing new here.
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I know this is an old thread but this brings to mind the movie “Flightplan” where they land a plane with a suspected hijacker in Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. They went through the trouble of finding everything out about the airport and had the hangar details perfect but had the FBI in charge of operations with the RCMP relegated to checking luggage. Yup, that’s going to happen – when pigs fly!
 
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