Eucharist Fracture

[JosephD]

Is a priest supposed to break the host during the consecration? when the priest says " and He broke the bread".

Or is this to be done during the Lamb of God? GIRM does not seem clear on this.

Is it different from country to country or diocese to diocese?

 

[4EverHis]

I don’t think the priest is supposed to break the Host when he says “and He broke the bread”. I think this is supposed to be done only after the Consecration… that’s what I heard, but sorry I don’t have proof that this is the official rule.

 

[benedictgal]

Is a priest supposed to break the host during the consecration? when the priest says " and He broke the bread".

Or is this to be done during the Lamb of God? GIRM does not seem clear on this.

Is it different from country to country or diocese to diocese?

This is the reference from 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.

Here is what the same document says about the Fraction Rite:

73.] In the celebration of Holy Mass the breaking of the Eucharistic Bread - done only by the Priest celebrant, if necessary with the help of a Deacon or of a concelebrant - begins after the exchange of peace, while the Agnus Dei is being recited. For the gesture of breaking bread “carried out by Christ at the Last Supper, which in apostolic times gave the whole Eucharistic action its name, signifies that the faithful, though they are many, are made one Body in the communion of the one Bread of Life who is Christ, who died and rose for the world’s salvation” (cf. I Cor 10:17).153 For this reason the rite must be carried out with great reverence.154 Even so, it should be brief. The abuse that has prevailed in some places, by which this rite is unnecessarily prolonged and given undue emphasis, with laypersons also helping in contradiction to the norms, should be corrected with all haste.155

I hope this helps.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Is a priest supposed to break the host during the consecration? when the priest says " and He broke the bread".

Or is this to be done during the Lamb of God? GIRM does not seem clear on this.

Is it different from country to country or diocese to diocese?

He is very specifically NOT to break the host at that point.

From Redemptionis Sacramentum source]:

[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.

From the General Instruction of the Roman Missal source]:

1. The priest breaks the Eucharistic Bread, assisted, if the case calls for it, by the deacon or a concelebrant. Christ’s gesture of breaking bread at the Last Supper, which gave the entire Eucharistic Action its name in apostolic times, signifies that the many faithful are made one body (1 Cor 10:17) by receiving Communion from the one Bread of Life which is Christ, who died and rose for the salvation of the world. The fraction or breaking of bread is begun after the sign of peace and is carried out with proper reverence, though it should not be unnecessarily prolonged, nor should it be accorded undue importance. This rite is reserved to the priest and the deacon.

The priest breaks the Bread and puts a piece of the host into the chalice to signify the unity of the Body and Blood of the Lord in the work of salvation, namely, of the living and glorious Body of Jesus Christ. The supplication Agnus Dei, is, as a rule, sung by the choir or cantor with the congregation responding; or it is, at least, recited aloud. This invocation accompanies the fraction and, for this reason, may be repeated as many times as necessary until the rite has reached its conclusion, the last time ending with the words dona nobis pacem (grant us peace).

 

[tenderfoot]

Thank you benedictgal and SuscipeMeDomine.

 

[japhy]

Is a priest supposed to break the host during the consecration? when the priest says " and He broke the bread".

Or is this to be done during the Lamb of God? GIRM does not seem clear on this.

GIRM 83 describes the Fraction rite. It occurs after the Sign of Peace and during the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).

 

[puzzleannie]

Is a priest supposed to break the host during the consecration? when the priest says " and He broke the bread".

Or is this to be done during the Lamb of God? GIRM does not seem clear on this.

Is it different from country to country or diocese to diocese?

the rule is very clear on this as knowledgeable people on this forum have pointed out in the concurrent discussion of the same topic
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=367293
the thread title is a bit misleading so you may not have found it in a search

 

[Newbie2]

Yes, it’s not a re-inactment.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Is a priest supposed to break the host during the consecration? when the priest says " and He broke the bread".

Or is this to be done during the Lamb of God? GIRM does not seem clear on this.

Is it different from country to country or diocese to diocese?

You will find the instructions for this in the Sacramentary.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Yes, it’s not a re-inactment.

It’s not a re-inactment? The Mass is a re-presentation of the ONE sacrifice of Christ to the Father and a re-inactment of the Last Supper in time.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

It’s not a re-inactment? The Mass is a re-presentation of the ONE sacrifice of Christ to the Father and a re-inactment of the Last Supper in time.

I think what he meant is that it’s not like a play where the action goes along with the dialog.

My feeling about priests who break the bread while saying “he broke the bread” is that they should then follow the rest of the words. The next phrase is “he gave it to his disciples,” so why not have everyone line up and receive communion at that point. The idea is silly, of course. But it’s equally nonsensical for the priest to act out the words.

 

[Newbie2]

I think what he meant is that it’s not like a play where the action goes along with the dialog.

My feeling about priests who break the bread while saying “he broke the bread” is that they should then follow the rest of the words. The next phrase is “he gave it to his disciples,” so why not have everyone line up and receive communion at that point. The idea is silly, of course. But it’s equally nonsensical for the priest to act out the words.

Yes, that’s exactly what I meant.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Yes, that’s exactly what I meant.

I just read the “sound bite” and thought it might confuse some people. Christ is making present His Body and Blood right there at the altar through the priest, as He did at the Last Supper.

 

[Dimitri_Volpe]

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 ; and while I see 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…