Eucharistic Bread

[bgic]

My friend goes to a non-denom Evangelical church. We were discussing religion this weekend. I asked him if he celebrated the Eucharist. He said they did and they literally tore pieces of bread apart from a loaf and sipped wine.

I started wondering why our Catholic bread is in a wafer form? Can someone help me with an explanation of how our bread has precedent and is the correct form?

Thanks

 

[judechild]

To my understanding, the reason the Catholic Church uses unleavened bread taken from the same loaf is because that is what was used at the Last Supper. It’s also meant to prevent abuses; if everything is uniform, we don’t have people making the hosts however they want to (rice cakes, etc.).

 

[mackbrislawn]

My friend goes to a non-denom Evangelical church. We were discussing religion this weekend. I asked him if he celebrated the Eucharist. He said they did and they literally tore pieces of bread apart from a loaf and sipped wine.

I started wondering why our Catholic bread is in a wafer form? Can someone help me with an explanation of how our bread has precedent and is the correct form?

Thanks

I don’t know the history of the Eurcharist in wafer form. Of course wafers are neater and they make it less likely for crumbs to be lost and scattered. For an evangelical who doesn’t believe in the real presence, crumbs being lost is not a problem. Leftovers can be fed to the chickens afterwards.

It is not mandatory that the bread be in wafer form. I have attended Eucharists where the bread was from one baked loaf and pieces were torn off by the priest and given to the recipients in the same way as the wafer is given.

Some non-Catholic churches may pass the bread and wine around in the congregation and each person helps himself. This couldn’t be done in a Catholic church because of the danger of abuse–since the bread and wine is the Body and Blood of Jesus, a Satanist may sneak the Eucharist out of church for use in a black mass, etc.