Extra Communion Wafers?

[ChristianWAB]

Yesterday, I attended a Catholic mass that was pretty packed with people and it seemed that the priest had enough communion wafers to go around to basically everybody who attended. However, two weeks prior, the attendance was scant.

Now, even though I’ve never really been able to wrap my head around the mechanics of Transubstantiation (…it just never stopped seeming like a form of idolatry to me), I’ve come to a point where I can just accept that the Roman Catholic church believes they have this “magic” power to pull our Savior from His place in heaven and put Him where they want.

So, as I was watching the ceremony, a question popped into my head. If the church really believes that all of these communion wafers contain the body and blood of Christ, what happens to the wafers that aren’t consumed? More specifically, what does the church believe happens to the "divinity" contained within these wafers?

Does it wear off and disappear or is it permanently encased in the wafers? Furthermore, where do the unconsumed wafers go? Is there a special box in which they’re kept until the next mass? And assuming that Jesus never leaves these wafers, are they exempt from the next Transubstantiation ritual?

Thank you in advance for your (name removed by moderator)ut.

 

[Ghosty]

Does it wear off and disappear or is it permanently encased in the wafers?

It is permanent

Furthermore, where do the unconsumed wafers go? Is there a special box in which they’re kept until the next mass?

Yeah, they’re kept in the Tabernacle, which is the Catholic continuation of the Ark of the Covenant. That or they are consumed by the Priest or Extraordinary Minister if they can’t be placed in the Tabernacle.

And assuming that Jesus never leaves these wafers, are they exempt from the next Transubstantiation ritual?

They are not a part of the next Consecration, but they may be distributed at the next Communion Service/Mass. They will not be a part of the ritual of Consecration, however, as they are already the Body of Christ.

As a side note, we do not believe that Christ is “within” the Eucharist, but that the Eucharist is nothing but the Body and Blood of Christ. This is why we kneel and pray before the Tabernacle, as it is the physical dwelling of the Body and Blood of Christ between Masses, just as the “Old Testament” Ark of the Covenant was the Throne of God in the Temple.

Peace and God bless!

 

[YinYangMom]

ChristianWAB:

I’ve come to a point where I can just accept that the Roman Catholic church believes they have this “magic” power to pull our Savior from His place in heaven and put Him where they want.

Let’s start here.
First of all, there is no ‘magic’ power which pulls our Savior from His place in heaven to put where we want.
What happens is the Holy Spirit works through the priest, who is in persona Christe at that moment, to open the portals, so to speak between this world and Heaven where Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is eternal…ongoing…

It’s more like we gather at His house bearing our gifts and petitions and then at the meal a curtain is drawn back to reveal the heavens to us. We can’t really see all the angels surrounding the altar, we can’t really see our guardian angels at the altar bearing our gifts/petitions, we can’t really see the angels in heaven singing “Hosanna in the Highest” and yet they are there at that moment. We enter into Christ through the Eucharist because HE comes into the wafer and wine of His own will so that He may bring us life and grace. (even that’s not correct because he doesn’t enter into anything, He actually becomes present in the bread and wine). Anyway, it is His gift to us. That is whye we are ‘invited’ to the feast. He invites us to join Him. We don’t conjure Him up or pull Him down…He raises us up.

So, as I was watching the ceremony, a question popped into my head. If the church really believes that all of these communion wafers contain the body and blood of Christ, what happens to the wafers that aren’t consumed? More specifically, what does the church believe happens to the "divinity

" contained within these wafers?

Just to be clear. The wafers in and of themselves do not contain the body and blood of Christ. Unconsecrated wafers and wine are just bread and wine. At some point during the consecration (we don’t know the precise moment) Christ, through the Holy Spirit, becomes present through the wafer and wine, so to speak…they become Him, they don’t contain Him.

Does it wear off and disappear or is it permanently encased in the wafers? Furthermore, where do the unconsumed wafers go? Is there a special box in which they’re kept until the next mass? And assuming that Jesus never leaves these wafers, are they exempt from the next Transubstantiation ritual?

Thank you in advance for your (name removed by moderator)ut.

Ghosty addressed those questions well.
The effect is permanent (until the hosts are consumed).
They are reserved in a chalice within the tabernacle (just as in the Old Testament) until the next mass.

Exempt from next consecration? yes. Watch what happens at the next mass…after the consecration of the ‘fresh’ wafers and wine but before the priest raises that one host high and we respond with “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you…” you’ll see a eucharistic minister approach the tabernacle, open it, remove the chalice and place it on the altar beside the newly consecrated hosts. Once that is in place the priest will then raise up that one host to begin that prayer.

Then notice also what happens when everyone is sitting down or kneeling after communion…the priest and the eucharistic ministers consume any remaining blood of Christ, then transfer any remaining hosts into one main chalice and they place that chalice into the tabernacle and close the doors. Then the priest goes back to his chair to reflect a bit before proceeding to the next part of the mass.

 

[LCMS_No_More]

YinYangMom:

Let’s start here.
First of all, there is no ‘magic’ power which pulls our Savior from His place in heaven to put where we want.
What happens is the Holy Spirit works through the priest, who is in persona Christe at that moment, to open the portals, so to speak between this world and Heaven where Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is eternal…ongoing…

It’s more like we gather at His house bearing our gifts and petitions and then at the meal a curtain is drawn back to reveal the heavens to us. We can’t really see all the angels surrounding the altar, we can’t really see our guardian angels at the altar bearing our gifts/petitions, we can’t really see the angels in heaven singing “Hosanna in the Highest” and yet they are there at that moment. We enter into Christ through the Eucharist because HE comes into the wafer and wine of His own will so that He may bring us life and grace. (even that’s not correct because he doesn’t enter into anything, He actually becomes present in the bread and wine). Anyway, it is His gift to us. That is whye we are ‘invited’ to the feast. He invites us to join Him. We don’t conjure Him up or pull Him down…He raises us up.

The Mass is actually the KEY to understanding the book of Revelation. The reading of the letters from Christ, the great high priest in heaven, the opening of the books, the Lamb standing on the altar as though slain, the martyrs under the altar (every Catholic altar has a relic in it), etc.

 

[John_Lilburne]

ChristianWAB:

olor]
More specifically, what does the church believe happens to the "divinity" contained within these wafers?

Does it wear off and disappear or is it permanently encased in the wafers? Furthermore, where do the unconsumed wafers go? Is there a special box in which they’re kept until the next mass? And assuming that Jesus never leaves these wafers, are they exempt from the next Transubstantiation ritual?

Thank you in advance for your (name removed by moderator)ut.
The “transubstanted wafers” or “consecrated hosts” are treated with great respect. They are genuflected to, with the right knee touching the ground. They are locked in the tabernacle. The presences of Christ is indicated by a red lamp. They can be taken to the sick in pyxes or remain in the tabernacle in a container called a ciborium. They can be used in a later Mass but they are not consecrated again.

 

[Tired]

ChristianWAB:

Yesterday, I attended a Catholic mass that was pretty packed with people and it seemed that the priest had enough communion wafers to go around to basically everybody who attended. However, two weeks prior, the attendance was scant.

Now, even though I’ve never really been able to wrap my head around the mechanics of Transubstantiation (…it just never stopped seeming like a form of idolatry to me), I’ve come to a point where I can just accept that the Roman Catholic church believes they have this “magic” power to pull our Savior from His place in heaven and put Him where they want…

There is no “magic” in the “Roman” Catholic church. Perhaps you should consider not receiving until your priest can help with at least a basic understanding of the Eucharist?

Receiving Holy Communion based on your “acceptance” of what you suggest is what the “Roman Catholic church believes” is profaning the Eucharist.

 

[Tired]

The Mass is actually the KEY to understanding the book of Revelation. The reading of the letters from Christ, the great high priest in heaven, the opening of the books, the Lamb standing on the altar as though slain, the martyrs under the altar (every Catholic altar has a relic in it), etc.
[/quote]

Altars which are not fixed (which is a considerable number) do not contain relics.

 

[Church_Militant]

There’s no “magic”…the term you need is “MIracle”, and if you don’t accept the Real Presence then you must also have an issue with Christ when He Himself tells us, " For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Does this “pull our Savior from His place in heaven and put Him where they want.”, or is this not a promise from Our Lord that only He is able to accomplish?

Matthew 6:30 And if the grass of the field, which is today, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, God doth so clothe: how much more you, O ye of little faith?

Matthew 8:26 And Jesus saith to them: Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? Then rising up he commanded the winds, and the sea, and there came a great calm.

Matthew 16:8 And Jesus knowing it, said: Why do you think within yourselves, O ye of little faith, for that you have no bread?

Luke 12:28 Now if God clothe in this manner the grass that is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more you, O ye of little faith?

Matthew 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretching forth his hand took hold of him, and said to him: O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?

All this in obedient response to His command in Luke 22:19: And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."20: And likewise the cup after supper, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Perhaps you should think and pray about these passages as well.

Matthew 19:26 And Jesus beholding, said to them: With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible.

Mark 10:27 And Jesus looking on them, saith: With men it is impossible; but not with God: for all things are possible with God.

Mark 9:22 And Jesus saith to him: If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Mark 14:36 And he saith: Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee: remove this chalice from me; but not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Luke 18:27 He said to them: The things that are impossible with men, are possible with God.
Pax tecum,

 

[ChristianWAB]

Tired:

There is no “magic” in the “Roman” Catholic church. Perhaps you should consider not receiving until your priest can help with at least a basic understanding of the Eucharist?

Receiving Holy Communion based on your “acceptance” of what you suggest is what the “Roman Catholic church believes” is profaning the Eucharist.

It’s a difficult situation to be in for sure. On the one hand, I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Of that, I have positively no doubt or question. On the other hand, I’m more skeptical of rituals that aren’t spelled out in the Bible (…I honestly haven’t seen the word “Transubstantiation” anywhere in the Bible, though I’ll admit I may have missed it).

So, if the Roman Catholic way is the correct way, it’d be to my peril to NOT consume the Eucharist wafer. Plus, nothing I could say or do would change that anyway (…i.e.: My inability to believe in a wafer won’t change what it is if it truly does contain the divinity of Jesus).

If the church is WRONG about Transubstantiation, one could still physically consume the Eucharist as a symbolic act (…in other words, you eat in memory of Him) and do no harm to anybody.

I believe in and love my Lord and Savior. I just want to do what is right.

 

[Ghosty]

If the church is WRONG about Transubstantiation, one could still physically consume the Eucharist as a symbolic act (…in other words, you eat in memory of Him) and do no harm to anybody.

This is an example of an innocent misunderstanding of Scripture. “Do this in memory of me” is not a “symbolic act”. On the contrary, the Greek word used for “in memory of me” is anamnesis, which mirrors the Hebrew word zikkaron. That word doesn’t mean to symbolically comemorate something, but rather to be present for that single moment again and again. You can’t comemorate an anamnesis, you’re either present at the event or you are not; it does not imply sybolism at all, but rather a statement of fact.

“Do this in memory of me” is unfortunately the closest we can come to that term in English, but it doesn’t do the concept justice. Jesus was actually literally saying “come here and eat my flesh and drink my blood again and again”. That is why we don’t believe the Mass is a re-presentation of the Last Supper and the Passion, but that we are actually at those events again in person. We believe that because Christ said so when he said “do this in anamnesis of me”.

Peace and God bless!

 

[Tired]

ChristianWAB:

It’s a difficult situation to be in for sure. On the one hand, I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Of that, I have positively no doubt or question. On the other hand, I’m more skeptical of rituals that aren’t spelled out in the Bible *(…I honestly haven’t seen the word “Transubstantiation” anywhere in the Bible, though I’ll admit I may have missed it).

So, if the Roman Catholic way is the correct way, it’d be to my peril to NOT consume the Eucharist wafer. Plus, nothing I could say or do would change that anyway (…i.e.: My inability to believe in a wafer won’t change what it is if it truly does contain the divinity of Jesus). If the church is WRONG about Transubstantiation, one could still physically consume the Eucharist as a symbolic act (…in other words, you eat in memory of Him)* and do no harm to anybody. I believe in and love my Lord and Savior. I just want to do what is right.

I’m not sure it’s as “difficult” as you suggest. You chillingly sound very much like some sort of Protestant apologist who dislikes the Catholic Church – there obviously has been some programming going on in your life based on your comments.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass couldn’t be more biblical. Start with chapter 6 of John’s Gospel for your own edification. While “transubstantiation” dosen’t show-up in the Bible, neither does the word “bible.”

Your main proplem is your are trying to treat the Catholic Church as some sort of Protestant denomination and that simply dosen’t work. The Catholic Church is the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ here on Earth. The Church cannot be “WRONG” because God cannot be wrong!

Then again my sincere guess is that you’re an anti-Catholic bigot just playing some games and trying to upset some people with your odd comments about receiving Holy Communion. If I am mistaken, my sincere apologies

 

[gelsbern]

ChristianWAB:

If the church is WRONG about Transubstantiation, one could still physically consume the Eucharist as a symbolic act (…in other words, you eat in memory of Him) and do no harm to anybody.

I believe in and love my Lord and Savior. I just want to do what is right.

Could you tell me why it is that so many people think that it is just the act of eating/drinking that was commanded to the Apostles?

Remember, they were the first bishops. Could it be that our Lord was telling them to do the ENTIRE action in rememberance of Him? I mean everything from the breaking of the bread, the giving of thanks and praise AND the eating of it. Same thing for the cup.

I don’t see in scripture even where he specifies that it is just the act of eating that is done in rememberance, but rather the entire Eucharistic act that these first bishops would ordain others to do.

I would really enjoy hearing how you have come to the conclusion that it is just the simple act of eating or drinking that the “Do This” is referring to.

 

[Scholastic17]

Now, even though I’ve never really been able to wrap my head around the mechanics of Transubstantiation (…it just never stopped seeming like a form of idolatry to me), I’ve come to a point where I can just accept that the Roman Catholic church believes they have this “magic” power to pull our Savior from His place in heaven and put Him where they want.

1. Christ instituted the Eucharist on Holy Thursday. The power of the priest to invoke transubstantiation is not his because he says so, but because Christ willed it.
2. The Sacrifice of the mass isn’t exactly as you describe it. The Sacrifice of the mass is essentially a replay (for lack of a better term) of Calvary.

For more information:

ewtn.com/faith/teachings/euchmenu.htm

 

[JimG]

To be somewht more precise, the Mass is not exactly a ‘replay’ of Calvary; rather, it makes the one sacrifice of Calvary present to us in this place and time.

In worshiping the Eucharist, we worship Christ. Christ is one. We do not duplicate Him. The appearances of bread and wine are multiplied, but not Christ. Each person receiving communion recevies the one same Christ.

But, as St. Paul warned, to receive Him worthily, you must recognize his body in the Eucharist. Receiving Him without recognizing the body (i.e, viewing it as only a symbol) is just the thing Paul warned against.

 

[Tired]

1) Christ instituted the Eucharist on Holy Thursday. The power of the priest to invoke transubstantiation is not his because he says so, but because Christ willed it.

1. The Sacrifice of the mass isn’t exactly as you describe it. The Sacrifice of the mass is essentially a replay (for lack of a better term) of Calvary.

For more information:

ewtn.com/faith/teachings/euchmenu.htm

Absolutely not.

It’s a RE-PRESENTATION. Jesus Christ has not been re-sacrificed!

 

[Scholastic17]

Tired:

Absolutely not.

It’s a RE-PRESENTATION. Jesus Christ has not been re-sacrificed!

Thus the reason i say “for lack of a better term.” Christ isn’t being sacrificed again. The sacrifice offered at the mass is the same sacrifice offered at calvary…minus the blood. Thus the reason i say “replay.” Think about it in football terms. What does it mean when you watch the “replay” of something that happened on the football field?

 

[Tired]

Scholastic17:

Thus the reason i say “for lack of a better term.” Christ isn’t being sacrificed again. The sacrifice offered at the mass is the same sacrifice offered at calvary…minus the blood. Thus the reason i say “replay.” Think about it in football terms. What does it mean when you watch the “replay” of something that happened on the football field?

“Replay” is wrong. Try “re-presentation.”

 

[Scholastic17]

“Replay” is wrong. Try “re-presentation.”

What’s the difference? If you watch a replay of a football play, are the players actually performing the play again? No! You are watching what already happened on a different screen. What’s the difference betweeen replay and representation?

 

[prodigal-sun]

ChristianWAB:

Yesterday, I attended a Catholic mass that was pretty packed with people and it seemed that the priest had enough communion wafers to go around to basically everybody who attended. However, two weeks prior, the attendance was scant.

Now, even though I’ve never really been able to wrap my head around the mechanics of Transubstantiation (…it just never stopped seeming like a form of idolatry to me), I’ve come to a point where I can just accept that the Roman Catholic church believes they have this “magic” power to pull our Savior from His place in heaven and put Him where they want.

So, as I was watching the ceremony, a question popped into my head. If the church really believes that all of these communion wafers contain the body and blood of Christ, what happens to the wafers that aren’t consumed? More specifically, what does the church believe happens to the "divinity" contained within these wafers?

Does it wear off and disappear or is it permanently encased in the wafers? Furthermore, where do the unconsumed wafers go? Is there a special box in which they’re kept until the next mass? And assuming that Jesus never leaves these wafers, are they exempt from the next Transubstantiation ritual?

Thank you in advance for your (name removed by moderator)ut.

AS a regular on this board I appreciate your questions and attendance here. But I would request your questions be worded in a more respectful tone. As a fellow christian I’m sure you do not in any way want to offend anyone reading here. So please do not refer to the eurcharist as the “wafer” The “Eucharist wil do fine” Your off handed remarks denotes a disrespect for our beliefs in reference to the Eucharist. I’m sure this was unintentional but know you know!

Peace!

 

[Scholastic17]

So please do not refer to the eurcharist as the “wafer” The “Eucharist wil do fine”

I am an observant latin rite Catholic; i see no problem with the word wafer; that is what it is before it is transubstantiated. Stop being so scrupolous. :yawn:

Wafer strictly defined is:

“a round thin piece of unleavened bread used in the celebration of the Eucharist”