Those in Glass Churches ...

I noticed that Steve Ray is mocking communion supplies that involve pre-packaged cup/wafer combinations (link - link to website he's mocking). But it wasn't so long ago when those in the Roman communion could generally only communicate under the species of bread - the people of that church being denied the symbol of Christ's blood. Yes, we are aware that Trent insisted: "If any one denies that, in the venerable sacrament of the Eucharist, the whole Christ is contained under each species, and under every part of each species, when separated; let him be anathema." (Trent, Session 13, Canon III on the Eucharist - see also the similar comments of the Council of Constance in 1415) And yet we are also aware that Jesus, on the night he was betrayed "took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;" (Matthew 26:27) and while we are not sacramentalists, if you are going to take John 6 in a hyper-literal and carnal manner you must pay attention to the details of its commentary: "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." (John 6:53) Even if the bread were also the blood of Christ (or even if it were tinged with the contents of the cup), it's eaten, not drunk.

Oh, it is easy to mock folks with expressions like "crackers and grapejuice" but when your own church's communion, until recently, consisted of crackers that you told the people were the "whole Christ," your stones may be doing more damage to your own place of worship.

-TurretinFan