A few days ago I read an article by Tom O’Loughlin, professor of Historical Theology at the University of Nottingham (UK), published in this month’s edition of the Irish journal, The Furrow.

It was entitled:  

        “We are One Loaf” – a way of understanding the Eucharist.  

His development of discussion of the Eucharist starts with reference to the Derrynaflan Paten now in the Museum of Dublin .  

Our own understanding of a paten is of a small precious metal disc that is just a little bigger than the large altar bread that is consumed by the priest, and it has been so for many years. On the other hand the Derrynaflan paten is much bigger – O’Loughlin compares it to a large dinner plate. It dates from the Eighth Century and relates to a celebration of the Eucharist from a much earlier time than our own.  

The celebration of the Eucharist in the earlier years of the Church, (and we are not talking here of the Medieval West but the first few hundred years of Christian faith) is essentially a different social celebration.  

It was a celebration involving a small gathering of people and that allowed different opportunities. The sharing of the Eucharist was indeed the division of the one bread, a physical sharing of the loaf on the much larger paten. This is clear from the Didache text and prayers of the early Church.  The Institution of the Eucharist was, after all, given at a celebration of the Passover where a limited number of people were present.    

This we have lost. Our parish sizes go beyond this intimacy and the action of breaking of the Bread by the priest has no practical outcome other than making his own consumption of the Eucharist easier. Kevin Nichols’ beautiful hymn, often used at the time of the Offertory, opens with the line “In bread we bring you Lord, our bodies labour” and the second verse “the bread we offer you is blessed and broken” . I knew Kevin Nichols during the years of my training to teach. Whenever we sing his words, their Eucharistic significance reminds me of that now distant time.    

For many years in our Parish, at weekday masses when smaller numbers were present, we gathered round the altar at Communion time. We shared the Sign of Peace with each other and each of us with the celebrant as we stood round him at the altar. That has now unfortunately been stopped and an action that had significance has been lost.    

Maybe when there is the need for a large celebration of the Eucharist, our present practice is the only practical solution. But couldn’t we look, with a degree of latitude, at small celebrations and allow the breaking and sharing of the One Bread with the priest? Certainly the Eucharist we share should be from the Bread of the Offertory from that Mass and not taken from the Tabernacle. The Reservation of particles is necessary for the sick but should not be seen as the normal manner in which we share the Broken Bread of each Eucharist.          

Returning to our roots can, as Tom O’Loughlin concludes in his article, be very disturbing,  for seeking where we have come from can often highlight the deviation of practice over many subsequent years. I do recommend that you read the full article, for it is both informative and challenging.                            (ref The Furrow July/August 2013.)

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