Why do we have Communion every week?
July 7, 2008
Q: When I was growing up in the Episcopal Church, we had Communion only twice a month. When I first started to coming to All Saints, it was the same. Now we have Communion every week. Why?
A: Although Holy Communion (Eucharist, Mass) may not have been regularly celebrated in many churches in recent years, throughout history it has been the primary service of the Church. In the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, the services for Morning and Evening Prayer are “Daily Morning Prayer” and “Daily Evening Prayer.” Another indication that these “daily offices” are to be used daily rather than on Sunday is that there is no provision for a sermon. On the occasions we’ve had Morning Prayer at All Saints, the bulletin reads “Morning Prayer and Sermon” because Morning Prayer doesn’t call for a sermon. The Morning Prayer service concludes, then the sermon is preached.
Celebrating the Mass weekly was the practice of the early Church as well as the Anglican tradition. We need to spiritually nourish ourselves with the Body and Blood of our Lord on a regular basis. Jesus told us to “do this in remembrance of Me.” We celebrate the Eucharist every week in remembrance of Him.
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