Fascinating little article about how the Kenyan Catholic Church has banned a brand of wine from being used for Communion, because it was popular in bars.
Now, I know some churches in England that use port - just what you need at 8.20 am in a cold building in the countryside, apparently. Some that have been known to use a rather nice Chablis. Some English sherry. All these are legitimate, apparently. I know some alt-worship types use grape juice, blackcurrant juice or somesuch. But to each their own. And the source of supply is in the hands of the end-consecrator.
But there appears a blatant conflict of interest in a Church deciding its only supplier. I'm not saying there is any money resting in accounts. But it would be easier to achieve.
And the justification seems like drivel. Jesus didn't select a special Nazareth brand of wine for the Last Supper. Any more than the fish for the loaves and fishes came from Zebedee and Sons as far as we're aware. It was just the simple drinking wine of yer Judean diner - maybe a slightly posher brand for Passover?
The whole point is - it's just wine. I mean, wine is bad enough in this country, what with the former association with the upper classes (and modern association with Prosecco) - but the Mass takes something ordinary and makes it special. If the rest of the world is all drinking the brand - so what? It's like deciding we'll have a Petrus because everyone drinks Zinfandel at home.
Let priests be priests, and let ordinary bread and wine become spiritual food and drink. That's how the wonder gets in.
What next!
ReplyDeleteImported water for baptism now that fresh clean water is more widely available for the masses? A specific brand of bread, not for sale in any shop?
It is not unknown for people to bring back water from the River Jordan for adding to water to be consecrated for baptisms. I’ve never understood why one would - the esteemed Archdruid’s comments apply to ordinary water as well as the vin de pays. (Re sherry and port, it is preferable to have fortified wine if you have small or infrequent congregations, or no one wishes to take the rest of the bottle home. I once used a very nice red and was told afterwards, accompanied by a grimace, that the wine was very sour…)
ReplyDeleteThe first time I went to Sunday service at St Thomas's, Leipzig (J. S. Bach's) church, I found that morning Gottesdienst was followed by Holy Communion in the Chancel. The service sheet informed that the first three rows of communicants would be service wine; after that grape juice. So I made sure I was in the first row to go up. A small wafer made for a familiar host. I took the metal chalice and sipped the wine. That was when I discovered it was red table wine. For a cradle Anglican expecting port or similar, it was a shock at a very sacred moment! BTW no purificators were used between communicants; the chalice went straight to the next person (I didn't notice if it was rotated).
ReplyDelete