Some years back we had a Catholic parish priest who said that as long as he had anything to say about it, we were not going receive Communion under both species.  It was my understanding that he did not think it healthy for all those people to be drinking from  the same cup.

In those churches where the cup was offered to the people,   extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist  were taught that they were to turn the cup a bit so the next communicant drank from a different side, and after each sip they were to wipe the rim of the cup with the napkin.   It is obvious that after four or five people had received Communion the rest  were drinking from a side of the cup that had already been used, and possibly the napkin had acquired a variety of germs from the wiping.

Nevertheless, Jesus did say, “Eat my body and drink my blood,”  and “Take and drink.”   Let me explain the way I think about it.  Even 2000 years ago, before Louis Pasteur and microscopes and nanotechnology, Jesus would have known about microorganisms – bacteria, viruses, and the like – and their potential for causing disease.  In fact, he may very well have spoken the Word that brought their DNA into existence so that they could multiply ad infinitum and do whatever it was they were supposed to do. Read the rest of this entry »