The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 349Communicants to drink successively out of the samechalice, which would be unavoidable, if the Sacrament were administered in both forms. And in ourlarger churches, where communion is distributedevery Sunday to hundreds, there would be greatdanger of spilling a portion of the consecratedchalice, and of thus exposing it to profanation.But above all, as the Church in the fifth century,through her chief Pastor, Gelasius, enforced the useof the cup, to expose and reprobate the error of theManichees, who imagined that the use of wine wassinful ;so in the fifteenth century she withdrew thecup, to condemn the novelties of the Calixtines, whotaught that the consecrated wine was necessary fora valid communion. And should circumstances everjustify or demand a change from the presentdiscipline, the Church will not hesitate to restore the cupto the laity.CHAPTER XXIII.THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.SACRIFICE is the oblation or offeringmade toGod of some sensible object, with the destruction or change of the object,to denote that God isthe Author of life and death. Thus, in the Oldsion church, in far-off Burmah, using for the communionservice Bass s pale ale instead of wine. The opening of thefrothing bottle on the communion table seemed not quitedecorous to the visitor, who presented the pastoi with a halfdozenbottles of claret for sacramental use."30