The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-01-14
IIoN9
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Sermons on Catholic Worship.

"The Breaking of the Sacred Host is
the subject of the twenty-seventh OF
series on the general subject OF
s'catholic Worship" This sermon.
was prepared by the Rev. {. G. Han.
! ma Of Conrad, Mont.
Il.
After finishing the recitation of the
Our Father and the subsequent pray
err, the priest breaks the Sacred Host,
into three parts. The rite of the
breaking of the Sacred Host goes back
to the very institution OF the blessed
sacrament At the Last Supper,
Christ "broke bread and gave" to His
disciples. The Acts of the Apostles
tell us that the first converts OF ST.
Peter were persevering in the doc
trine of the apostles and in the com
munication of the breaking Of the
bread. (Acts ii, 42-46). We read
about st. Paul breaking bread" when
on the point of starting missionary
journey. (Acts Xxx, 7-1D. In the first
epistle to the Corinthians he writes:
The bread which we break, is it not
the partal1ing of the body of the
Lord?" Il Cor. X, ICY. ST. Clement,
ordained by st. Peter and his third
successor as pope, wrote to the Co
rinthians in his very first letter that
the breaking of the bread was per-
formed in a fixed order" There is
not an ancient liturgy in which the
IF hn hoc nc
prescribed from the beginning,
=. Historical and Mystical Usage.
What are the reasons for this rite?
There is a very practical reason for
the breaking of the Host which the
priest uses at the Mass before it's
consumption in holy communion,
namely, it is too large to be consumed
unbroken by the priest. Apart from
this, the fundamental reason for the
breaking of the bread" seems to be
historical. 1t is apparently founded
on the fact that, at the Last Supper,
Christ used a cake Of common bread
which He broke and of which He gave
pieces duly consecrated to His apos-
ties. In imitation of the Master, the
apostles and their immediate success.
Sors used common bread at the altar
and likewise were compelled to break
it to share holy communion with the
early Christians. In the course OF
time, growing reverence and convent,
ence led to the general adoption OF
the small, thin, light, waferlike form
now used. By that time the rite OF
the breaking sof the sacrificial bread
had become established universally,
and though no longer necessary for
practical reasons, it was maintained
for the mystical meaning the faith OF
centuries had attached to it. What
are these mystical reasons? The
breaking of the Host reminds us OF
the wounding and decorating of the
body of Christ, and the separation OF
His body and soul at His death The
breaking Of the Host over the chalice
which is prescribed to prevent the
loss of small particles of the Host
also signifies that the most Precious
Blood contained in the chalice comes
from the wounded and mangled body
of Christ, and now with it is one gift
in sacrifcial state on the altar. Ths
mingling of a particle of the Couse
Grated Host with the Precious BlooG
that is in the chalice is typical of the
reunion of the body, blood and sou
of Christ on resurrection day, and is
therefore emblematic of the resur
rection of Christ. AS the death o.
Christ is represented by the separate
conservation of the bread and wine
it is but fitting that His resurrection
&c.. should be recalled by the union Of thu
Sacred Host and the Precious Bloot
in the chalice.
A ThreefoId Peace.
While the priest holds the particle
of the Sacred Host over the chaliee
before mingling it with the Preciou!
Blood, he makes three times thu
sign of the cross with it over the
chalice saying, MAY the peace of thu
Lord be always with YOU" The peace
he wishes to the people here is tina.
peace which the world cannot give
it is the peace which the angels an
nounced at the Saviour's birth; thu
peace which Christ earned and con
firmed by the shedding of His bloee
on the cross. AS indicated by tn,
three crosses, it is threefold peace
namely, peace with God by possession
of His grace and friendship; peac
with oneself by submission of one
lower appetites to reason illuminate,
by faith; and peace with ones neigh
Dor by refraining from giving offens'
to others and by striving to earn tn
good will of all by the practice o
unfeigned Christian charity. In wish
ing the people this peace, the prizes
makes the sign Of the cross to i'm
press upon them the fact that Chris
earned this peace for them by Hi
death on the cross. AS of yore, Chris
appearing to His disciples hailed then
saying, Peace be to YOU" SO no,
likewise in the name of the neWl
risen Christ on the altar, the prizes
says, MAY the peace of the Lord b
always with YOU"
MingIins Of the Elements.
When the priest drops the SINAI
particle of the Host into the Preciou
Blood he says silently, May tn
mingling and conservation of the bod
and blood of Jesus Christ be unto u
that receive it effectual to eterna
1ife,o TheSa words mean at lRaSi