Eucharistic Adoration and Orthodoxy?

[Markie Boy]

Just wondering - does Orthodoxy have a practice like Catholicism of placing consecrated bread (Eucharist) in a gold stand and praying before it and worshiping?

I wonder when this practice started?

 

[~Anastasia~]

Just wondering - does Orthodoxy have a practice like Catholicism of placing consecrated bread (Eucharist) in a gold stand and praying before it and worshiping?

I wonder when this practice started?

No, we don't do that.

We do cross ourselves when passing by the Church. And special reverence is shown during pre-Sanctified liturgies during the Great Entrance because the elements are already the Body and Blood.

But we don't worship it or pray to it or anything.

However, people do like to pray IN Church - of course we can pray anywhere anytime, but people sometimes ask to come inside and pray.

I don't know where or when Catholic Eucharistic adoration started?

 

[ArmyMatt]

we pray to and worship Christ, and the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of the One of Whom we worship. but that act of worship of Christ is never divorced from the consumption of His Body and Blood.

 

[Not David]

we pray to and worship Christ, and the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of the One of Whom we worship. but that act of worship of Christ is never divorced from the consumption of His Body and Blood.

So we should worship the consecrated gifts?

 

[ArmyMatt]

So we should worship the consecrated gifts?

we worship Christ. we don't divide Him up into "parts."

 

[Markie Boy]

According to this article I found, the separate adoration outside of communion looks like it started post East-West divide.

What's the history of adoration of the blessed sacrament?

Honestly, things from the Early Church to me are the first couple centuries. Things from the 11th century are not really the Early Church any more.

 

[AMM]

Like other said. We worship Christ. That's why at the consecration, the Western tradition is that we say "My Lord and my God" at the elevation.

Western Rite Orthodoxy does practice adoration (including the feast of Corpus Christi), and I believe I've heard that at the Liturgy of the PreSanctified Gifts during Lent in the Byzantine Rite there is a similar practice.

So again, like others said. We don't worship bread and wine. We worship Christ God, who is present in the Eucharist under the forms of bread and wine.

 

[AMM]

Here's an article I read a while back.

https://www.orthodoxwest.com/beautiful-vision

It's got sections on the relationship between adoration and communion, objections, and church father testimonies (among other things).

 

[AMM]

(sorry to keep blowing up this thread haha)

here's a few more articles from the same site about Eucharistic devotions. The article above is from Father Patrick Cardine. These three are from Father Edward Hughes. (Disclaimer: I haven't read these 3 (except some snippets) but hopefully they're good)

DEVOTIONS TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT: HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
https://www.orthodoxwest.com/devotions-sacrament-huges

Exposition
https://www.orthodoxwest.com/exposition

The Feast of Corpus Christi
https://www.orthodoxwest.com/corpus-christi

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

There is zero evidence of the Fathers worshiping the Eucharist. It is a medieval innovation of the Catholics. As a Catholic, I used to participate in Eucharistic Adoration. While there are far more egregious beliefs and activities in Catholicism, the Eucharist is to be consumed and appreciated as Father Matt stated. Holy Chrism is wonderful for Chrismation and Unction, but it’s not something I’d drink. Just as chrism isn’t meant to be drunk, the Eucharist isn’t meant to be prayed to and worshiped in a chapel displayed.

 

[nutroll]

I think a good way to understand this is by looking to the old testament prefigurations of the Eucharist. For the celebration of the Passover, it was ordered that the sacrificed lamb should be completely consumed. As Father Matt said the way we worship (in this Eucharistic context) is with the consumption of the lamb of God, not with saving it and bowing in front of it.

When we reserve some in the case of reserved communion for the sick or for the presanctified liturgy, it is similar to when God provides a double portion of manna the day before the Sabbath. Holy Communion is not meant to be kept for anything but for feeding us at a time when the work of the liturgy is not possible, either because we don't have time in the case of impending death or severe illness or because we don't serve liturgy on weekdays during Lent.

 

[Markie Boy]

That was my exact thought - the Old Testament commanded all the Passover meal to be consumed, or the rest burned. No leftovers.

Because of this I actually am somewhat skeptical of the idea of a tabernacle with Eucharist in it at all. Once you start to deviate, it just keeps going. And the statement that God does not dwell in houses made with human hands brings question to this for me as well, but we know where two or more are gathered in His name He is there. Does his presence linger in the Tabernacle - I wonder.

Gurney - what you said seems more Early Church than what Catholicism presents to me. But I'm at a point where my trust of Catholicism is low enough that I question much. In a way I feel like I'm reverting to Scripture more and more, and if it's not rooted there I'll pass, because there is so much to wade through otherwise.

 

[John P. Alexander]

According to this article I found, the separate adoration outside of communion looks like it started post East-West divide.

What's the history of adoration of the blessed sacrament?

Honestly, things from the Early Church to me are the first couple centuries. Things from the 11th century are not really the Early Church any more.

You will find the Catholic Church started doing a lot of strange things after they split from the Church.

 

[All4Christ]

That was my exact thought - the Old Testament commanded all the Passover meal to be consumed, or the rest burned. No leftovers.

Because of this I actually am somewhat skeptical of the idea of a tabernacle with Eucharist in it at all. Once you start to deviate, it just keeps going. And the statement that God does not dwell in houses made with human hands brings question to this for me as well, but we know where two or more are gathered in His name He is there. Does his presence linger in the Tabernacle - I wonder.

Gurney - what you said seems more Early Church than what Catholicism presents to me. But I'm at a point where my trust of Catholicism is low enough that I question much. In a way I feel like I'm reverting to Scripture more and more, and if it's not rooted there I'll pass, because there is so much to wade through otherwise.

The question becomes - how did the early Church (truly the early church) interpret Scripture and practice their faith? If we rely primarily on ourselves, we will deviate. In this case, in the early Church (before the Edict of Milan), priests would take extra consecrated Eucharist to their homes to bring to the infirm, bedridden, etc. After the Edict, it was stored in a special place - the tabernacle - following the same pattern @nutroll mentioned above about the double portion of manna. The purpose reflects the purpose of OT tabernacle - as it foreshadows theIt has a Biblical connection and follows the same pattern as many things that have their prototype in the OT.

(Now it is important to note that we aren’t saying that Jesus is “more” in the tabernacle than other places. He isn’t constrained to any place or structure).

 

[ArmyMatt]

I should also add, the extra communion stored in the Tabernacle is consumed every year during Holy Week (and more is made for the upcoming year).

 

[All4Christ]

The question becomes - how did the early Church (truly the early church) interpret Scripture and practice their faith? If we rely primarily on ourselves, we will deviate. In this case, in the early Church (before the Edict of Milan), priests would take extra consecrated Eucharist to their homes to bring to the infirm, bedridden, etc. After the Edict, it was stored in a special place - the tabernacle - following the same pattern @nutroll mentioned above about the double portion of manna. The purpose reflects the purpose of OT tabernacle - as it foreshadows theIt has a Biblical connection and follows the same pattern as many things that have their prototype in the OT.

(Now it is important to note that we aren’t saying that Jesus is “more” in the tabernacle than other places. He isn’t constrained to any place or structure).

Also, Jesus said He is the bread of life...and it is the mystical supper, which relates it to the manna.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Also, Jesus said He is the bread of life...and it is the mystical supper, which relates it to the manna.

yep, His flesh is the living bread that if we eat, we don't die.

 

[prodromos]

I should also add, the extra communion stored in the Tabernacle is consumed every year during Holy Week (and more is made for the upcoming year).

I'm curious to know what Catholics do with the host in their monstrance. Is it ever consumed and replaced?

 

[ArmyMatt]

I'm curious to know what Catholics do with the host in their monstrance. Is it ever consumed and replaced?

dunno, you'd have to ask them.

 

[AMM]

I'm curious to know what Catholics do with the host in their monstrance. Is it ever consumed and replaced?

I asked one of my Catholic friends about this once back in my Lutheran days when we would debate things such as this until 3 in the morning lol. If I remember correctly, he was pretty certain that the host in the monstrance is consumed by the priest after the period of adoration/benediction is over, but he wasn't certain how that worked in situations of "perpetual adoration" chapels where they always have the reserved Eucharist in a monstrance.