Thrown away antidoron

AMM said:

My priest sent me home with a fair bit of antidoron on Sunday, which I had eaten some of and had sitting on my desk by an icon. A friend asked me what the bread was and I explained that it was blessed bread from Church. They took a bit to eat but dropped some on the ground, which they then threw away. What should I do?

I think I'm trying to figure out the balance between not idolizing the bread (it's not the body of Christ) and honoring that it has been blessed (it's not just bread, it's holy bread).

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since it's been blessed, bury it in an area that doesn't get much traffic

I always throw mine (and any crumbs left over the bowl after the Divine Liturgy) into an area with trees and bushes next to the Church where no one walks, for the birds to eat. With my priest's blessing.

Here's a very fundamental question that I have to, unfortunately, ask - what's the difference between the Antidoron and a Church Brunch that has been blessed by the priest, and why do people make such a big deal of the crumbs of the Antidoron?

I can understand the Prosphoron / Eucharist, because every particle is now mystically the Body of Christ; however, if there is no difference between the Antidoron and a blessed Church Brunch, what's the huge deal of crumbs?

I mean, of course, we shouldn't be wasteful of our food and try to minimize crumbs / parts of the food that fall to the ground; but IF it falls to the ground, what's the big deal?

I know that in the Greek tradition, there could be a special significance in that the Eucharist and the Antidoron are of the same loaf, so there is perhaps a special, symbolic significance (maybe symbolically connecting it to the Theotokos, as the Lamb of God took on flesh from the Mother, likewise the Prosphoron takes on it's appearance from the Antidoron),

but this isn't the case in the Russian tradition, where the Antidoron and the Prosphoron are separate loaves. And even with the Greek Tradition in mind, aside from perhaps iconographic value, it's still bread, right?

I can maybe see it as analogous to Holy Water, and you shouldn't be wasteful - but is it the end of the world even if you spill Holy Water? It's not as if you spilled the Blood of Christ (which, even if by accident, I'm sure Christ would forgive you).

A Greek woman related how as a child she was putting food on the table for lunch and she plonked the loaf of bread on the table upside down. Her father gently scolded her and turned it right side up and explained that as bread is a symbol of Christ it should always be treated with respect.

So, Father, is it trash if it has actually been thrown in the cylinder? Kind of like.....an eclair? What would George do?

ArmyMatt said:

since it's been blessed, bury it in an area that doesn't get much traffic

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gurneyhalleck1 said:

So, Father, is it trash if it has actually been thrown in the cylinder? Kind of like.....an eclair? What would George do?

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you tempt me...

but in all seriousness, no, because it has been blessed. that's why there are proper ways to get rid of it.

AMM said:

So I should get it out of the trash can? I got out the big piece but I'm not sure what to do about any crumbs that are inevitably in there.

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yes, get as much as you can, find a quiet corner where people really don't walk, and bury it there.

TheLostCoin said:

I can maybe see it as analogous to Holy Water, and you shouldn't be wasteful - but is it the end of the world even if you spill Holy Water? It's not as if you spilled the Blood of Christ (which, even if by accident, I'm sure Christ would forgive you).

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good way of putting it. it should be treated with respect because it has been blessed and has a function within the Church.

Strictly speaking non-Orthodox should not even eat antidoron. It is meant to be eaten after fasting by those at the Liturgy who have not received communion which is why it is called anti-doron (instead of the gifts).

AMM said:

Really? That's new to me. I was given it by parishioners and even priests when I would attend services before I became a catechumen (and they knew I wasn't Orthodox), and even as a catechumen my priest and one of the parishioners always give me antidoron and send some home with me.

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That's also what we do in our parish. I always share some with my non-Orthodox husband when he attends with me.

Even our Russians before I dreamt I would be Orthodox , when I went to kiss the Cross at the end of Liturgy Father would give me Antidoron.

Greeks always do here to my knowledge

ikonographics said:

Strictly speaking non-Orthodox should not even eat antidoron. It is meant to be eaten after fasting by those at the Liturgy who have not received communion which is why it is called anti-doron (instead of the gifts).

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weird, the Matushka at each of the churches we’ve attended has gone out of her way to bring some to my family. We are catechumens, but this started before we became catechumens. I also remember my brother giving me some the first time I was in an Orthodox Church, many years ago. He was a deacon at the time.

In my parish, we give Antidoron to visitors/non-Orthodox all the time. The other day Father actually was saying that SHOULD STOP. He was saying that it's not the job of parishioners to do such things. In reality, the visitor should walk up to venerate the Cross at the end of the liturgy and introduce themselves. That is when Father gives them the Antidoron himself.

It may not be entirely proper then, but Father always says (after explaining that we practice closed communion and only Orthodox should approach to receive the Eucharist) that everyone is welcome to received blessed bread at the end of the Liturgy.

It's given by parishioners at our parish.

As far as the crumbs go, they are a big deal because we should treat holy things like they're a big deal. Casualness with the Holy is a recent development