A Homily on the Faithful Reception of Holy Communion
Abridged and Modernised from the Second Book of Homilies
The Second Book of Homilies supplemented the first book of Homilies of 1547, wherein, amidst the tumult of the revolutions of the Reformation, clergy of the Church of England were instructed to read from these homilies, most especially as containing godly instruction for the life of the church, according to the teaching of the established Church of England.
The 39 Articles of Religion ensconce in Article XXXV the Books of Homilies with special privilege:
The second Book of Homilies, the several titles whereof we have joined under this Article, doth contain a godly and wholesome Doctrine, and necessary for these times
The phrase for these times is notable:
The American church revoked the books of such “until a revision of them may be conveniently made, for the clearing of them, as well from obsolete words and phrases, as from the local references.”
And bracketed XXXV:
This Article is received in this Church, so far as it declares the Book of Homilies to be an explication of Christian doctrine, and instructive in piety and morals.
No revision has ever been made.
And to that end the Anglican Church in North America reaffirmed the American prayer book’s revision of the Article, through a similar contextualization of the articles themselves:
We receive the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of 1571, taken in their literal and grammatical sense, as expressing the Anglican response to certain doctrinal issues controverted at that time, and as expressing fundamental principles of authentic Anglican belief.
These homilies were often expansive—much longer than our present attention span—and often polemical against Romish teaching, and, as the American Articles note, specific to the England of that time.
As such the below Homily, taken from the second book, has been adjusted for these times; namely, for a public reading in a modern parish.
This is the first part of one Homily, originally titled, “[An Homily] Of the Worthy Receiving and Reverent Esteeming of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ,” and was edited for modern language by
, which I further abridged and edited for a Maundy Thursday service.Of the Worthy Receiving and Reverent Esteeming of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ.
The great love of our Saviour Christ towards mankind, good Christian people, does not only appear in that dear bought benefit of our redemption and salvation by his death and passion, but also in that he provided that the same work might be had in continual remembrance, to take place in us. For, as parents try to save costly possessions for their children rather than buy them again; so our Lord and Saviour did not think it sufficient to purchase for us again his Father’s favor and eternal life, but also invented the ways most wisely by which they might add to our profit.
Amongst which is the public celebration of the memory of his precious death at the Lord’s table: which, being rightly done by the faithful, it does not only help their weakness, who, by their poisoned nature, are more ready to remember injuries than benefits, but also strengthens and comforts their inward man with peace and gladness, and makes them thankful to their Redeemer by diligent concern for godly behavior. And, as in former times, God decreed his wondrous benefits of the deliverance of his people to be kept in memory by the eating of the passover with his rites and ceremonies, so our Saviour has ordained and established the remembrance of his great mercy expressed in his passion in the institution of his heavenly Supper: where every one of us must be guests and not gazers, eaters and not lookers, feeding ourselves and not hiring others to feed for us; that we may live by our own food, and not perish for hunger while others devour all.
To this his commandment forces us, saying, Do thus, Drink ye all of this.
To this his promise entices us: This is my body, which is given for you; This is my blood, which is shed for you.
So then, as of necessity we must be ourselves partakers of this table, and not beholders of other, so we must prepare ourselves to frequent the table in reverent and due manner; lest, as medicine provided for the body, being misused, causes more hurt than help, so this comfortable medicine of the soul, unworthily received, causes us greater harm and sorrow. As St. Paul said: “He that eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks his own damnation.”
Therefore, so that it be not said to us, as it was to the guest of that great supper,
Friend, how did you come in not having the marriage garment? and that we may fruitfully use St. Paul’s counsel, “Let a man prove himself,” and so eat of that bread and drink of that cup, we must certainly know that three things are requisite in him who would worthily, as is fitting for such high mysteries, come to the Lord’s table: that is, a right and a worthy estimation and understanding of this mystery; secondly, to come in a sure faith; and thirdly, to have newness or pureness of life to follow after the receiving of the same.
But, before all other things, this we must be especially sure of, that this Supper be done and ministered in such ways as our Lord and Savior did and commanded to be done, as his holy Apostles used it, and the good fathers in the primitive Church frequented it. Let us rather in these matters follow the advice of St. Cyprian; that is, cleave fast to the first beginning; hold fast the Lord’s tradition; do that in the Lord’s commemoration which he himself did, he himself commanded, and his Apostles confirmed. If we use this caution or foresight, then we may see to those things that are requisite in the worthy receiver.
For the first, that we have a right understanding of the thing itself. As concerning which, we may assuredly persuade ourselves, that the ignorant man can neither worthily esteem nor effectually use those marvellous graces and benefits offered and exhibited in that Supper, but either will lightly regard them to no small offence, or utterly disdain them to his utter destruction; so that by his negligence he deserves the plagues of God to fall upon him, and by contempt he deserves everlasting damnation. To avoid then these harms, use the advice of the Wise Man, Solomon, who tells you, when you sit at an earthly king’s table, to take diligent heed what things are set before you.
So now much more, at the King of kings’ table, you must carefully search and know what delicacies are provided for your soul: to which you come, not to feed your senses and belly to corruption, but your inward man to immortality and life; not to consider the earthly creatures which you see, but the heavenly graces which your faith beholds. And, if this warning of man cannot persuade us to come to the Lord’s table with understanding, see the counsel of God in like matter, who charged his people to teach their posterity, not only the rites and ceremonies of his Passover, but also the cause and end of it: from which we may learn, that both more perfect knowledge is required at this time at our hands, and that the ignorant cannot with fruit and profit exercise himself in the Lord’s Sacraments.
St. Paul, blaming the Corinthians for the profaning of the Lord’s Supper, concludes that ignorance both of the thing itself and the signification of it was the cause of their abuse; for they came there irreverently, not discerning the Lord’s body.
Ought not we then to take heed, that we do not thrust ourselves to this table with rude and irreverent ignorance?
Let us therefore so strive to understand the Lord’s Supper, in order that we do not cause of the decay of God’s worship: so may we more boldly have access to our comfort there. Neither do we need to think that such exact knowledge is required of every man, that he be able to discuss all high points in its doctrine.
But this much he must be sure to hold, that in the Supper of the Lord there is no vain ceremony, no bare sign, no untrue figure of a thing absent, but, as the Scripture said, the table of the Lord, the bread and cup of the Lord, the memory of Christ,
the annunciation of his death, yes, the communion of the body and blood of the Lord in a marvellous incorporation, which by the operation of the Holy Ghost, the very bond of our union with Christ, is through faith wrought in the souls of the faithful, by which not only their souls live to eternal life, but they surely trust to win to their bodies a resurrection to immortality.
The true understanding of this fruition and union, which is between the body and the head, between the true believers and Christ, the ancient catholic fathers both perceiving themselves, and commending to their people, were not afraid to call this Supper,
“the salve of immortality, a sovereign preservative against death;”
“the pledge of eternal health, the defence of faith, the hope of the resurrection;”
“the food of immortality,”
“the healthful grace,”
and
“the conservatory to everlasting life.”
If we would often call to mind all these sayings, which both holy Scripture and godly men truly attributed to this celestial banquet and feast, O how would they inflame our hearts to desire the participation of these mysteries, and continually to thirst for this food; not as specially regarding the earthly creatures which remain, but always holding fast and cleaving by faith to the Rock whence we may suck the sweetness of everlasting salvation. And, thus much more the faithful see, hear, and know, the favourable mercies of God sealed, the satisfaction by Christ towards us confirmed, the forgiveness of sin established. Here they may feel wrought the tranquility of conscience, the increase of faith, the strengthening of hope, the large spreading abroad of brotherly kindness, with many other sundry graces of God; the taste of which they who are drowned in the deep dirty lake of blindness and ignorance cannot attain unto.
From which, O beloved, wash yourselves with the living waters of God’s word, from where you may perceive and know both the spiritual food of this costly Supper and the happy trustings and effects that the same doth bring with it.
Now it follows to have with this knowledge a sure and constant faith, not only that the death of Christ is available for the redemption of all the world, for the forgiveness of sins, and reconciliation with God the Father, but also that he has made upon his cross a full and sufficient sacrifice for you, a perfect cleansing of your sins; so that you acknowledge no other Savior, Redeemer, Mediator, Advocate, Intercessor, but Christ only, and that you may say with the Apostle, that he loved you and gave himself for you. For this is to stick fast to Christ’s promise made in his institution, to make Christ your own. Here you need no other man’s help, no other sacrifice or oblation, no means established by man’s invention. Coming to this table, we must pluck up all the roots of infidelity, all distrust in God’s promises, we must make ourselves living members of Christ’s body.
Finally, let us prove and try ourselves genuinely, without flattering ourselves, whether we are plants of that fruitful olive, living branches of the true Vine, members indeed of Christ’s mystical body; whether God has purified our hearts by faith to the sincere acknowledging of his Gospel and embracing of his mercies in Christ Jesus: so that at this his table we receive, not only the outward Sacrament, but the spiritual thing also; not the figure, but the truth; not the shadow only, but the body; not to death, but to life; not to destruction, but to salvation. Which God grants us to do through the merits of our Lord and Saviour: to whom be all honor and glory for ever.
Amen.