Fr. Howie is writing a series of “Praying Shapes Believing” articles that appear in our weekly Sunday worship bulletins. Whether it is your first time, or your thousandth, reading, reciting, and praying the traditional Rite II worship from the Book of Common Prayer, it is worthwhile to ask why. We will examine some of our prayers and collects to help us find more meaning and connection in the ritual. See all topics in the Praying Shapes Believing series.
The Fraction
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feast.
What is it?
After the Eucharistic bread is consecrated, the celebrant breaks it and announces its spiritual meaning to those gathered to receive it.
Why do we do it?
The fraction is partly a practical act – the bread must be divided so that everyone can receive a piece – and partly a reminder that in the Eucharist we call to present consciousness (we “un-forget”) the death and resurrection of Jesus, making those events real and personal for us.
What it says about God
In the timelessness of God, the salvation of Jesus is for everyone, in every time.
The reality of loss and sacrifice is an experience that God shares with us now.
Messages for how we live
Brokenness is no barrier to new life.
For more – Consider a time in your life when what seemed like an ending turned out to be a beginning also. Presuming that there was some time in between, what sustained you from the ending to the beginning?