Questions

Question first appeared on December 26, 2004
Why do we receive Holy Bread after the service?

The early Christian Church expected all baptized Christians to receive Holy Communion at each Divine Liturgy. As time passed, bishops, priests and monks began to tell the faithful how unworthy they were to receive the precious Body and Blood of our Lord. Requiring more prayer and fasting in order to prepare for Holy Communion, fewer and fewer faithful made the effort to prepare and to partake of the sacrament at each liturgy.

In order to reconcile with early Church practice of everyone receiving Holy Communion, the bishops/priests began to cut up the remainder of the prosphora (bread made for Communion) into pieces, blessing it after the anaphora and then distributing it to those faithful who didn’t come to Holy Communion. These pieces of bread are not Holy Communion and they were given the name antidoron, meaning anti–instead of, in place of doron–gift, “instead of the gift.” In this way everyone attending a Divine Liturgy would get something.

Today, everyone in attendance, those receiving Holy Communion as well as those not receiving, including non-Orthodox, are permitted to partake of the antidoron.

©Very Rev. Fr. Olof Scott, Sunday Bulletin, December 26, 2004

Question first appeared on February 25, 2001
I have noticed that some individuals, both after receiving communion or at the end of the Liturgy, take handfuls of the blessed bread (antidoron). Should they not take one piece?

I am reminded of St. Paul=s admonition to the Corinthian Christians regarding their behavior when coming to Holy Communion: A...when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord=s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.@ (1 Cor. 11:20-22)

Following communion it is proper to take one piece of antidoron. If one chooses to share this one piece with others immediately adjacent to him, he may do so. During the dismissal at the end of the Divine Liturgy, each participant may take one piece of antidoron for themselves and maybe a piece or two for family members who were not able to attend due to illness or for a praiseworthy reason. These pieces can then be broken into smaller pieces.

The antidoron is symbolic; it is not meant to be a meal. At no time, should any participant take a handful of the antidoron.
©Very Rev. Fr. Olof Scott, Sunday Bulletin, February 25, 2001

Reading last Sunday=s Q&A in the bulletin (6/16/02), leads me to another question. Is any partaking of Holy Bread considered a sacred meal? If so, then what of the bread seen at coffee hour? Should we take only one? What if we=ve already had bread at the dismissal, would this not be gluttonous? Should we take only one?

As explained in an earlier question, antidoron, what we call Holy Bread, literally translates into Ainstead of the gifts.@ This was the bread distributed to those who did not receive Holy Communion centuries ago. Today, it is distributed to all, whether they received Holy Communion or not. Since this bread is blessed over the sanctified gifts it must be treated with the respect it deserves.

Our main problem is the people who take a handfull of this bread after receiving Holy Communion or at the Dismissal. Some have told me that they take extra bread after receiving Holy Communion to share with those around them who did not receive Communion. Those individuals will receive that antidoron at the Dismissal, so it is not necessary to take it to them before that time. However, I did state that it is proper to share your one piece of antidoron with those around you if you so choose.

There are also those who take extra bread at Dismissal for those at home or in the hospital who were not able to make it to the service. Please refrain from doing this, because we often run out of bread for those who are the last ones in line, including the choir members.

If you desire extra bread for these Aworthy@ purposes (not just to eat more yourself), please wait until all in attendance have partaken. Any extra bread that is left over is then taken to the coffee hour, where you may help yourself.