What does the Holy Eucharist represent in the Episcopalian Church?

Answer 1

No matter the faith many times the believer's personal faith is divergent to the disciple of the particular church. Whether it be: Transubstantiation; Consubstantiation; Transignifcation; Transfixiation or just simple memorial sharing. The good old Christian Brothers taught that the Anglican Church followed the Heidegerian Philosophy as can be found in "Sein und Zeit" "Being and Time" http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119034637/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 Wikipedia does not seem to give a concrete definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Eucharistic_theology Perhaps the best answer could be found in John Stott's "Anglican Eucharistic Theology" http://web.mac.com/brian.douglas/Anglican_Eucharistic_Theology/Blog/Entries/2005/12/30_John_StottBorn_1921Evangelist_and_Writer.html An Anglican (episcopalian) viewpoint As a member of the Church of England which, as a Church along with the Episcopalian Church is a member of the worldwide Anglican Church there is an official line as laid down in the 39 Articles of Faith formulated when the Church of England was formed in the 16th Century. In the Roman Church the belief in transubstantiation is official and widespread. They concentrate on the words of Christ 'This is my body./blood... do this in remembrance of me'. Therefore Roman Catholic doctrine is that the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ. In that, at each mass there is therefore a re-sacrifice of Our Lord's body and the consecrated bread and wine are a real presence of Christ for the people there. Therefore any 'spare' consecrated bread and wine are either consumed or kept in a cupboard called an aumbry (or a tabernacle if on the altar) so that the physical presence of Christ can remain within that place of worship. Therefore the consecrated bread and wine are given due veneration as Christ's body and blood. In the Anglican (Epcopalian) Church, however, whilst very few still pursue the Roman doctrines surrounding the mass, the vast majority remember Christ's words in a different way: 'This is my body/blood... do this in remembrance of me' and regard the Eucharist as a memorial of his death and passion until he comes again. This does not mean to say that the consecrated bread and wine are nothing special. Anglicans believe that scripture says that Christ's sacrifice on the cross was a once-and-for-all event and any 'resacrifice' at a mass is contrary to scripture. Therefore the Roman doctrine of the mass regarding transubstantiation and a resacrifice is inappropriate to the Anglican. One of the reasons for moving away from the transubstantiation doctrine was the upsurge of superstition surrounding the consecrated bread and wine, and, although this is not so nuch the case nowadays, the safeguard is still there. Instead, the belief in the Anglican church is that the bread and wine represent Christ's Body and Blood. In that, they are given some reverence but not in the same way as in a Roman Church. At the end of the Eucharist, any remaining bread and wine are consumed reverently either by the priest or by the priest and anyone else he calls upon (if there is a great deal left), and are usually not stored in church. For an Anglican, the miracle of the Eucharist is not in the inanimate objects of the Bread and Wine themselves, but in coming to the Lord's Table in faith and humility, and sharing in that spiritual meal where they can meet with God in a special way.