As most of you know, I have been around the block a few times. I have served just about every size church we have in the Episcopal Church. Over these many decades, I have celebrated the Eucharist with everything from "real" bread to Wheat Thins (at camp).
And I have seen a lot of reactions.
I have watched the practice of intinction—dipping the consecrated bread into the wine—grow dramatically. And, interestingly, it doesn't seem to matter much what kind of bread or wafer is being used.
That growth really skyrocketed during COVID. I understand why. We were living through an extraordinary time, and people were understandably concerned about sharing the common cup.
But this wasn't the first time I saw intinction increase dramatically. I remember the AIDS epidemic, when fear and uncertainty also led many people to reconsider receiving from the chalice. Both were difficult and frightening times. We got through them.
And yet, we still dip.
For you "born" Episcopalians, do you remember a time when there was little or no intinction? A time when everyone drank from the chalice, and the priest simply consumed what remained? I remember it.
Which brings me to the question—because, after all, we Episcopalians do love our questions.
Why do we still dip?
Is it simply habit? Is it lingering concern about germs? Is it a matter of personal preference? Has intinction become, for some of us, the more comfortable or familiar way to receive? Or have we slowly forgotten that the common cup is itself a profound sign of what we are doing when we gather at the Eucharist?
I don't ask this as a condemnation of intinction. There are good reasons why someone might choose it, and there are times when pastoral sensitivity absolutely matters.
But perhaps it is worth asking ourselves whether a practice born or strengthened in times of crisis has now simply become part of our normal practice.
Sometimes, I think, the most interesting questions are not about what we are doing. They are about why we are still doing it.
