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The National Herald
February 20-26, 2010
Editorial Letters - p.10

Letters to the Editor

In our Dec. 26 Edition we published a commentary by Dr. John Collis, M.D., which we titled “Traditions of Orthodoxy and Science Need not Clash: A Discussion on H1N1.” His original title was “Communion and the Common Spoon” which was a call for a discussion about the use of the common spoon in Greek Orthodox churches. The distinguished physician, a former member of the Archdiocesan Council succeeded in stimulating discussion, as we have had many responses. We published one, along with further comments by Dr. Collis on Feb. 6. Here follow three more on both sides of the issue.


Rutland, Vermont Church Provides Plastic Spoon

To the Editor:

In response to the article written by John Collis, M.D., this is to inform you of the procedure in use this winter at our Greek Orthodox Church in Rutland, Vermont (St. Nicholas Orthodox Church).

The priest instructs the parishioners who prefer to use individual plastic spoons to be first in line. Then, as each one of them approaches, an altar server provides a plastic spoon and the priest administers hold communion to each of them with the plastic spoon. Each spoon that is used is discarded.

Then, those that wish to receive Holy Communion with the common spoon do so immediately afterwards. It works very well and all our pleased with this procedure.

During this winter season, most parishioners are using individual plastic spoons.

Theodore Corsones
Rutland, Vermont


Squeamish about Spoon? Then Re-Examine Your Faith

To the Editor:

I look forward to receiving your newspaper every weekend. Even though I consider your newspaper politically liberal, I find that it offers the best comprehensive coverage of the news in the Hellenic world. There were two articles that appeared on the Op Ed page of your December 26 issue that caught my attention. The first is the article by Dr. Kousoulas entitled: “Greece: A Beautiful Country— A Dysfunctional Society.” It is truly a very insightful article about the psyche of Greece and it answers many questions about the continuous societal upheavals in that country. I will address that issue at a later time.

The article that I wish to respond to as an Orthodox Priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America is that written by Dr. John Collis about the communion spoon. I have met him and heard him at clergy-laity meetings throughout the years and I have admired him from afar for his unselfish and untiring efforts to help the Greek Orthodox Church of America. Having said this, I do take issue with him about his article about Holy Communion and the question of the common spoon used in dispensing the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ to our faithful. I do not think, in spite of his professional standing, that the Church should change the method of dispensing Holy Communion by using individual plastic spoons. By doing this, it would diminish our faith in the reality of the real presence of Jesus Christ in the chalice.

Having served as a Greek Orthodox priest for fifty-one years in the Church in America, there is nothing more disturbing to a celebrant priest than to observe the faithful approaching the chalice squeamishly. There is nothing more disturbing to a celebrant priest than to see supposed committed Orthodox Christians shying away from the common chalice. It is terribly scandalous for the priest to see even members of priest’s families do everything in their power to avoid having their mouth come into contact with the communion spoon.

Beyond the teaching of the Church about the real presence of Jesus Christ in the consecrated bread and wine, there is also a very powerful scientific explanation that all Orthodox Christians should be aware of. In addition to the faith-based answer given by the Church, the following information is given to us from a medical perspective. This information comes to us from Dr. Emanuel Kolyvas, M. D. from Montreal. I quote him here: “Contrary to popular opinion, wines, and other beverages of antiquity produced through fermentation, were probably more important in disease-free drinking fluids than in their tendency to intoxicate. Ancient Greeks drank their water mixed with wine, and also used wine to cleanse wounds and soak dressings. More recently, military physicians of the last century observed that during epidemics of cholera, wine drinkers were relatively spared by the disease, and troops were advised to mix wine into the water.

Wine has been shown to be an effective antiseptic even when the alcohol is removed. In fact, 10% alcohol is a poor antiseptic, and alcohol only becomes optimally effective at concentrations of 70%. The antiseptic substances in wine are inactive in fresh grapes because these molecules are bound to complex sugars. During fermentation these antiseptic substances are split from the sugars and in this way become active. These molecules are polyphenols, a class of substances used in hospitals to disinfect surfaces and instruments. The polyphenol of wine has been shown to be some thirty-three times more powerful than the phenol used by Lister when he pioneered antiseptic surgery.”

But the issue that is of paramount importance in this discussion about the communion spoon is the question of faith. Do we believe in Jesus as the Lord of Life or don’t we? If He is truly the Lord of Life, I do not believe that He would ever dispense sickness and death to the people that He sacrificed His life for. On the contrary, I have witnessed in my priestly life, the miracle of a very sick man, close to death, who after receiving Holy Communion regained his health and lived for many more years.

My response to those who are staying away from Holy Communion because of their fear of contracting some disease from the communion spoon, is to remember the response of Jesus to a doubting Thomas after His resurrection; “Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:27-29). For those who are squeamish about Holy Communion, I would recommend that you reexamine your commitment to Jesus Christ and stop being swayed by the elemental spirits of this world that keep you from joining yourself with Jesus Christ in Holy Communion.

Fr. Constantine J. Simones,
retired
Waterford, Conn.


Holy Communion of Faith, Not Science

To the Editor:

In the Dec. 26 issue of National Herald an article was published, written by Dr. Collis, titled “Traditions of Orthodoxy and Science Need not Clash: A Discussion on H1N1.” He concluded, “If the common spoon is replaced by a more hygienic practice, such as the use of individual spoons, more parishioners will take communion, and more parishioners will take communion more frequently.” As a physician, having practiced vascular surgery for thirty years, and as an active Orthodox Christian, I found this statement Un-Orthodox and contradictory to the faith, practice, and tradition of the Greek Orthodox Church.

I recently attended an Orthodox Church of the Western Rite. These churches are in complete communion with all the Orthodox churches but follow the traditional western rite liturgy. At communion, the Host is given separately but all participants drink from the same Holy Cup, which is a less “hygienic” practice than the common spoon, to quote Dr. Collis.

To begin with, the spoon Dr. Collis is referring to is not any spoon but The Holy Spoon (Agia Lavitha), delivering the Body of Christ to the faithful. At Holy Eucharist, the Mystery of all mysteries occurs, and wine and bread are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ that conquer infirmity and death. If we don’t believe in this, there is no need to participate in Holy Communion. There is not a single documented case that any contagious disease was transmitted through Holly Communion, either to priests or faithful. And that includes isolated leprosy communities and sanatoriums treating patients with active tuberculosis. Dr. Collis mentioned that priests do not get sick by consuming the remaining of Holy Communion. So why does he recommend individual spoons? Are we going to have BYOS (bring your own spoon) liturgies, like BYOB clubs?

Constantine. A. Papas, MD,
FACS (retired)
El Paso, Texas

[ Orthodox Truth | www.orthodox-truth.bugs3.com/art_2010_science03.html  -  February 20, 2010 ]