In the Orthodox theology world we cannot know God but we can be aware through God’s energies

Intinction, the dipping of the Eucharistic wafer (or in the Orthodox churches, the Eucharistic bread) before placing it on the tongue was omitted by Gerry Lynch in his article (June 2) on worship and the problem of communion at the Christian Eucharist during an epidemic, such as the present.
By WA Miller
Published 5th Jun 2020, 11:45 BST
Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

(The article can be read here: ‘Outdoor worship would be a powerful witness to Christ and the resilience of community in the face of what has driven us physically apart’)

What is normal for Orthodoxy, intinction, I have seen on one occasion for an individual in a parish church of the Anglican usage.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The reason for the omission may be that intinction involves the administering priest or assistant in a too close contact.

However, also omitted, was any reflection on the paradox, for an incarnational faith such as Christianity, in the closure of churches as in the present epidemic, and further the epidemic is, apart from Greece and a few other countries, at its most severe in Europe and North America, less so in most of Africa, the Middle East and the Far East.

Maybe there cannot be an answer. In the theology of the Orthodox world we cannot know God (to claim that we can would make us God), but we can be aware through God’s energies. Something other than the chummy ‘Dear God’ of the BBC’s Prayer for the Day.

In the chanting of the Burial Service of Christ for Great Friday, as it is named in Eastern Orthodoxy, it is asked how the creator of the world can lie in the tomb – be in this epidemic.

WA Miller, Belfast

—— ——

A message from the Editor:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor