Hygienic Idiocy

Personal hygiene is really quite simple. Wash your hands (regularly). Shower or bathe (regularly). Brush your teeth and floss (regularly). Cover your coughs and sneezes (always). Did I mention to wash your hands (regularly)? And guess what you should be doing after each and every bathroom stop? Wash your hands. I bet you already knew that!

But sometimes people go hygienically overboard. Nowhere is this more readily seen in churches than in the shot glasses used in the distribution of the Lord’s Supper. Although these little jiggers have only been around for about a century, for many they are the preferred method of receiving Christ’s blood in the Sacrament, even though there is not a shred of evidence that suggests individual cups are more hygienic than the chalice. None. Notta. Zero. Zilch.

There are at least four reasons why the Christian need not fear the chalice. First, our Lord Himself used “a cup” when He instituted this blessed Sacrament. Second, Saint Paul calls this cup “the cup of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27). Third, Saint Paul speaks about the unity of those who partake of the one loaf and drink of the one cup (1 Corinthians 10:16-22). And fourth, the physical element used in the Sacrament is alcoholic wine. At a bare minimum, this should assure you that your Lord is giving you this gift, not to harm you in any way, but for your good, your forgiveness, your strength.

Our Lord’s words are simple and straight-forward:

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” [Matthew 26:26-28; cf. Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25]

Just when you thought there is nothing new under the sun in sacramental hygiene, a company called Purity Solutions is using false, unsubstantiated claims to market a new product: the Body + Blood Host and Dispensing System (click here to read more about this newest gimmick). The wafers are wine-infused (non-alcoholic), baked, and packaged in sleeves for their Purity dispenser.

This totally neuters our Lord’s command to “drink of” His blood. It’s impossible to drink of something that isn’t liquid. What’s more, a communicant is more likely to catch a cold from shaking hands, talking to someone, or opening a door at church than partaking of our Lord’s body and blood. If one is truly intent on hygiene, perhaps the pastor, elder, and ushers, as well as all the parishioners, should be required to scrub their hands before entering the building and then wear sterilized gowns and surgical masks until they exit the building. After all, if hygiene is the goal, let’s get serious about it!

As you can tell from my sarcasm, this is yet another example of hygienic idiocy.