Why do we not simply say “Eucharist” or “Mass”?
A theological, liturgical, and pastoral reflection from the Reformed Anglican tradition
In the rich vocabulary of Christendom, the sacrament instituted by the Lord on the night he was betrayed has received various names: Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, the Breaking of Bread, and even the Mass. Each of these terms contains a dimension of the mystery, but also conveys a particular theological understanding. Names are therefore not indifferent. To name is to confess.
In the Anglican tradition, particularly as shaped by the Reformation of the sixteenth century and consolidated in the Book of Common Prayer (hereafter BCP) of 1662, the most common name is not “Eucharist” nor “Mass”, but the Lord’s Supper. This choice is neither casual nor merely linguistic; it expresses a profound doctrinal commitment to a biblical, evangelical, and Reformed understanding of the sacrament.
1. Biblical root: the Lord’s Supper
Scripture explicitly uses the term “the Lord’s Supper”. In 1 Corinthians 11:20, Paul rebukes the Corinthians:
“When you come together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper” (ESVUK).
The word supper (Greek: δεῖπνον, deipnon) refers to an actual meal, taken at the end of the day, which in this case has been sanctified by the command and presence of Christ. It is also significant that the institution took place in the context of the Jewish Passover, a liturgical meal in memory of Israel’s redemption. By taking bread and wine, Jesus not only transforms the Passover but signals its fulfilment:
“Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).
“Breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46).
The biblical emphasis on the meal, and not on the sacrifice, is essential. Christ offered his body and blood once for all upon the cross; that sacrifice is not repeated in each act of worship. We partake of its benefits by faith, in a holy meal, not in a new immolation.
2. Reformation, clarity, and distinction
The Anglican Reformation was not a doctrinal invention but a recovery of the apostolic and patristic faith, freed from medieval excesses. One of its central concerns was the purification of worship, particularly of the understanding of the Lord’s Supper.
Article XXXI of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion affirms:
“The offering of Christ once made is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world… and there is none other satisfaction for sin, but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifices of Masses, in the which it was commonly said, that the Priest did offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, were blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits.”
In contrast with the sacrificial language of the “Mass”, the Anglican Reformers—following Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer—restored the biblical language of “Supper” and “Communion”, with emphasis on spiritual participation, not on transubstantiation nor on the adoration of bread.
3. The language of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP)
The BCP (1662), the liturgical jewel of the English Reformation, entitles its principal rite:
“The Order for the Administration of the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion.”
The expression “the Lord’s Supper” has appeared consistently in Spanish translations of the BCP, and though “Holy Communion” is also recognised, the word Supper bears particular force: it recalls the historical act of Jesus on the night of his betrayal, and retains the festive, relational, and commemorative character of that event.
This language is also a pastoral rejection of the terminology of the Mass, which carries associations with repeated sacrifice, sacerdotal mediation, and the removal of the people from the mystery celebrated.
4. A Reformed theology of the Supper
Reformed Anglicans confess that the Supper is:
- A living remembrance of the sacrifice of Christ.
- A means of grace, not by magic nor by substantial transformation, but by the real spiritual presence of Christ received by faith.
- A communion with Christ and with his Church.
- An act of obedience and unity, not of merit nor of sacrificial repetition.
As Article XXVIII teaches:
“The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another; but rather it is a Sacrament of our Redemption by Christ’s death: insomuch that to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith, receive the same, the bread which we break is a partaking of the Body of Christ.”
And the Homilies remind us with vigour of our absolute need for the prevenient and saving grace of God, showing that nothing good can arise from our fallen nature apart from his merciful intervention:
“For we of ourselves be crab trees, that can bring forth no apples. We be of ourselves of such earth, as can but bring forth weeds, nettles, brambles, briers, cockle, and darnel.” (First Book of Homilies. Homily 2: The misery of all mankind).
Thus we do not come to the Lord’s table as those who have something to offer, but as those who depend wholly upon grace. In this context, the name “the Lord’s Supper” proclaims that we do not come as passive consumers nor as worshippers of bread, but as guests by grace at a holy table where we are nourished by Christ in communion with his body.
It is worth noting that in the Supper we also experience communion with the Father and with the people of God, and we lift our praise to his name. Therefore, the expression “Supper” may be said to embrace, broadly and richly, what other names seek to describe separately: Communion, Eucharist.
5. Pastorally: the name matters
To call this sacrament the Lord’s Supper is to educate the people of God theologically. It is not a secondary terminology. It communicates:
- That salvation is by grace and not by rites.
- That Christ died once for all, and that offering is sufficient.
- That all believers are invited to his table.
- That we do not need a sacrificing priest, but a presbyter who faithfully administers the mysteries of God.
- That the Supper is spiritual nourishment, not spectacle nor empty symbol.
- That we are in communion with God.
Conclusion
The expression “the Lord’s Supper” is simple, yet powerful. It is no less solemn than “Eucharist”, nor less theological than “Communion”. It is, rather, the biblical and Reformed way of speaking of the precious gift Christ gave to his Church.
As evangelical and Reformed Anglicans, in using this name we confess that:
- We have been invited to the table by grace.
- Christ is truly present among us by his Spirit.
- We do not offer sacrifices, but remember and proclaim the crucified and risen Saviour.
- We feed on Christ by faith, strengthened to live in holiness and communion.
Therefore, with joy, we continue to say with the BCP: “The Lord’s Supper.”
Soli Deo gloria.
Suggested Reading
- The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The classic edition of Anglican worship. Includes the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, the rites of the Lord’s Supper, and pastoral prayers. Online editions exist, though the Spanish version is currently inadequate. The IACH is working on a modern Spanish rendering of the 1662 BCP.
- Bray, Gerald. The Faith We Confess: An Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles. Trans. Elvis Castro. Ellensburg: Proyecto Nehemías, 2017. An essential guide to Anglican Reformed theology. Very accessible.
- Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Trans. Henry Beveridge; Spanish trans. Cipriano de Valera. Salamanca: Ediciones Sígueme, 2009. Book IV, chapter 17: the Lord’s Supper in the classical Reformed perspective.
- Vermigli, Peter Martyr. Loci Communes. Trans. Kirk Summers. Editorial Teología para Vivir, 2023. A theological compendium covering central themes of the Reformation, including the doctrine of the Supper.
- Bucer, Martin. Liturgies of the Reformed Churches. Compiled by Bard Thompson. Includes the liturgies of the Word and the Lord’s Supper of Martin Bucer, John Calvin, and John Knox.
- Packer, J. I., and Wright, N. T. Anglican Evangelical Identity: Yesterday and Today. Oxford: Latimer House, 1991. Reflection on Anglican Evangelical identity; not available in Spanish.
- Booty, John E. The Church in History. Wilton, CT: Morehouse-Barlow, 1977. Covers the historical development of Anglican liturgy, including sacramental language.
- Dix, Gregory. The Shape of the Liturgy. London: Dacre Press, 1945. A classic study of the evolution of Western liturgy, written from an Anglo-Catholic perspective, yet crucial for understanding the wider debate.
