The Forms For The Breaking Of The Bread
In liturgical churches, the breaking of the bread is accompanied by a litany of response between the celebrant and leader. This litany is often sung.
Liturgical Form
The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread. A period of silence is kept. Then may be sung or said:
[Alleluia] Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast. [Alleluia]
In Lent, Alleluia is omitted, and may be omitted at other times except during Easter Season.
In place of, or in addition to, the preceding, the following or some other suitable anthem may be sung or said here.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
grant us thy peace.
The following prayer may be said. In the Anglican tradition it is called the Prayer of Humble Access. The People may join in saying this prayer:
We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore gracious Lord, so as to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.
(The Book of Common Prayer)
A Contemporary Form
The minister silently lifts the bread for all to see
The minister then breaks or tears the bread as a sign of Christ's body broken for salvation. As the bread is torn, the minister may say, "The body of Christ broken for you."
The minister may then pour wine into the cup and, raising it for all to see, say, "The blood of Christ shed for you."
The cantor, the choir, the congregation, or all together may sing a song such as the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) or a chorus such as "O the Blood of Jesus" as an appropriate response to the symbolic action of Christ's broken body.
The minister may say, "Alleluia Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us."
The congregation may respond, "Therefore, let us keep the feast. Alleluia."