Many Anglicans and Episcopalians, ever since the days of the great Puritan influence in the Church of England in the 17^th century, have been accustomed to attending the service of Mattins, or Morning Prayer, and / or Evensong, or Evening Prayer, instead of the Holy Communion. They have been accustomed to receiving the Holy Communion only at intervals of two weeks, or a month, or even less often. This primacy of Morning Prayer probably has developed originally out of excessive reaction against “Romanism” and also because the Mass – the old name for the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion, or Eucharist – had become overly encrusted with elaborate ritual and with rather mysterious secret pronouncements and acts by the priest, to the point where it seemed almost a kind of hocus-pocus.

    In this case, however, over-reaction in the seventeenth century became error. Consider, first of all, that it was our Lord Himself who instituted the Holy Communion, directly and in so many words. It is His service, in which we receive His Body and Blood, and thus are united intimately and directly to Him. By and through this Sacrament, we receive a constant access of strength and grace from the Son of God. If anything in this practice of religion has and should have primacy, it must be

this Sacrament, this Rite, this service, this Holy Liturgy. If anything has the power of God’s grace and favor, the power of salvation, it is this. If anything can give us comfort and joy and renewed faith and strength, it is this constant renewal in Jesus Christ at the altar.

    The Church has always known and taught this, even though frequently lax in practicing what it has taught! Morning and Evening Prayer are beautiful Offices, but they are Offices, not sacraments. They are designed for daily use; their very title in the Book of Common Prayer show this, as do the daily reading from Scripture which are specified in that Book.