" You can't have Jesus on toast "

Earlier this afternoon I called in at Blackfriars and found myself in conversation over a mug of tea with some of the students there. Starting from discussing Dom Alcuin Reid's lecture last night the conversation turned - it being that sort of a person and that sort of theme - to liturgical horror stories.

One was of a Catholic church where on Easter Day flanking the priest giving communion hosts there were two lay ministers - one with the chalice and one giving out with equal solemnity chocolate mini eggs. When my informant queried this the parish priest calmly argued this was the most convenient point at which to give out the eggs...

Anothe person present had a story of a Greek-born teacher explaining the necessity of the Eucharistic fast to boarding school pupils who were thereby denied breakfast by saying "You cant't have Jesus on toast."

Which may well be true, and indeed dignum et justum est, but is also a very memorable, if quirky, way of communicating the idea. A phrase to haunt the mind I think.