Communion at Home? Valid or Invalid?

There is a rather strange phenomena appearing in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.  People are having communion at home.  I don't mean with a validly ordained priest/minister either.  Instead people (usually a husband, but sometimes a wife) are taking wonder bread and grape juice and either "consecrating" it themselves or are waiting for the words of institution on the live stream.  Is this a valid sacrament? 

No…  No it's not. 

In order to have a valid sacrament you need four things. 

1. Proper intention
2. Proper form
3. Proper matter
4. Proper minister. 

1. You need to have the proper intention.  That means you need to intend to do what the church intends to do.  In communion the proper intention is to offer the body and blood of Christ.  Now one might suggest that they have this, and I'm not arguing that they do, but proper intention by itself does not a sacrament make.  You need some of the other stuff too. 

2. You also need proper form.  That is the words of institution.  "This is my body, which is broken for you."  "This is the blood of the new covenant which was shed for you."  If you have the proper intention and the proper form you're on the right track, but you are still lacking all of the elements of a proper sacrament. 

3. Proper matter.  This is the bread and the wine.  But not just any bread and wine.  White wine won't do.  Oyster crackers or wonder bread are off limits too.  The proper matter is a grape wine and an unleavened bread (though some traditions do allow leaven).  Also...  Just as an aside.  Glutton free wafers are questionable and probably not proper matter.  But I'll leave that conversation for another day. 

4. Proper minister.  You need someone ordained.  Someone who has been called by their ecclesiastical body to be a minister of word and sacrament.  You can't have every Tom, Dick and or Jane running around administering sacraments.  That's not proper. 

But the question is...  Is it valid or not?  I would argue that its not.  Now I'm typically careful of invalidating people's sacraments, because its a little above my pay grade and there are often complex issues of licit and illicit vs. valid and invalid that need to be had.  But if you are "consecrating" the elements on your own, or maybe holding up the bread and wine for a virtual consecration during the live stream, then I'm going to go right a head and tell you that that's an invalid sacrament.  There really is no question in my mind.  There's nothing valid or licit about either of those things. 

If you're stuck at home and your priest is live streaming the mass there are some things you can do.  Physically partaking in the body and blood isn't one of them, because you aren't physically there to do so.  Save that for when you're back at church with the brethren or when your priest comes to bring you communion.  Until then think about using the rite of spiritual communion.  You can find the link here. 

Regardless of what happens in the days to come, these events are no excused for disorder in the church.  Jesus appointed apostles and the apostles appointed priests and bishops to care for the flock in word and sacrament and we need to let them do what they have been called to do.  We all have our places in the church.  Some are hands, some are feet, some are priests and some are not.