Communion, the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist. Different names for the same ritual. Communion is almost universal across all segments of Christianity. The significance runs from an annual remembrance to a daily portal to grace and path to eternal life.
You find the communion ritual introduced in the synoptic Gospels and presented by Paul in I Corinthians. That gives us four accounts by four authors. Although there are some differences the main points are consistent. It is introduced by Jesus at the Last Supper. The elements are bread and a cup which is said to hold wine. The bread represents the body of Christ and the wine represents His blood.
I am not a Catholic but I have developed a habit of taking personal communion when I have a normal work morning. I have in front of me a section of a bread loaf and a cup of coffee. We are told to partake in remembrance of Him. I do that and meditate on the price paid for my sin.
And I always start with thanks because that is what Jesus did before He broke the bread and again before He passed the cup. As I was looking over the ritual introduced by Jesus I wondered if there is any significance in the fact that Jesus referred to the bread as bread but for the second part, symbolizing the new covenant he spoke of both the cup and the wine. Perhaps it is a way of saying it does not need to be actual wine. Every culture has bread. For some wine is a rare commodity.
At the root of it all is the incarnation and the atonement. Big words for big realities.
homo unius libri
I'm not sure why, but I've always felt that "whenever" meant EVERY TIME WE EAT, in addition to performing it as a ceremony. You feel similarly, it seems. Of course most folks would consider us bonkers.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like be suffer from the same bonkers. I find some comfort that Jesus would be considered the King of Bonkers if He were around today.
DeleteGrace and peace.