It has been asserted that, after the Reformation, the Protestant denominations have forgotten the true meaning of the Eucharist. Let me offer a short clarification to partially refute this allegation. The complaint of most Protestant churches is that the Catholics are performing the ritual with a wrong intention and understanding of what the Lord's Supper actually means. They say it is wrong to crucify Christ again and again. Perhaps this is close enough to strike home, or perhaps the exchange of accusations needs a closer look.
As Martin Luther took pains to point out, in the Eucharist there are two kinds of reality present: the ordinary material, and the spiritual Presence of Christ. He called it "consubstantial" in the same way as the three Persons of the Trinity are "of the same substance" in the Nicene creed.
For the Orthodox Church, the transformation of the elements is to be regarded as a mystery, and we should stand in awe of the imminent Presence of Christ with us during worship. When Jesus said, "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you," He meant that He was the true bread, the true food come down from Heaven. The disciples did not grasp his meaning when He said it, but knew these were the Words of eternal life. They knew that to speak of a mystery by way of metaphor does not make the statement any less true.
There is no other way to approach this than to regard it as a mystery of recognizing the Presence of Christ within and alongside the physical elements of bread and wine. What need is there to assert that the elements are no longer what they appear to be? In the spiritual reality of the ritual, they are MORE than they appear to be. The realm of Spirit does not need to be visible to be present. If pressed on the deep theology in this, I think most Protestant pastors might concur. To say that it is merely symbolic is overly simplistic and lazy thinking.
In practice, the infrequent ministry of the Eucharist seems to be a shame. We lose part of our connection to the Body of Christ, the Church, when we let our worship in the Lord’s Supper attenuate. It is not necessarily a sacramental practice of administering a flow of grace to offer this, but it is an opening of our hearts to allow God to reach inside of us and renew his Spirit to dwell within us. If we seek to grow in the fruit of the Spirit, we will always desire this. Even the offering of our hearts to Jesus every day should not be regarded as too often.
That indwelling is the reason why we need to confess our sins beforehand. The Spirit will not dwell where sin remains. This can equally be done in private prayer, if there is no felt need for counsel and verbal absolution. The communal prayer of confession is adequate for sins that do not weigh heavy on our hearts. For those that trouble our conscience, a more intentional confession to God, or if worse, before a pastor may be needed.
We need to come to the Lord's table with clean hands and a pure heart in order to receive the full mercy and gift inherent in this act of communion with Jesus. To come without confession can be an insult, and grieve the Spirit. Only in reconciliation can the Eucharist do its best work for our continuing progress in sanctificaton.
So let us regard the ritual offering of the Eucharist not as the repetition of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, as if He could need to die for us again. God forbid! Rather, the Lord's Supper is the manifestation of His Presence in the communion of his people coming together as his Body still in the world, but not of it. To do this, as often as we come together, is the obedience to his commands that we promised when He was with us. "Do this in Remembrance of Me." If we do not remember Him, for what reason have we gathered? We come not just for a social occasion, but to encounter the Living Christ and hear his Words spoken into our hearts. For this we gather to worship the God who created us for the sake of Love, and we accept his invitation to eat the Bread of Life and drink to the forgiveness of our sins. What a happy opportunity to participate in the Banquet of Heaven!
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