There are three kinds of references to the Eucharist in the New Testament. The earliest reference is from Saint Paul [I Cor. 11: 23-29] in the early Fifties, where he passes on the tradition he received about the Last Supper and clearly articulates belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Next come the narratives, which appear in three of the gospels -- Mark, Matthew, and Luke -- and agree as to the Saviour's actions in the story: namely, that Jesus took bread, declared it to be His Body, gave it out; then took wine, declared it His Blood, and gave it out; and then authorized his apostolic followers to repeat the rite "as a memorial of me." Thus the Last Supper was the First Mass.
The third reference is today's gospel vignette [John 6: 47-58] in which Jesus propounds Church teaching: "My flesh is real food, my blood is real drink." The Greek word for 'real' is 'alitheis," meaning true, genuine, actual. The meaning is unquestionable. No doubt mirroring John's own community's dispute with mainstream Jews, "the Jews" present at Jesus' sermon dispute among themselves about the doctrine of Real Presence and most abandon the Christian Movement. Our Lord certainly does not say, "My flesh is a real symbol, my blood is a real symbol." No, but later heretical Christians would teach that anyway. The Quakers went so far as to abolish the Sacrament altogether...solved that dilemma!
The Last Supper text is central to worship on Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday) but that falls at a sad time of the liturgical year, so people later began to ask for a day on which these readings could be the focus in a Mass with more upbeat, celebratory tone. . The result: the Feast of Corpus Christi ("Body of Christ"), which falls on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday, although often observed on the following Sunday.
Anglicans do not impose a "scientific" definition of Real Presence. For centuries, the Universal Church spoke of transubstantiation, in which the essence of the elements is changed forever into Christ, but the accidents -- the observable qualities of matter -- remain as before. Later, Luther invented consubstantiation, identical except that the sacred Presence disappears at the end of the Eucharist, leaving some plain bread and wine (so they cannot reserve the Sacrament). Recently, investigations into quantum physics have led to a revival of acceptance of transubstantiation. It probably is still the best way to articulate what is, after all, not a mystery to be solved but truly a spiritual reality to be celebrated and lived into.
In our opening hymn, we praised "this blessed sacrament of unity." In the Roman Communion, the Sacrament is open to those who swear loyalty to the Pope as infallible, absolute ruler. The Eastern Orthodox Communion admits to the Sacrament those of their members who fully accept the Greek takes on doctrine based on the ecumenical councils. In our Anglican Communion, we admit to the Table all baptised Christians. At the font, God's "water broke" over each of us. We had a symbolic rebirth into a new life in a second family, life personally activated later through the sacrament of Confirmation by a bishop in the apostolic succession.
Holy Communion provides us with the divine 'fuel' to go out and attempt to be replicas of Jesus, living lives of pure outpouring of love and service to others. Hence, the real sense of our policy on admission to communion. If we can't even bring the three great branches of the Catholic Church together at the Holy Table, how will we ever begin to unite the "catholic church" of all believers on the earth?
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