EUCHARIST AND ...MYSTERY

Is receiving communion dependent on us or God?

'Blessed, praised & Hallowed
Be Jesus Christ on His throne of Glory in Heaven
and in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar on Earth.'

So runs an ancient and wonderful prayer of Praise proclaiming Faith in Christ as Saviour and His abiding presence with us in the Blessed Sacrament.

BUT meaningless & irrelevant to nearly all amongst whom we live, work and relax.

Face facts:

• We live in a predominantly pagan society fascinated by all things new and novel...e.g. what a to do is made of Dan Brown's book: 'The Da Vinci Code' !
• An increasing number are in ignorance of the Christian Faith..e.g. contenders on 'University Challenge' are invariably stumped by the simplest questions concerning religion.
• The Church despite its outreach (e.g. Mother Teresa of Calcutta etc. & locally such as our Tuesday club) remains no more than an oasis in the desert surrounded by ignorance, apathy, rejection..

'Mystery' can be seen on two levels:

1. A challenge to unravel; e.g. A detective novel, or a crossword puzzle etc.
2. Something unfathomable where we can only catch glimpses of its true meaning in this life; e.g. beauty in its many forms or love and the emotions it produces etc.

And the Mass is predominantly of this second category.

The Russian Orthodox Archbishop Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh compared the liturgy to a vast book saying that few of us would get past the introduction in this life!

If the reception of Holy Communion depended on our understanding of it alone then NO ONE would be eligible BUT as it is largely dependent upon desire, a longing of the heart & prayerful consideration & preparation according to our abilities then there is no reason in principle why even the youngest following baptism should not be admitted (as indeed is the Orthodox practice up to the age of seven, after which all communicants are required to make a sacramental confession and so the frequency of reception is in fact normally only a few times a year.)

Our Diocese offers little help here. We are encouraged to make up our own minds on when and how to admit children to Holy Communion.

But if we insist on the traditional C. of E., discipline of Confirmation preceding Holy Communion. we are still expected to offer the Eucharist to unconfirmed children visiting our parish. This is not, in my consideration, the way the Church should be behaving. It only leads to confusion and distress.

SO WHAT ARE WE TO TEACH?

To receive Holy Communion is the most precious thing we can do in this life.

It is this sense of awe and wonder, of reverence of our Lord present in this Holy Sacrament that we need to recapture and should inspire our teaching. The Eucharist has been described as 'The Holy Mystery' & to understand - even begin to understand this - we need to enter the mind of God Himself.

At St John's the term 'Mass' is used, incense is burnt, candles and vestments used and the title 'Father' indicate a 'Catholic', a 'High' theology, perception and understanding of the Church and its sacraments. Unless it is all a sham and fancy dress!

• The Eucharist is much more than a Christian Seder (passover meal).
• The Easter Liturgy gives us a clue to this when the priest declares:" Christ our Passover has been Sacrificed for us" and we respond: " So let us keep the feast."
• The Eucharist is the Church's - our - participation in Christ's Sacrificial life and death which He offered to His Father FOR US.

As W. Bright the hymn writer says:

And now, O Father, mindful of the love,
that bought us once for all on Calvary's Tree,
And having with us Him that pleads above,
We here present, we here spread forth to thee,
That only Offering perfect in thine eyes,
The one true, pure, immortal Sacrifice.

And the place where we celebrate the Eucharist is more than a table - it is an altar.

Have a look sometime, our altar here at St. John's has a stone set in it marked with five crosses signifying the five wounds of Christ.

And an altar is pre-eminently a place of sacrifice.

Our Family Service is much more than a shared meal, infinitely precious though this is - it is no less than uniting ourselves with Jesus Christ in His offering of Himself - His life and His Death for our salvation, and it is in this service that we are invited to receive the Blessed Sacrament in Holy Communion.

IN CONCLUSION

We need to give children the opportunity to learn what a precious thing receiving Holy Communion is.

It is essential that we provide an ongoing programme of nurture AND it is vital that these children have the ACTIVE support of their parents otherwise there is potentially a very real danger of conflict. Remember that Jesus was: 'Beholden to his parents'.

I hope at the end of my life I shall receive the 'viaticum' (Holy Communion for the dying) - food for my last journey - and that of course is what Holy Communion. is: FOOD FOR THE JOURNEY OF LIFE!  

Fr John Wheeler
Occasional Preacher, St John the Evangelist, Pevensey Rd, St Leonards on Sea