The meaning of the Eucharist to us, every one

Beautifully said, Bill! We try so hard to understand the profoundest of mysteries and fail because only God completely knows God. Our language can't adequately express the divine, but as you said, we try as best we can with our finite language and logic. However, our hearts are built "to get it" just as Chris "gets it". I believe Jesus wants us to open our communion tables to each other regardless of our individual traditions. He modeled this same oppenness in his own life by dining with anyone and everyone. I think of the hymn, "Let us break bread together on our knees". Amen.

I agree Bill.

The Eastern Orthodox have no "official" explanation for the Real Presence except that it is a "mystery".

Even though I am not Eastern Orthodox I think they are correct on this matter. Some things are better kept a mystery.

Your parishoner sounds like he is very close to the Kingdom of God.
Unless one has Faith like a child....

I enjoyed this - nice and simple!

Bill - a beautiful and insightful post.

Last Sunday during Adult Forum at my Parish (Grace Episcopal in Liberty,MO) we discussed the concept that the Eucharist was the Real Presence of God being poured out in love for us so that we could go forth transformed into the Real Presence of Christ in a hurting world...

Quite a ways from Transubstantiation I would say...

PS - I think that Jesus did say that unless we became as a little child, we could not see the Reign of God.

What a lovely expression of faith!     Thank you for sharing, Bill.
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As I recall,   the Lord of the Church invited his followers to receive Him as would a little child...   with wonderment and joy.     Believers sometimes tend to over-think it :)
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I have one word for this article: Beautiful.

This is a beautiful story. He is one with the "little way" of love.

We don't even need theologians at this point to explain the Real Presence to us. It is clearly defined and explained in scripture. I don't really see theologians "worrying" about the theology behind the Eucharist. The theology of transubstantiation has been set in stone through Peter the Rock for hundreds of years. The pastors take the Dogma surrounding it and through the Mass we become amazed and in awe of the the Eucharist. I pray all denominations may one day be in awe of it objectively rather than in a subjective way.

Taking the Real Presence beyond the bread and wine.

The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation of Vatican II states, “In His goodness and wisdom, God chose to reveal Himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose of His will (cf. Eph 1:9) by which through Christ, the Word made flesh, man has access to the Father in the Holy Spirit and comes to share in the divine nature. (cf. Eph 2:18; Pet 1:4).”

As the gifts are prepared at the altar, the priest pours a drop of water into the wine while praying “Through the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”

When the Jews quarreled among themselves asking, “How can he give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus made no attempt to answer “how”, but “why”. Just as the Father who has life sent me and I have life because of the Father, so the person who feeds on me will have life because of me. (Jn 6)

Prior to the consecration, the priest places his hands over the offerings and prays that the Holy Spirit will come upon “these gifts to make them holy, that they may become for us the body and blood of Christ.” I would suggest that the prayer should be, “let the Holy Spirit come upon us to make us holy so that we may become Christ for one another.”

Ultimately, it is the congregation and not simply the bread and wine that we consecrate. Christ becomes truly present in each of us and we become the real presence of Christ to one another and are called to recognize and serve Christ in others. We come to share in his divinity just as he shared in ours.

That is the “why” of the Eucharist.

Bill I have thoroughly enjoyed your posts on this site. I am a strong Catholic but as I have told many priests had I been born into a strong Baptist, Methodist, Prebsyterian or Jewish family I would be a member of that faith. To me the saddest thing in our society is the war of faiths. God is the God of all creation and from that beginning have come many ways to follow our God. We need to respect all paths to holiness.

Beautiful!

Not long ago my ELCA Pastor was refused Communion at a wedding he was co-presiding at by the co-minister, a Catholic priest because "only Roman Catholics in good standing can receive" (so said the priest). What a contrast that priest's faith is to the simple, beautiful love of Jesus in the Eucharist that Bill and Chris and many others share. Would that we all did!

Nice article, Mr. Tammeus

Coming from a pre-Vatican II mixed marriage - mother roman catholic and dad a Episcopalian/Presbyterian/ agnostic/atheist depending on time of his life - it was a breath of healing fresh air. His jesuit friend at the time of his death said he had not meet a more spiritual person. And although I unalbe to get to the funeral I understand there were 5 memorial services at different churches. As a child brought up catholic and not allowed to go to my dad's church (presbyterian at that time) - we had special permission when he was made an elder - I felt a healing - scattered parts becoming whole.

I was told as a youngster that the presbyterians didn't believe in the presence. As an adult I have to admit I'm am sometimes more focused on the communicants than the communion. I watch people approach communion and wondered what thoughts are going through their heads as they approach with such yearning carrying the whole nine yards of human experience with them.

The idea of just going for the essence was refreshing. Gratitude, gratitude gratitude generating love. It can't get any purer or more real than that.

Coming from a pre-Vatican II mixed marriage - mother roman catholic and dad a Episcopalian/Presbyterian/ agnostic/atheist depending on time of his life - ithis article is a breath of healing fresh air. Mhy dad's jesuit friend at the time of his death said he had not meet a more spiritual person. And although I unable to attend my dad's funeral I understand there were 5 memorial services at different churches including a catholic one. As a child brought up catholic and not allowed to go to my dad's church (presbyterian at that time) - we had special permission when he was made an elder - I felt a healing reading this article - scattered parts becoming whole.

I was told as a youngster that the presbyterians didn't believe in the presence. As an adult I have to admit I'm am sometimes more focused on the communicants than the communion. I watch people approach communion and wondered what thoughts are going through their heads as they approach with such yearning carrying the whole nine yards of human experience with them.

The idea of just going for the essence was refreshing. Gratitude, gratitude gratitude generating love. It can't get any purer or more real than that.

Thank you, Mr. Tammeus.

Jesus said, after all, in taking the bread and wine at supper, "This is my body...This is my blood." He did not say, on the other hand, "Now, my friends, let me explain this mystery to you."

As you've suggested, let the professional theologians try to do the explainin'.

However, let each of them remember that if they were able truly to explain the mystery or to demystify it, the Eucharist would no longer be a mystery.

And, perhaps, we'd all be more than just a bit worse off for their doing so!

Vatican Council II taught that our Lord presents himself to us during the Mass in four different modes: (1) in the preached word, (2) in the person of the presider, (3) in the elements of bread and wine and (4) in the people. Of these four some Protestants might find reason to balk at (2) and (3), but how many of us Protestant or Catholic are aware that the overwhelming majority of us, looking through the specticles of your various traditions, should be able to recognize that we can agree about Christ's presence in at least two of the ways the Roman Catholic Church affirms the presence of our Lord in the Eucharist. Indeed, though in contrast to their Confessions, I know of a good many Lutherans who would balk at the second mode of presence, the fact of the matter is that vast majority of Christians in the world have no reason not to agree that Christ is present among us in all four of these modes as we do eucharist. When the question of ordination is taken up, we may still be divided, but at the heart of our worship we are not. More of us need to share this truth and celebrate it.

Let the people say Amen

Thank you Mr. Tammeus, for another very spritual, sensitive and insightful inspiration. Please, keep it up.

Over the years,the phenomenon has emerged of a strong desire by many Christians of the Reformation to receive Catholic sacraments. I think the Holy Spirit maybe moving here in ways we don't yet understand. Sometimes,leadership in the church emerges from the grass-roots.

Bill, you've hit the nail on the head!

I teach in a Catholic high school with a diverse student body. While the majority of the students are Catholic, plenty of them are NOT. Before our first all-school mass of the year I was telling my freshman theology students what to expect. I told them that those who were not Catholic, or choosing not to receive communion, should process with everyone else. When they get to the communion minister they should cross their arms in front of them, and they'd receive a blessing.

Anyway, one of the 14 year olds came up to me privately. "I receive communion in my church. I'd like to receive it here, too." I explained that different denominations explain the eucharist differently, so she should probably just receive the blessing. "So I CAN'T receive? I believe we receive Jesus--why wouldn't I want that?"

Good question. How do I handle this and not risk my job? In my heart of hearts, I hear Jesus saying, let them come to me! I can't imagine Jesus turning anyone away from the table. So, I told this sincere student of mine that the decision was for her and Jesus to work out. I told her that some people might misunderstand or be offended if they knew a non-Catholic received communion, but I would not.

If the wrong folks found out what I told this student, I'd be in deep doo-doo. When my students start pressing for what I think about Church teachings on some really sticky issues such as women priests or homosexuality, I have a truthful and effective response. "You know," I tell them, "I think when we get to heaven we're going to find out that we made things a whole lot more complicated than they needed to be. Jesus told us to love God and love each other. If we keep trying to do that, we'll be okay."

Amen.

Well said, Bill. Jesus chose to share his Real Presence with tax collectors and prostitutes, the scum of society of the first century Hebrew community. Those who set up worthiness criteria and barriers today are somehow missing his point!

Depends on the sect. Because you call it the Body of Christ, it is. There are those who believe it is simply a sign of community, for them it is neither. It is not so much its meaning as its reality that is important - that it really is Christ living in us as a community and the community becoming Christ by its reception. Once received, the host is again just bread.

Oh, I like Presbyterian Communion, since I have an allergy to alcohol I appreciate the fact that some of you use grape juice instead of wine. Would that more Catholic parishes do so.

Thanks for that wonderful article.

Your fellow co-worker Jamey L. Manson can learn a lot from your article.

You made a profound statement at the end of the article:

"Can't we Protestants and Catholics agree on that much and then mostly just let the professional theologians (who often write only for one another) worry about the rest?"

For a protestant minister you seem to understand the meaning of the Eucharist far better that some of our catholics.

Your stepson can teach us a lot. God bless his little heart. May the heart of Jesus be with him.

Love this small c catholic column!

Which ironically brings me immediately to the word "catholic"--universal--very ironic for this Eucharist/other faiths, controversy!

Here's my grass-roots view (I'm also interested in Youth Ministry "doctrine" and what to teach kids, in these times of strongly varying Catholic viewpoints):

1. I think the Eucharist helps people feel the unity--and that poorer Christians are "really truly equal" to wealthier movers and shakers. This might have been a hidden little message from Jesus, meant to guide us all these years.

2. I think the Eucharist is about sharing. And with the 2011 African starvation, something to think about. Also in this traumatic economy, something to think about.

3. I think the Eucharist is about sharing, especially FOOD: Ditto #2 above. (And the donut after Church, could be far surpassed by more frequent, shared real MEALS in the parish basement/or hall. ESPECIALLY in this traumatic economy.)

4. Honestly with today's knowledge of atoms, down to quarks, high-school kids, and most junior-high kids, with any kind of faith--get it that GOD is in all of our atoms and hey! down to quarks, but of course!

The Real Presence has got to be everywhere! Or the reverse, where is NOT the real presence?

That would include the "lowest of the low" human beings:
Jesus speaks out particularly for "the least"--so let's say criminals--aren't they capable of change and conversion?

(By the way, dear Youth: Troy Anthony Davis, a black man, was executed this last week, in Georgia, USA. Thousands and thousands protested that his guilt was not proven.)

I think Eucharist means typing this comment in NCR, and talking to and LISTENING TO everyone "at table". And inviting lots of people to eat with us. Rich and poor. The lame and the blind. The non "beautiful people": How about prisoners and families of the imprisoned, sexual offenders and their families, families of whoever is ostracized? Hey even Catholic leadership who condescend to women! We need to sit down "at table" with any human being. (Unless physically impeded by someone actively threatening us with a weapon/or severe violence--including serious emotional violence.)

A blessed communion Host? Jesus asks us to be a real and authentic hostess/host to all!

Amen.

The wisdom and beauty of this article brought tears to my eyes.