Heavenly Eucharist

In yesterday’s post, I spoke of the way the Chinese faithful are prevented from partaking in the Eucharist. Those who realize its importance at least can try to find ways to attend the Divine Liturgy, yet many more people - and now I don’t just speak of non-Christians, or the newly converted - are not even aware of the importance taking Holy Communion.

There is a kind of denial that goes on amongst many professing Christians regarding the Incarnation - the coming of God in flesh, as the Messiah Jesus. Of course they will say that Christ is God, and will give up their life to defend this fundamental Truth, but still the reality of this sits uncomfortably with them. This is why they will deny that the bread and wine used in Holy Communion actually becomes the flesh and blood Christ and defiantly proclaim that the Eucharist is merely a spiritual or, even worse, a symbolic ritual done in rememberance of the Last Supper.

Because of this belief, there is often incomprehension at how Christians can claim to eat the flesh of Christ at every single Liturgy performed, anywhere in the world, at any time.

It is not the case that we eat the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth who walked the earth 2000 years ago. It is the case that Jesus is God and that the living flesh of the Christ is eaten at every Liturgy that was, is, and ever shall be. If Christ were just a man, then eating his flesh would indeed be a ridiculous notion, and on top of that repulsive. But He is God- this is what the Incarnation is! We should not be scandalized by it, for unless we eat the Son of God’s flesh and drink His blood there is no life in us.

My thoughts return to my most recent Communion, the Easter "Midnight Mass" on Holy Saturday.

When Christ was laying in the tomb, was not He also with the Father? He certainly was, and more than that, He was in Hades too breaking chains and freeing souls. In Heaven with the Father, on earth in the tomb, and in Hell destroying Satan’s hold over us - this is the truth of the Incarnation!

Why reject it, I cannot say. For the majesty of God to become flesh - not contain Himself within flesh, but become flesh and bone - is scandalous I suppose. God should be remote, not living and breathing with us, not dieing in agony for us. Or else He should be within us spiritually, not physically; we don’t want to see the flesh of God on that golden spoon, red with His blood, as it is offered, as He Himself offers it to us. We don’t want to chew upon the Christ’s manna and feel His flesh slide down our throats. The Holy Spirit invisibly within us is discomforting enough, without the flesh of Christ too. That is what scandalizes people, the scandal of the Incarnation.

But He did die for us - today He is Risen! - and His flesh and blood, that which is sacrificed for us, brings life.