Communion

I’ve recently been involved in some ecumenical groups, which have brought me into a contact I didn’t have before with the whole notion of the Eucharist. As to communion, the word itself – communing, “with oneness” with God seems to be what we are about, what we most deeply desire, and what all our prayers seek for. Having been raised in Christian Science, it’s been natural for me to look at communion from a spiritual standpoint. Here are some of Mrs. Eddy's clear words on the subject:

“The efficacy of Jesus' spiritual offering is infinitely greater than can be expressed by our sense of human blood. The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon "the accursed tree," than when it was flowing in his veins as he went daily about his Father's business. His true flesh and blood were his Life; and they truly eat his flesh and drink his blood, who partake of that divine Life.” –p 26.

To me this speaks of blood as life-force – volition, motivation. So when Jesus says, This is my blood, drink ye all of it, I think of him as commending us to be motivated by the same thing that motivated him – to have the same source of animation and holy purpose. Mrs. Eddy points out that the disciples were already eating when he shared the bread and wine with them. So it wasn’t a case of them getting material nourishment. I think (based on what she says) that this is what they experienced at the Last Supper – that, as they ate the bread and drank the wine, they simultaneously got a sense of what he was spiritually imparting to them – what would sustain them and what would inspire them.

Again, as one raised in Christian Science, my tendency has been to be suspicious of ritual. After all, Mrs. Eddy says, “Whatever materializes worship hinders man's spiritual growth and keeps him from demonstrating his power over error.” – p 5. But through interactions with my ecumenical friends, I’ve come to see something of why they do it. It is like a gate for them, a reminder to center their thoughts and think about holy things. Or like a prop: When I was in a freshman in college, I practiced riding my unicycle down the halls of the music building while my roommate practiced her flute. I found that, at first, I needed to rest my hand on something while mounting. But later I found that I could just rest my hand on nothing, imagining something there, and it would steady me so I could start. Just as it was my balance that kept me up, and the real or imaginary thing to put my hand on was a prop, so ritual, among Christians who use it, can be a prop, but it is still their faith which brings them closer to God. So the bread and wine can’t bring Christ into their thought, but they can do that. As can we, at any time, even without the ritual. As Mrs. Eddy says, “Whatever inspires with wisdom, Truth, or Love--be it song, sermon, or Science--blesses the human family with crumbs of comfort from Christ's table, feeding the hungry and giving living waters to the thirsty.” –p.234.