Significance of the Eucharist
Introduction:
The Eucharist, with varying names such as the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Communion and the Breaking of Bread, has become central to the faith of the Church. It is sometimes referred to as the Lord’s Supper, emphasizing its connection with the last supper Jesus had with his Apostles. It is also called the Holy Communion stressing the theme of our unity with Christ and with one another. Again, others call it the Eucharist because it is a form of thanksgiving for what God has done for humankind in Christ. The Eucharist is Christ’s real presence under the appearance of bread and wine. As the greatest of the Sacraments and the centre of the life of the Church, the Eucharist was instituted by Christ himself at the last supper. It is, therefore, a service of thanks and praise in which Christ is present in dual form, as Priest and Victim.
Main features of the Eucharist:
In the Anglican Church, the main features of the Eucharist on Sunday worship come after the sermon. After sharing the peace with one another there is the Great Entrance. The silver collection is brought alongside the “elements” (the bread and wine) to the chief celebrant as a form of thanksgiving. The Eucharist then commences with the “Sursum Corda” or the “Great Thanksgiving”, which contains a series of responses and a rather lengthy prayer, the Eucharistic Prayer. In the middle of this prayer, the elements are blessed followed by the ringing of the sanctuary bell, first when the wafer is raised and then the chalice. Irrespective of the nature or the type of priest leading the celebration (the one may be regarded as a sinner grade one!) and offering the Eucharistic prayer, the moment he or she offers the epiclesis (or the ‘invocation’) the elements of bread and wine mysteriously become the body and blood of Christ, because this was precisely what Christ did and said. God mysteriously enfolds the elements with His Holy Spirit so as “to make to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ”, as the Eucharistic prayer points out. This makes the taking of the Holy Communion one of the most sacred and sensitive aspects of our worship. Paul was, therefore, right when he cautioned us not to be casual in taking it.
Theological and symbolical significance of the Eucharist:
The Eucharistic feast emphasizes certain points of theological and symbolic importance:
• Remembering Christ’s suffering and sacrifice. Included in the Eucharistic Prayer is a portion in which the priest raises the wafer (bread) and the chalice (wine) alternatively reminding the participants, “…on the night he was handed over to suffering and death…”. Thus by partaking symbolically of the crucified Christ, the individual personally benefits from the Cross, the love given and demonstrated, and the salvation offered. It is therefore suggested, at this juncture, to respond reverently, “My Lord and my God”, the words of Thomas when he really became aware of the risen Christ (John 20: 28).
• Spiritual vitality. The elements, bread and wine, taken in faith are symbols that God feeds the soul. The Eucharistic prayer reads, “…we offer you, Father, this life-giving bread. This saving cup…”. In other words, as bread and drink revitalize and strengthen the physical body, so in the bread and wine God gives life, strength, and joy to the spirit of the one who partakes in the Eucharist. The author’s response to this spiritual vitality is, “In life, in death, O Lord abide with me” before the element is consumed.
• The Communion of believers. Anglicans, normally, refer to the Eucharist as the Holy Communion because it symbolizes, emphasizes, and reminds us that we live in a community, a community of believers called the Church. The Holy Communion, therefore, in spite of doctrinal or denominational differences in the Church, demonstrates our oneness or unity in Christ and increases our sense of fellowship. No wonder that as part of the Eucharistic prayer the congregation is made to respond, “We who are many are one body, for we all partake of the same bread” (I Cor. 10: 17).
• The second coming of Christ. The Eucharist also reminds us of the impending coming of Christ, which was pointed out by Christ himself during the institution of this sacrament (Mark 14: 25; Matthew 26: 29; Luke 22: 15-18). Paul makes it more emphatic: “Every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”. Part of the Eucharistic prayer also requires the congregation to proclaim this “mystery of faith”, which captures the futuristic conception: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again”.
Contrary to the thinking of some of us, the Holy Communion is not a secret rite directed only to the Church. Through this sacrament we are called upon to proclaim God’s salvation in Christ. It is a missionary sacrament, a sacrament directed to the whole world. The hymnist, Horatius Bonar, captures the significance of the Eucharist in the following words:
Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face; Here faith would touch and handle things unseen; Here grasp with firmer hand the eternal grace, And all my weariness upon Thee lean.
Here would I feed upon the Bread of God; Here drink with Thee the royal Wine of heaven; Here would I lay aside each earthly load; Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.
I have no help but thine; nor do I need Another arm save thine to lean upon: It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed, My strength is in thy might, thy might alone.
Article Written by: Rev. Fr. Albert Arko-Cobbah