Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Why did Jesus “institute” the “Sacrament of his Body and Blood”? I have a friend who always hated the word institution. It brought to his mind images of sterile hospitals and asylums, schools and prisons. He didn’t want institutions. He wanted the flesh and blood reality of relationships.
While I may not have his distaste for the word, I appreciate and value his thoughts on the matter. Body and Blood. That’s real life, isn’t it? Can anyone here not relate to what those are? If you have stubbed your toe, do you not recognize the reality of the body? If you prick your thumb on a rose or nettle, do you not bleed?
Jesus took the night of what would become his final supper (his Last Supper) and broke bread with those with whom he had walked, talked, argued, debated, challenged, and worked for the past number of months or years. Tearing a small loaf of (probably) unleavened bread he said, “Here. This is my body ripped, torn, broken for you. Whenever you eat it, know that my life is linked with yours, and your life is linked with me, and together we will be my Body; new life.”
Jesus took the night of what become his final supper (his Last Supper) and looking into the cup he held in his hands, he saw the wine, dark, red (at least we assume it was red) and remembered the blood placed over the homes of Jewish slaves in Egypt (to protect them from the angel of death that would Pass Over) and said, “This is MY blood. It is a new covenant. It is poured out for you and for many, protecting you from the wrath of God. Whenever you drink it, know that my life is linked with yours, and your life is linked with mine, and together we will be my Lifeline to the world.”
Meals are life-giving and life-affirming events. They are, obviously, a necessary part of living. I enjoy the routine of three-squares a day. When we say grace, we are continuing this act of remembering, aren’t we? It may not be the liturgical sacrament of Holy Communion we share in church, but it is still an acknowledgement that “all things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.” The keyword here is Thanksgiving. Gratitude is at the heart of Holy week, and at the heart of Jesus’ command to “do this in remembrance of me.”
Amen
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