Communion. A time to remember a time for thanks.

Each time we take communion together the words “do this in remembrance of me” come rolling off our tongues. Sometimes it seems we hear the words and remember the loss of our lord and the pain and suffering of his final hours. This is the sad part of the words do this in remembrance of me. These are the reality of his loss but do we take the time to remember how much we gained from his life?

Karen spoke today about Bread from Heaven. Now when we read in Exodus about manna or bread from heaven we take it literally as food for the body. Of course one may also view it as food for the soul and the spirit. Both meanings are quite reasonable and necessary for survival.

However have we narrowed the meaning of the word bread too far? Bread is of course food and is a means of sustaining our life. Can a person be the bread? Is it possible that like in Exodus manna from heaven was sent to us and we simply did not recognize it?

Jesus brought us the Word in flesh. He gave us the strength of conviction and faith to make the blind see the, sick cured, the disabled walk and the afflicted clean. More than that however he gave us the word to sustain us, the faith to fill us. His very life was the bread of our souls. Is it possible when he took the bread and the wine he meant us to see that he was the word in flesh to sustain us. Not to makes us sad at his loss but happy at his presence. Like anyone important in our life, their death can makes us sad but it was their life that gave us life. Let us share joy at his being not sadness at his going.

So each time we eat or drink in his memory, let us celebrate the life that was.

“Do this in remembrance of me.”

Noral R.