Day 46 Holy Thursday

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My Body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (From the Epistle of the Vesperal Liturgy on Holy Thursday Morning)

As I mentioned this morning at the end of the service, the Holy Thursday Vesperal Liturgy commemorates the institution of the Eucharist. What does this mean? It means that the Church celebrates the Last Supper today and the words of Jesus as he blesses and shares bread (take, eat, this is My Body) and a cup of wine (all of you drink of this, this is My Blood of the New Testament. It is this act that institutes, or begins, the practice of Holy Communion as we know it.

As Fr. Stavros points out, Jesus took two ordinary things: bread and wine, and made them “extraordinary”. He took two things that were profane (meaning not of the Kingdom of Heaven) and made them sacred. The Church does this often. It took normal oil last night and made is Unction. It takes water on Theophany and make is Holy Water. This is one of the important functions of the Church, to make the profane sacred. And this includes us!

In my 28 years of priesthood I have taught, lectured, argued and pleaded about the need for us as Orthodox Christians to participate in the Sacraments of the Church. Obviously I am referring to Confession and Communion. These two sacraments are available on a regular basis. As members of the Church, we are called to them regularly. At every Divine Liturgy when the priest comes out with the chalice he says: “In the fear of God, with faith and love draw near.” There is that word again…love.

Over the years I have often preached about our responsibility when it comes to Holy Communion. Right now we are experiencing all the things that Jesus endured for our salvation. He endured those things so we might have a Church. He endured those things so that we have the opportunity to unite with Him in Holy Communion. Lastly, He endured those things because he loves us. “Greater love than this has no man, that he lay down his life for another”…”God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…”

Fr. Stavros makes the same case as I have over the years, but he makes it through love. It is a profound statement. When we confess our sins and approach the chalice and receive Holy Communion, we remember all these things that we are witnessing now during Holy Week. At least we should. We should remember the betrayal, the mocking, the spitting, the scouring, the beating, the humiliation, and the crucifixion and death. This is a part of the reason we are encouraged to receive Confession and Communion regularly. We don’t want to forget what Christ endured for us.

Fr. Stavros makes a beautiful comparison about our families; we often tell our spouses and children that we love them, probably multiple times a day. Why? Are we worried they will forget if we don’t tell them all the time. Certainly if we only told them once a year they could very well forget. But we also say it because we know from personal experience that when we hear we are loved, it is a great source of encouragement.

In Confession and Communion, God shows His ultimate love for us. By forgiving our sins and by making us “extraordinary” and sacred. Every opportunity that there is to confess our sins and to receive the Body and Blood of Christ God is saying “I love you”. When we go to confession, when we receive Communion, it is our chance to offer that love back to God.

There has been a lot of talk over the last few weeks about the things we are missing: Church services, pussy willow, basket blessings and more. Has it affected us that we are missing the most intimate part of being an Orthodox Christian, confession and communion? It is for this that the Church exists. So that we can express our love for God and we can become extraordinary. St. Athanasius of Alexandria says:

"The Word was made flesh in order that we might be made gods. ... Just as the Lord, putting on the body, became a man, so also we men are both deified through his flesh, and henceforth inherit everlasting life."

Anticipate your return to Church today!

In Christ

Fr. David