Ancient Anglican

Beware of curious and vain examination of this most profound Sacrament. . . . Faith is required of you, and a sincere life, not a lofty intellect nor a delving into the mysteries of God. If you neither know nor understand things beneath you, how can you comprehend what is above you?

Dearly beloved, on Tuesday, it is purposed, through God’s assistance, to administer to all such as shall be religiously and devoutly disposed the most comfortable Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ; to be by them received in remembrance of his meritorious Cross and Passion; whereby alone we obtain remission of our sins, and are make partakers of the Kingdom of heaven. . . .

Let us be like Joseph, always increasing in virtue, and taking hold of that which is truly good.  And let us also take the Body of Jesus, through Holy Communion, and place It in a tomb hewn out of a rock, that is, place It within a soul which always remembers God and does not forget Him. – Theophylact of Ohrid (c.1050-c.1107)

For the early church, the Eucharist was not simply a wedding feast but the very manifestation of the physical union between Christ and his Bride or between Christ and the individual’s soul. St. Ambrose writes: “When the body of Christ is placed on the lips of the believer, it is truly a kiss given by Christ to the soul, the expression of the union of love between the believer and his Lord.” 

Enter into the story of the Road to Emmaus. Read the passage slowly, reverentially, and expectantly allowing yourself to live into the story itself. Reflect on the part of the story that resonates with you, particularly its conclusion that the Risen Jesus is known in the breaking of the bread. 

The theme of these next meditations is the mutual offerings we experience in the Eucharist. Within this mystery Christ fully offers himself on our behalf; so also does he now call us to likewise fully offer ourselves to him.

One Christian who found a great benefit in reading through “The Imitation of Christ” was John Wesley, the Anglican priest and founder of the Methodist movement.  Wesley translated the book into English and published the same so that members of his Methodist community could benefit from á Kempis’ writing. 

In meditations four and five, we come across two concepts that have a very ancient origin in the church – the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality” and the special dignity (or burden) of the priesthood. 

Á Kempis begins his series of meditations with the awesome duty we have of preparation. Á Kempis looks back on the preparations made by Noah, Moses, and Solomon to receive God’s presence and what type of preparation do we make to receive God as well? 

As the alternative to the Scholastic Doctrine of Transubstantiation, á Kempis simply gives us a series of five Bible verses to contemplate as a guide into a spiritual knowledge of the Eucharist and thereby into a relationship with Jesus that passes all understanding.  Therefore, for Tuesday night, the only homework is to read the five verses: Matthew 11:28, John 6:52, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 6:57, and John 6:63.

If you could insert a chapter about your own ghost, how would it read? What thing is the most important thing in your life?  What idol are you prepared to protect and pursue at all costs? 

Lewis’s teaching is that if we can begin to wrap our heads around the idea that the movement of time is simply an illusion, then the stark difference between creation/annihilation, universalism/election, and predestination/freedom disappears.