Eucharist Divides More than It Unites - Essay Example

Eucharist divides more than it unites Introduction The Eucharist has always been a matter of division and contradiction in Christianity. As a resultof these variations in both doctrine and practice Eucharist has been the central issue of discussion and deliberation of the ecumenical movement. This paper discusses and elaborates that the conception of Eucharist divides more than it unites. Etymology: Eucharist is one of the seven sacraments celebrated by the catholic community and according to cannon law it's the central and most important of all the sacraments. The term "Eucharist" originally comes from the Greek noun "Eucharistia", meaning "thanksgiving" or "gratitude". Earlier Christians used it as the synonym of Hebrew term berakkhah, meaning "a blessing". As the Christians opened the gates of vernacular versions, the terms were being translated into other languages in a sense to convey the restricted thoughts of the church rather then exact meanings, the term "Eucharist" also got effected and was restricted to the specific meaning of the ritual of the bread and wine1. Among the different churches, it is known by other names as well, such as, the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, the Divine Liturgy, the mass, the blood sacrament or simply as sacrament2. History: As we look at the history of church, in early period there were not much scientific discussions going on , rather the major move in those times was when the shift of the authority of Church to the authority of the Bible. For Roman Catholics both the written and unwritten word of God was taken in authority with equal devotion. Written word was the Bible and unwritten was believed to be the tradition of the Church. For centuries the church remained content with a rough and ready arrangement of the canon but it could not live long. Tradition introduced the doctrines to believers and the scripture was used at the later stage to test and amplify those doctrines. After sharp discussions over it, the Council of Trent decided that the scripture and the traditions (divine and apostolic) are at the same level of authority, to be taken with equal devotion and veneration. But there were certain doctrines that were coming merely from the authority of traditions which became the object of reforming attack and Eucharist was one of them3. In the beginning, the Holy Eucharist was held as an ordinary meal in Christian household which they adopted from the Judaic culture. By the 2nd century C.E. the practice of sharing the Eucharist became a traditional sacrament honored as both, a Sacrament and a Sacrifice in the commemoration of Jesus the Christ. Since then, Christians began to gather for Holy Eucharistic ritual. The Catholic Eucharistic prayer and the formal consecration of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ became the central features of this sacrament in proceeding centuries4. The Middle-Ages is marked as the period of Dark Age in the Christian history. With the coming of Barbarians, the characteristics of earlier time began mingling and merging with the Barbarian. By the 800 C.E. the Pope at Rome got his control over the civil power and from there began the time when many doctrines sprang up. One of those doctrines understood to be developed by the western church was "transubstantiation" i.e. the doctrine that under the appearances of bread and wine, Jesus Christ is contained, offered, and received. The whole Christ is "really, truly, and substantially" present at the consecration of the elements of the Eucharist5. Eucharist and Christian denominations Eucharist is suspected to have been developed as part of the general doctrine of the sacraments. As we look behind in the history, the first full scale discussions over the issue in the Catholic west emerged out after 9th century and then it began to be celebrated. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest single grouping in terms of numbers of adherents. For them Pope is the spiritual leader and have the authority. On the other hand, reformed churches are those whose separate existence derives from the radical changes in relation to the doctrines and government of the Church which took place at the reformation in Europe in the sixteenth century C.E6. The Anglican Church is the title used to describe all those churches which have their derivation in the Church of England7. It is the term that pertains to the Anglican Communion denoting those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially after the Reformation. The communion was described by the lambeth conference of 1930 as a fellowship within the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church of those duly constituted dioceses, provinces or regional churches in communion with the see of Canterbury. Anglican comprises between 70 to 80 million members worldwide. Lambeth conference gathers all bishops together every ten years for fellowship prayer and theological discussions8. Among the prominent figures that brought Christianity to England was Saint Augustine along with his small party of Benedictine monks sent by Pope Gregory the Great. They landed on the Kent coast and established the mission with the monastic community at Canterbury. By the 16th century, the church in England separated from Rome partly for theological reasons and partly for the political ones. Amongst the theological issues were: 1) the authority-how is it defined and how do papal and biblical authority relate- 2) justification- is faith or works the ground of salvation are the sacraments or the results of salvation- 3) priesthood- what is the relationship between the offering of Eucharist sacrifice, the finish work of Christ and the priesthood of the ordained ministry. Anglicanism maintains that its doctrine is both catholic and reformed catholic because it holds firmly to Christian fundamentals expressed in Nicene Constantinople Creed but it is reformed because it affirms the primacy of scripture and repudiates the jurisdiction of the pope over the Church of England. In 1888 the lembeth conference set out an understanding of the essentials to Anglican Church and the unity of all the churches, was the divinely instituted sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Many Anglicans who believe in transubstantiationism split from the Anglican Communion, becoming members of the Traditional Anglican Communion. The concept of Memorialism is mainly found in the Anglican Church. Anglicans tend to reject belief in the Real (Bodily) Presence of Christ, as well as reservation and adoration of the sacrament. Instead, they adopt a Calvinistic or Zwinglian view of the Eucharist. Zwingli emphasized the memorial aspect of the Eucharist, Calvin, however, taught a real but spiritual presence of the Christ, but in the sacramental action rather than in elements. They celebrate the Eucharist monthly or quarterly9. The Vatican banned the Roman Catholics from taking communion in non-Catholic churches that have been branded as "hurtful and unhelpful" by Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey and another senior bishop in the Church of England. Anglicans find the ban on Catholics receiving Anglican Communion, even in exceptional circumstances, "an ecumenical, theological and pastoral affront." Anglicans and Protestants are also prevented, by Vatican rules, from officially receiving communion in Roman Catholic churches. Despite this ban, many Anglicans take communion in Catholic churches, particularly when visiting Catholic countries such as France and Italy, and even at the Vatican itself. Sharing of the Eucharist between Anglicans and Catholics should not be reserved for the "end point of unity between separated churches." It also states that as the two churches share the same beliefs about the presence of Christ in communion, Anglicans should not be excluded from receiving the Roman Eucharist. For it a more flexible approach by Vatican is required. A high-profile casualty of the renewed attention to intercommunion is the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, an Anglican married to a Roman Catholic, Cherie. Not long after he took office, the British press reported that Blair was taking Catholic communion. Apparently he still attends Catholic mass, but no longer takes communion10. Such attempts show that the Anglican document does not harden differences with Catholics. Eucharist Theology Despite the differences in theological interpretations, the Eucharist has always been the central sacrament of Christian worship. Among Roman Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants, Holy Eucharist is understood as the fulfillment of God's plan for salvation of humanity from sin. It is celebrated in the memory of saving death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. It is the mean for Christians to unite with God and with each other, and the giving of thanks and gratitude for all these things. Differences in Eucharistic theology are related to the varying trends and understandings of these areas. Both Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians believe in a very concrete presence of the Christ in Holy Eucharist. According to the Roman Catholic Church, the bread and wine are actually changed into the body and blood of Christ. The exact means by which the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, is a mystery which cannot be realized or explained rationally. On the other hand, the understanding of Protestants varies widely; they are united in finding a theology of transubstantiation now in harmony with their interpretation of scripture11. The Blessed Eucharist as a Sacrament Since the Eucharist is a blessed sacrament of the Church, the bread and wine are presented in a special manner. Here, the whole process of the service of Benediction can serve as a good example to understand how the rise of a doctrine of transubstantiation, fostered a rite which later declined as a rite on which it depended, namely the Mass, changed its own place in the weekly flow of worship celebrating Christ's sacrifice12. The two Eucharistic Elements Wheaten bread is the one of two elements without which the confection of the sacrament can not take place. The bread is baked because the plain flour is not the actual bread. Moreover, the bread required for the sacrament has to be formed of wheaten flour only. Regarding the kind of wheat, any of its kind can be used which is botanically genuine wheat. The Church maintains an easier position in the controversy regarding fermented or unfermented bread. By leavened bread is meant such wheaten bread as requires leaven or yeast in its preparation and baking, while unleavened bread is the mixture of wheaten flour and water, which has been kneaded to dough and then baked. The second Eucharistic element required is wine which has to be prepared of grapes only. Not only had the other fruit juices banned, but also the so-called artificial wines, even if their chemical constitution is identical with the genuine juice of the grape. The presence of grape wine specifically in the sacrament is not an authoritative decision of the Church, as it is presupposed by the Council of Trent. It is understood to be taken from the act of Jesus himself who at the Last Supper converted the natural wine of grapes into his blood. The ancient people, who used water instead of wine, were blamed to be heretics by the Christian Church. The Anglican Church had been arguing on the authority of Holy Eucharist tracing its evidence back to Jesus and his apostles. It was argued by them that the most ancient Churches were having different views regarding the use of wine and were not concerned with the action of eating. Such arguments were encountered by referring to the earliest literature on the subject and apocryphal writings that bear testimony to the use of bread and wine being essential elements of the Holy Eucharist. The Effects of the Holy Eucharist Regarding the effects of Holy Communion, the Church focuses upon two experiences: (i) the union with Christ by love and (ii) the spiritual repast of the soul. (i) The union with Christ by love The first and principal effect of the sacrament of Eucharist is the union of believer with Christ by love. The union for them is in the form of spiritual and mystical union with Christ. Jesus' words are quoted as the designation of the idea of Communion as a union love, " He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me and I in him" (John 6:57). Saint Cyril of Alexandria used an beautiful analogy of " when melted wax is fused wit hother wax", to represent this mystical union as a fusion of being into that of the God-man. The sacrament might not be satisfied with the increase of habitual love, but according to their belief, it tends to urge actual love with great intense The chief effect of the sacrament is to a certain extend a foretaste of heaven, in fact the anticipation and kind of undertaking of future union with God by love. The immediate outcome of this union with God is believed to be the bond of charity existing between the faithful themselves, as Saint Paul says: "for we being many, are one bread, one body, all that partake of one bread" ( 1 Corinthians 10:17). Thus, the claimed union of saints is not merely a union by faith or grace; rather it is understood to be a highly real union though mystically constituted. For Catholics, only those who can ponder these ideas of the Holy Communion to their utmost depth, can estimate the precious benefit which Catholics possess in the Holy Sacrament. Paul and the Eucharist It is believed that when this Gospel was written by St. John about the year 90 A.D., the seed of faith in the Eucharist which was planted by Jesus himself, blossomed into a well-established belief within the Christian community. Maccoby in his work "Paul the Myth maker" adds more to the mystery of sacrament when he claims that Paul was the originator of Eucharist who reinterpreted the Gospels in his own modes of thoughts and beliefs. Paul has derived it from the mystery religion, by adducing a vision in which he had seen Jesus at the Last Supper, giving instructions to his disciples about performing the Eucharistic rite. If Eucharist was indeed instituted by Jesus, we would have to say then the Jesus not Paul was the founder of Christianity. Eucharist signifies the mystical incorporation of the initiate into the godhead by eating the body and drinking the blood of the Christ. In fact Jesus did distribute the bread and the wine to his disciples at the Last Supper but it was quite normal at a Jewish meal. It is practiced today as well that the leading person on the table would make a blessing (blessing is the original word for the word Eucharist) and break the loaf of bread and pass it to everyone on the table. At the end of the meal, grace is said on the cup of wine. This procedure thus, has no mystical significance. Here as well, Paul seems to be deliberately removing himself from Jewish concepts and canons and aligning himself with the world of paganism. It is worth noted that the term used by Paul for it is 'the Last Supper'. The same expression was used in the mystery religions for sacred meals dedicated to the savior gods. Early fathers got embarrassed by this term, so they substituted for it the term Eucharist which had Jewish rather then pagan association13. (ii) the spiritual repast of the soul A second fruit of this union with Christ by love is an increase of sanctifying grace in the self and soul of the worthy communicant. The Holy Eucharist does not per se constitute a person in the state of grace, such as the sacraments of dead (baptism and penance), rather it is one of the sacraments of living that presupposes such a state. For the church, the receiving of the heavenly bread with profit for the soul in the state of mortal sin is as impossible as it is for a corpse to take in food or drink. (c) Forgiveness of venial sin and preservation from mortal sin Though Holy Communion does not per se pass on mortal sin, it is believed to be the third effect. The Holy Eucharist serves as a medicine as well. The destruction of venial sin and affection towards it is readily understood on the basis of the two focal ideas mentioned above. Just as material food serves to banish minor bodily weaknesses an preserves the pysical strength, so does this food serves the souls by removing lesser spiritual ailments and preserves form spiritual death. Asa union based upon the shere love, the Holy Eucharist cleanses with its purifying flame the smallest stains which adhere to the soul. (d) The pledge of our resurrection According to the promise of Christ: "He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up on the last day." The Eucharist is the "pledge of our Glorious resurrection and eternal happiness". Hence the chief reason why the ancient Fathers, as Ignatius, Irenus and Tertullian insisted strongly upon our future resurrection which was believed to be the door by which Christians will enter upon unending happiness.14. In Eastern orthodoxy this practice never emerged, partly because of the emphasis on the resurrection of Christ rather then on his death. But the Jesus death as a sacrifice for sins in saving the world was absolutely central to the theology of the reformation in the west, although hit was interpreted in different ways, giving rise to intense disagreements between Protestants and Catholics over the meaning of Eucharist and especially over the idea of Eucharist sacrifice. From here, once more the debate over inwardness and outwardness of religion began. For Protestants, the emphasis was laid on the faith of believer in relation to the Christ and not on any actual change in the form of bread and wine. The Anglican Church debated hotly the issue, and as the Reformation movement went theologically stressing on faith and on the ritual as a memorial of the sacrificial offering made by Christ himself15. One interesting feature of the Eucharist is the fact that in the Greek orthodox Church even very young child was allowed to have the sacred bread and wine once if he s/he has been baptized. Roman Catholics permit them to do so after their first Confession before the rite of Confirmation, while most Anglicans have resolutely held Confirmation as a necessary qualification for taking Holy Communion. It shows that even within acts of worship divisions are drawn between who may or may not take full part in them16. Conclusion: It is one of the supreme ironies of Christian history that the Sacrament of unity has become a sign and cause of disunity among denominations. Not only for professional historians of doctrines and ideas, nor even for professional theologians alone, but for anyone willing to invest in a careful and solid historical-systematic analysis, The Eucharist in the West provides the resources for any serious Christian, regardless of denomination, to ponder the central act of Christian worship and devotion. Read More