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Readings Between the Lines
Reflections
Father Glenn LeCompte
In my previous articles on biblical foundations of the Eucharist, I considered some integral aspects of the Eucharist in and of itself: 1) the Eucharist as a source and cause of unity, 2) the Eucharist as a sacrificial meal and 3) the Eucharist and the Paschal Mystery (our dying and rising with Jesus Christ). In this month’s article, I will comment upon the relationship of the Eucharist to other aspects of church life.
In Acts 2:42-47, Luke provides the first of three summaries of the life of the church in Jerusalem after Pentecost. The very positive and harmonious picture Luke paints is idealistic, but in Acts 2:42-47, he identifies four characteristics which are essential to Christian community life. The absence of any one of these four elements would constitute a serious deficiency regarding Christian identity. The four elements are: 1) the apostles’ teaching, 2) communal life, 3) the breaking of the bread (celebration of the Eucharist) and 4) prayer (Acts 2:42).
In Luke’s Gospel Jesus himself, by means of his teaching, preaching and healing, is the source for communicating God’s message. In Acts, the apostles collectively become the source, for they are the original eyewitnesses to Jesus’ ministry and the authentic bearers of his message. Not only are people invited to become believers, but taught how to live a life of faith in Christ. For example, Luke’s Jesus teaches, “Sell your belongings and give alms” (Luke 12:33). Apparently the apostles have encouraged those who have joined the community to do so, because we see this happening, for example, when Barnabas “sold a piece of property that he owned, then brought the money and put it at the feet of the apostles (Acts 4:37).
The sharing of material goods is a significant aspect of communal life (No. 2 above). Their sharing at once symbolizes and creates their unity with one another. Christians do not live their faith in isolation, but in relationships with one another.
Devoting themselves to prayer, the community members imitate Luke’s Jesus, who is characterized as a man of prayer. A distinct characteristic of members of the new community of believers is that they maintain prayerful communion with God. In Luke’s Gospel Jesus often prays alone (5:16; 6:12; 9:18; 11:1; 22:41), but he also instructs his disciples to pray (11:213; 18:1; 21:36; 22:40). In Acts, prayer is not only an individual activity, but a communal one as well (1:24; 4:2431; 6:6; 8:14-15; 20:36; 28:8). Prayer puts the community in touch with God’s protective care, is the source of divine wisdom and an essential form of communication with God if people are to experience the divine presence and action in their lives.
The final aspect of Christian community life Luke presents is sharing in “the breaking of the bread.” Luke’s phrasing of this activity in Acts 2:42 links it to the story of two disciples who encounter the risen Lord at Emmaus in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:13-35). Thus, when the Christian community gathers to break bread, they acknowledge the presence of the risen and ascended Lord among them. By breaking bread, the disciples participate in an effective memory of Jesus Christ, even as he commanded them to share bread, which is his body given for them, and a cup whose contents are the new covenant in his blood (Luke 22:19-20).
If the community’s sharing in bread broken is important for them to maintain communion with the risen Lord, it is also essential to the maintenance of community life. In fact, all four of the elements of Christian community life presented in Acts 2:42 are interrelated. The communal aspect of Christian life, which I mentioned earlier had a lot to do with sharing of material possessions, is also reflected in the activity of breaking bread. I say this because the breaking of the bread is not done individually but with other community members. Just as Jesus shared the Last Supper with a group (the Twelve and probably others as well) so the breaking of the bread in the church is to be done communally.
This is true for us even today. One essential aspect of our Christian lives is that we gather for the breaking of the bread as a community. Sharing the Eucharist together symbolizes and reinforces our unity, but it also makes the statement that God has offered salvation to the world en masse. Moreover, as Vatican II’s a
Reflections
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy No. 10 says, “... the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the church is directed; at the same time, it is the font from which all her power flows.” During the week we are active in Christian community life, continuing the mission of the church. On Sunday we gather as one not only to celebrate what God has done through us, but also to offer all that we are and all that we do in Christ’s name back to God through Jesus Christ, the one mediator of salvation.
The philosophy of individualism, however, blinds people from seeing not only the communal dimension of Christian life but the need for gathering with others at the Eucharist. Some may be tempted to say to themselves, “I don’t see why I have to go to church on Sunday when I live a good life, following the Ten Commandments and the teaching of the Scriptures, and pray on my own.” Certainly, moral living and individual prayer are commendable activities. But we experience Christian faith in relation to others, not in isolation. Therefore, we must pray not only individually but communally.
The Eucharist is also the source of all we do in Christ’s name. We return to the Eucharist every Sunday to recall Christ’s act of salvation on our behalf. Having been redeemed we received the gift of the Holy Spirit and entered into a new life, a life in which we are empowered to do the good works God calls us to do.
The Eucharist, then, is an indispensable aspect of Christian life which must be integrated with the activities of prayer, communal sharing and apostolic instruction. We hear the apostolic teaching during the readings from the Gospel and New Testament epistles, and learn that Christ brings fulfillment to what we hear in the Old Testament reading. Also, as we see in Acts, prayer is not only an individual activity but one which the community often does together. The eucharistic celebration is one of the most important forms of communal prayer in the life of the church, and from it we are sent forth to live as a Christian community. BC
Reflection Questions
v How does regular participation in the Eucharist relate to living Christian faith as a community? v Why is the eucharistic celebration important to our keeping in touch with what Jesus taught? v How do personal prayer and communal prayer, such as in the celebration of Mass, relate to one another?
PROUD BANK OF Community Community Community PROUD BANK OF Pride Pride Pride
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