Daily Meditation: Thursday, April 13, 2006

The Christian ritual of Communion, that part of the service …

04/13/2006

The Christian ritual of Communion, that part of the service in which the priest consecrates the bread and wine and distributes it to the faithful, recalls the last supper Jesus celebrated with his disciples. But it is not Jesus who instituted this rite. Evidence that it existed well before him is found in Genesis, which recounts that Melchisedek, high priest of the Almighty, went to meet Abraham bearing bread and wine. Communion is a fundamental act of the spiritual life, and we do not need to receive a host or bread and wine blessed by a priest in order to commune. Every day at each meal you can receive Communion through the intermediary of the food you eat. Yes, every one of you can become a high priest – it is our inner calling in the face of the Eternal – and stand before your cells to officiate and give them food and drink. If you play this role consciously, your cells will receive something sacred, and you will feel their joy as they perform at last the task for which they were destined.