Library Project: Holy Communion Ritual

Library Project: Holy Communion Ritual

A myth is usually defined as a traditional story that explains the early history of people through describing a social phenomenon that usually involves supernatural events or beings. On the other hand, a ritual is a religious ceremony that comprises of a series of actions performed in a planned and prescribed order. The role of both myth and role plays in religion cannot be understated. A myth and rituals are major components of religion. In religion, a myth that narrates a story of how God established a certain ritual emphasizes the ritual by providing a divine status for it. For instance, “Do this because God did or do it.” On the other hand, a ritual that is based on mythical events makes the story of that event more than just mythology. However, in this case, a myth becomes essential as it tells about events that are seen and considered sacred by people. This research paper will seek to explore and discuss a religious ritual of Holy Communion. Holy Communion is a ritual that is celebrated by Christians to remember the body and blood of Jesus Christ that was broken and poured on the cross for delivering humankind from sin. Through taking Holy Communion, we are not only able to remember the sufferings of Jesus Christ but also remember the amount of love that Christ had for us. From this ritual, Christians draw a lot of lessons from it, and that is why Christians continue to carry out this ritual every year.

It is pointless to study the rituals of the region without looking at the origin of religion itself. Religion can be traced back to the invention of writing approximately 5,220 years ago. This is a period when religious ideas and experiences could be documented for future reference. The study of pre-history of religion enables Christians to learn the religious beliefs that existed before the invention of writing. The origin of religion can be classified into polytheism, pantheism, monotheism, and atheism. Polytheism was a religion that originated from Hinduism, and they believed that many gods controlled different states of nature. Many countries like Egypt, Greece, Babylonia, Rome, and Assyria had polytheism as their religion. Pantheism was another religion where people believed that God was everything. The proponents of this religion believed that everything happened due to the powers of God. In monotheism, the believers knew that there was only one God. It began 2000BC with Abraham, and it is the foundation of Christians, Muslims, and Judas lines of regions. Finally, atheism is a lack of belief that God exists. It is the latest belief that originated from the 18^th century, which is seen as a period of enlightenment. Rituals in religion always depend on the denomination. The most common rituals in religion include Holy Communion, Baptism, prayer, confirmation, confession, burial rites, religious education of children, and marriage rites. Almost every ritual has its symbol in religion. Generally, some of the symbols used in religion include the cross, fire or light, the Dove, The Fish, Crucifix, Alpha, and Omega, among many others.

Holly Communion in Christians

The Holy Communion, also referred to as Eucharist or Lord’s supper is a Christian ritual that enables the Christians to commemorate the last supper that Christ had with his disciples. During this time, Jesus gave the disciples bread accompanied with the words, “This is my body,” and Wine accompanied by words, “This is my blood.” Jesus asked his disciples to eat the bread and drink the Wine for his commemoration. This is the reason why holy communion is taken periodically by all Christians. For instance, Roman Catholics are encouraged to receive holy communion at least once a week, especially during Mass. However, many other religions take holy communion less frequently, and most of them take it every month. The ritual of holy communion is presented in about four books of New testament; Mark 14:22-24, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, Luke 11:17-20, and Mathew 26:26-28. Paul, in his letters and the New Testament, has continued to show how Christians have made it compulsory to continue with this ritual in preparation for the life of joy in the Kingdom of God. Therefore, through the willingness of all Christians to take part in this ritual, we can conclude that Eucharist forms a central rite of Christians of all denominations.

Even though Eucharist was intended as a symbol of unity among Christians, it has instead led to disunity as a result of differences in both doctrines and practices of different denominations. All Christians believe that Christ is present in Holy Communion. However, they differ about the locus, nature, and time of Christ’s presence in this event. Additionally, different denominations differ on who should take the Holy Communion. Some think that Holy Communion is for all Christians, while others say that Eucharist should be taken by those who have fulfilled certain requirements. For instance, Baptists believe that Eucharist should be taken by those who have been appropriately baptized. Based on the above differences, Eucharist remains a major topic of discussion and deliberation among Christians and will always be done differently.

As said earlier, the bible states that the Christians take the Last Super in order to remember the body and blood of Christ that was broken and poured on the cross for the sake of mankind. Therefore, the Holy Communion reminds Christians not only about the sufferings of Jesus but also reminds them of Jesus’ love for the people. However, for people to be able to share the body and blood of Christ, they must be born again. This means that anyone partaking holy communion should have gone through self-examination, confession and, repentance. The reason why Christ died on the cross was to deliver mankind and have eternal life after they had previously sinned. Therefore, through taking the holy communion, Christians proclaim the eternal life that Christ had prepared for them after He went through death and resurrection.

The resurrection of Christ reminds all the Christians that death is not the end of life. After dying, Christians believe that they will resurrect just like Jesus did. Therefore, Christians also partake the holy communion in remembrance that Christ’s resurrection led them to triumphant in life. The holy communion also reminds Christians of the journey through which Jesus descended from heaven to suffer as a sinner for our sins. Additionally, through taking Eucharist, Christians are able to remember how Christ’s hands were spread on the cross as a symbol of embracing all humankind. Through the book of John 6:53-54, Jesus tells all the believers that unless they take his body and drink his blood, they have no life. This statement by Jesus Christ himself shows us why Holy Communion has been a significance ritual among the believers all over the world.

Every ritual has a myth behind it, and Holy Communion is not an exception. Eucharist has many myths that people believe in them, but they are not true. In this research paper, three myths about Eucharist will be explained, and the truth will be presented. The first myth of Eucharist is that it is just a symbol like any other Christian symbol. This is because of the use of bread and wine are used to symbolize the body and blood of Christ. However, although there is symbolic value in taking Christ’s body and blood in the form of bread and Wine, respectively, the Holy communion is more than just a symbol, as some believers think. When Jesus was giving the bread, and to His disciples, He did not say, “This is like my body or blood,” but he told them, “This is my body and blood, take it in remembrance. Therefore, Holy Communion is Jesus himself and not just a symbol. Another myth that was from the old protestants is that Catholics take Eucharist, believing that they are re-sacrificing Jesus again because his first sacrifice was not enough. This is just a myth as Jesus told his disciples to partake the Holy Communion to remember him but not to re-sacrifice him. Another myth on Eucharist is that it should be taken by everyone regardless of their state of soul or beliefs. Although this may sound as being inclusive, opening the Holy Communion to everyone is bad, especially for people who are not prepared for self-examination, confession, and repentance of their sins.

Holy Communion can take place at any time of the year, and it should follow a particular order. The order includes introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of Eucharist, and concluding rites. The introductory rites happen when people just gather to listen to the word of God through reading the bible and celebrating the Holy Communion. It is during this time that people can say sorry for their past deeds and be forgiven. The liturgy of the world involves people reading scriptures from the bible and Priest reading from the Gospels. This involves the first and second reading. At this stage of Eucharist, gathered in a church stand up and say what they believe in. The third phase is the Liturgy of the Eucharist. It is during this stage that Eucharistic rituals begin as ministers prepare gifts and altar. After the gifts and altar is prepared, the church representatives bring forward bread and Wine, which would later act as the body and blood of Christ. Afterward, the celebrant blesses the gifts placed on the altar and thanks, God. Finally, a prayer of offering is done to prepare the congregation to get ready for the Eucharistic Prayer. After the prayer, the whole congregation is welcomed to partake the communion and go back to their seats for quiet prayer time. The concluding rites are the last stage of Eucharist. The Priest blesses the Eucharistic Offerings and sends the congregation out to become the bread of the world.

There are several signs and symbols of Eucharist. Laying of hands is the only recognized sign of the Eucharist. It is a sign because the Priest extends their hand to someone’s head as a sign of calling the holy spirit. This sign is included in all seven sacraments. The symbols of Eucharist include the Bread, Wine, White Garment, and Fire/Light. Bread and Wine symbolize the body and blood of Jesus Christ, respectively. The white garment symbolizes purity and cleansing of sins that are usually associated with the Eucharist ritual. Fire/light is used as a symbol of God’s purifying presence as well as representing the light of Jesus Christ.

Eucharist involves many actors and participants. The most important actors during partaking of holy communion include the ministers, the celebrant, the Priest, and the congregation. The ministers help with the reading of scriptures that are then explained by the Priest to the congregation. The celebrants are the ones who bless the gifts and altar in preparation for the Eucharistic offerings and Prayer. The Priest is usually the master of this Eucharistic ceremony, and he usually explains the teachings of the scriptures to the congregation while telling them what they should learn and apply them in their lives. The congregation is the main participants of the Eucharistic ceremony, and they usually listen to the Priest and do what they are told to do for the ceremony to continue and be a success.

In conclusion, Eucharist is an essential ritual for many denominations. Though it has led to disunity as it is practiced differently by different denominations, it enables the believers to remember the sufferings of Christ for their sins. Through it, the believers are also able to understand that through Christ, we get eternal life, which is shown through Christ’s resurrection.