The Eucharist And Unity

One of the central themes in Christianity is unity.  Though there are many denominations and churches, Christians everywhere consider themselves to be in the family of God.  However, within the Catholic Church we have something that the other denominations and churches do not.  We have the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ present with us in the Eucharist. (Our Orthodox brethren are the only others who believe as we do about the Eucharist.)

The Catholic Church is a family, and in that family, there are disagreements. However, when we receive the Eucharist, we are submitting to our Lord, and in doing so we become one with Him and with each other.  This unity is important in St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians.  Paul was addressing a few issues, and one of those was the Eucharist.

St. Paul and the Church in Corinth

During the course of St. Paul’s missionary journeys, he founded the church in Corinth. The community seemed to have a problem with individuality, but it is not what we think individuality to be.

It was not a matter of people expressing their personalities, but individuals who were selfish and put themselves before the welfare of the community.  In John D. Laurence’s book, Introduction to Theology, he states, “Many of the Corinthian Christians believe that all that is important is to know the fact of their salvation, and that this fact liberates them from duties of love to their fellow Christians or even to Christ” (Laurence, 71).

Signs of Disunity

In the church in Corinth, apparently there was an individual who was having illicit relations with his stepmother (1 Corinthians 5:1).  This was bad enough, but the church did nothing to correct the issue.  Such a vital issue had the potential to end the young church.  They were taking each other to court instead of working things out internally (1 Corinthians 6:1-6).

St. Paul asked them to consider how this looked to the unbelievers around them?  They were not setting themselves apart and living the example of Christ.  The Christian example that St. Paul set for them was not being followed.

There were many other things wrong with the church too. One of those was their weak belief in the Eucharist.  Many within the church strayed from what had been handed on to them by Paul, and they received the Eucharist in an unworthy manner.

Paul begins his lesson by reminding the Corinthians of Christ.  Laurance states “Contrary to all worldly wisdom and all expectations, God’s power is manifested in Christ’s humbling of himself and final acceptance of death” (Ibid.).  As previously stated, the Corinthians were worrying about their own desires and seemed to forget about the fundamentals of the Gospel. They were doing everything but acting like Christ

Eucharist and the Love of Christ

Christ loved us so much that He humbled Himself and died for our sins.  Paul was reminding the Corinthians of this and of their duty to love others more than themselves.  This is important in preparation to receive the Eucharist.

In Mass we offer each other a sign of peace, and we pray for each other.  It is in these prayers and offerings of peace that we humble ourselves and place ourselves at the service of others.  Paul was trying to emphasize the importance of this in proper Christian living.

The Corinthians were not coming together properly to celebrate the Eucharist.  For example, in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul says, “When you meet in one place, then it is not to eat the Lord’s supper, and one goes hungry while another gets drunk” (1 Corinthians 11:22).  Those that were well off in the world were flaunting it in the faces of those that had nothing.  This had the effect of making those less fortunate feel humiliated, and it brought disgrace on the Church.

Paul, as a disappointed father, tells them he is ashamed of what is happening in their community.  Laurence states it plainly: “To celebrate [the Eucharist] in a context of selfishness and division is to violate its very nature, to reject Christ who at the Last Supper and in his death shared himself completely.  Such a violation results in condemnation rather than blessing” (Ibid., 72).

One could get the feeling from reading Paul’s letter that the community was in peril.  Someone was concerned enough to leak this information to Paul, and he swiftly wrote this epistle condemning their behavior.  Paul does this in the same way that a father corrects a child.  He does it with love and well as with his own teaching by example.

St. Paul Reiterates the Importance of the Eucharist

Paul is telling the Corinthians – and us – that the Eucharistic meal is firmly rooted in family.  In 1 Corinthians 11:26 Paul writes, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.”  After offering the first Mass at the Last supper, our Lord was betrayed.  He was whipped, beaten, and had nails driven through His hands and feet.

To take this lightly, one may as well be at the scene of the Crucifixion with a hammer in hand.  We gather to remember that the Lord gave Himself for us and that we are to follow His example by giving ourselves to each other.

If a member of the church lost a loved one, then it is a loss for all.  If a member of the church is sick, we are to all pray.  We are to help each other get to heaven, not step all over each other so we can get there first.

Paul reiterates the point of the Eucharist as a means of bringing the community together in verses 33 and 34 of the same chapter: “Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.  If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so your meetings may not result in judgment.  The other matters I shall set in order when I come.”

Remember that there were certain members of the congregation that were using the church meeting as their own personal buffet.  This passage is not saying that one should not feed someone who is hungry, but is saying that everyone should get a portion of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, provided that they eat it worthily.

The High Point of Worship

The Eucharist is the high point of all worship.  We recall how unworthy we are to receive the Blessed Sacrament, and we ask God to forgive us our shortcomings and fill us with His grace.

We ask for the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and they ask the same of us.  Paul is trying to tell the Corinthians that we are in this race together. It is beneficial and necessary that we help each other as a family.