The Holy Communion: Christian Communion Meditation

The Holy Communion
Communion means, "to come together" and comes from the Latin word "Communis". It also means Thanksgiving to the Lord for redeeming us from all the sins by enduring all the pain alone. It is also related to the last Supper of Jesus that he had with all his disciples and there he thanked people around him and distributed pieces of unleavened bread and wine. He told his disciples that night do some of the acts that he was doing that night to remember him. Communion is a way of remembering him. It is also a way of celebrating the grace of God, it is said that communion is not for the great and the strong but for the sinful and the weak, celebrating and thanking the Almighty for his forgiveness and mercy.

Communion is also known as Eucharist or Lord's Supper. It is something that Christians do as a ritual. The famous words of his "This is my body which is for you." and "This cup is the new covenant in my blood.". Eucharist refers to the bread and the cup and therefore Christians 'receive' the Eucharist. It is also known as the "Holy Mass" or "Breaking of Bread" or "Agape".

Origin of Christian Communion

The origin of Christian Communion can be traced back to the pagan period and it is similar to the Passover followed by the Jews wherein the supper has to had in a reclined position and the child of the family asks questions regarding the importance and significance of that particular event and the father of the child or head of the family answers those questions. It is a domestic affair wherein towards the close of the meal the prayer was recited over a cup of the holy drink and was then consumed by the participating members.

Why we need Communion?

There are three main concepts behind the Holy Communion:

• The Theory of Transubstantiation according to which the bread and the wine actually symbolize the body and blood of Jesus Christ, the Savior.
• The belief that Jesus is present in every Communion since these are the things that he did in his Last Supper and wanted his disciples and followers to do as a mark of remembrance.
• For some of the Christians schools of faith, Communion upholds the spirituality and the sacrifice involved in the whole act of crucifixion.

Communion is a way of understanding that the Lord had sacrificed his life to all of us and therefore there is something worthwhile that has to be done and not just indulge in the carnal pleasures. Communion meditation brings peace to the mind and helps us understand this very fact about life thereby investing it with more value.

Communion also reminds of the biblical event that we have read that God wanted to get His chosen people out of the slavery of the Egyptians but none of the divine designs worked therefore a dark and rigid choice had to be made of killing the people who did not participate in the supper, henceforth the meal was actually for all those special people who were the chosen ones. So a lamb was sacrificed and it was eaten with unleavened bread and these were the people (Israelites) who were left untouched by the death angel. Jesus wanted to hint us, his followers that even we are ensnared by the pleasures of the world and a miracle was needed for our redemption. Henceforth the lamb symbolized Jesus who sacrificed himself from imminent destruction. The eating of the bread and wine if the Holy Communion just makes a part of the Chosen ones who were saved and we celebrate that we were part of the chosen ones.

Do we need to go to a church to commune with God?

None of us are unworthy of Communion since the whole point of the former is to show a way to the lost souls to find God in their existence and come back to the right path therefore. Communion, apart from all the other meanings, also means being one with the Supreme One, which one can do alone as well. You can mediate alone and commune with God. Its as simple as spending some time contemplating about what right and wrong we are doing in life, introspect and find the beyond in existence.

Holy Communion and meditation, all are ways for ordinary people, who are too exasperated with the banal things in life, to explore and realize that there is immense strength in us and there is no reason to dogged down with the commonplace things in life.So next time when you buy that Mandarin tux or three-piece suit for your son or daughter to wear on their first Holy Communion, don't forget to tell them as well as yourself the reason behind going for the same