Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Eucharist:
The Subversive Meal
“….my flesh is real food and my blood is real
drink.”(v. 55)
The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.was assassinated just eight
days before Passover, in 1968. In his final speech titled, "I've Been to
the Mountaintop," delivered at Memphis, Tenn., he drew parallels between
the Exodus narrative and the struggles of the African Americans.
As Rev. King put it then, “I would take my mental flight by Egypt, and I would
watch God’s children in their magnificent trek from the dark dungeons of Egypt…
across the Red Sea, through the wilderness, on toward the Promised Land.”In his
struggles and speeches, Rev. King constantly used the imagery of Exodus to
convey the message of freedom and liberation from all forms of enslavement.
The Passover is the feast of liberation but, over the
centuries, it has been reduced to being a mere ritual,eroding the message. In
today’s passage we see that the heirs of the Passover tradition could easily
quote the scriptures on how God led the Israelites in the wilderness,but they
were blind to the acts of God in current history. Jesus, on his part, drew a
sharp distinction between the Exodus event and his own mission by saying: “Your
ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread
that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die” (vs.
49-50). In unmistakable terms, he drove home the truth that his message was the
fulfilment of the Passover in Hebrew history. The response of his listeners,
however, was negative. Theyhad become prisoners of rituals and traditions,
unable to recognize divinity in the imminent.
St. Paul says, “Christ, our Passover lamb,
has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7); however,like the people in today’s
passage,we also are prone to treat the new Passover meal - the Holy Qurbana-as
a mere ritual, dilutingthe richness of this sacrament. The Eucharist, on the
other hand, has the potential to be “the subversive meal” that will equip us to
continue the Lord’s ministry in the world. Empowered by “teaching and
fellowship, the breaking of the bread and prayer” (Acts 2: 47), the early
Christians became the peoplewho “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). The
spirit of the Eucharist equipped Martin Luther King and countless others to
strive for the liberation of the people on the margins. The Holy Qurbana should
also strengthen us to face the challenges of our times. We will then realize
that both the liturgy at the altar and “the liturgy after the liturgy” – our
mission in everyday life – are to be taken equally seriously.
Prayer: Our Parent God, as we come
near the Lord’s Table, help us to draw closer to you, to each other and to the
world. Amen.
Thought for the day: It is when the life and death of Jesus Christ becomes
everyday realities for us that we abide in Jesus and he abides in us (v. 56).
Jesudas
M. Athyal, Carmel MTC, Boston