Eucharistic meditation for Feb 8:
Luke 18:7-8
This morning, we explored the question, What does prayer have to do with justice? We can now take up a related question, What does the Lord’s Supper have to do with justice?
The answer is much the same. The Supper is many things: It is a celebration, it is food, it is the gift of Christ’s body and blood through the Spirit for our nourishment; the Supper is the Christian Passover, Christian manna, Christian feast of booths. But in the words of institution, Jesus also calls the Supper “My memorial.” A “memorial” in Scripture is not designed primarily to help US remember things, but to provoke GOD to remember His covenant. The rainbow is a memorial of God’s promise, which HE looks at to be reminded of His covenant. So also the Supper is a memorial of Jesus before the Father, a visual and ritual reminder to God of what He did in Jesus, a plea before God to do again what He did in Jesus.
And here’s where the Supper is intimately connected with justice, with God’s determination to set the world right: For the cross and resurrection of Jesus is the manifestation of God’s righteousness, His justice. As we do what Jesus commanded as a memorial of Him, we are calling on the Father to do it yet again, to manifest His righteousness in us and around us.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
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