You feed my
soul as I meet You
At the
sacramental table.
The bread of
life, the living water,
Give me strength to endure
and tell me I am able.
With parched
lips I drink
So I will not
thirst like before,
With eagerness
I eat
Your body
given forever more.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
Because the Saviour instituted the Sacrament following the Last Supper, the early members of the Church maintained a practice of having a meal together followed by the Sacrament. Paul advised the Corinthians against this practice, however, as the meals were sometimes consumed before all the saints arrived, resulting in discord among them (1 Corinthians 11:17-22).
This was contrary to the culture of the Near East where dining together was an expression of unity, peace and friendship. It was during a meal together that any problems and disagreements were resolved and all parties were reconciled. Paul referred to the sacrament as ‘communion’ not just between individuals and Christ but also between fellow saints (1 Corinthians 10:17).
Since we collectively, by baptism, become the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13), and since the sacrament is a renewal of our baptismal covenants, each time we partake of the sacrament, we affirm our communion with one another and with the Saviour, and thus become one. The Sacrament, therefore, becomes ‘a meal’ of unity, peace and friendship. So united, we enjoy greater communion with Him who has brought us together by virtue of His sacrifice. (See the New Testament Institute Manual for above scripture references and their explanations)
In John's account of the Last Supper in chapters 13-15 Jesus used the word 'love' 20 times in 14 verses. This made it clear indeed that what He was about to do for them through His infinite sacrifice was a token of love and should be a token of love forever more. Then the admonition to all who would accept that love through the emblems of the sacrament: "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you" (John 15:12); "...this do in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19).
Jesus predicted that in our day people will not keep the commandments and because 'iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold' (Matt 24:12). His discourse on love in relation to the sacrament should be something we as the saints of latter-days seriously think about because of our responsibility to become a Zion people.
I had always considered the Sacrament a very individual and personal ordinance between me and the Lord. The greatest spiritual connection I have felt with the Saviour was during the pandemic lockdowns when I was fortunate enough to sit at my daughter’s kitchen table and partake of the sacrament with her, her husband and my grandchildren. Each time, my emotions would surge to the point of tears.
I was reminded of the very first Sacrament where the Saviour sat at just such an ordinary table and blessed the emblems of His sacrifice. As my son-in-law passed the sacrament to me on the kitchen plate I came to know what it means to ‘eat His body’ as I have eaten off that kitchen plate before.
I didn’t fully understand it at the
time but upon reflection I came to understand that the greatest reason my
emotions surged was the unity I felt with those I love during my most sacred
moment when I felt united in spirit with Christ. This is the power of the Sacrament….to
unite us through His sacrifice with a bond that can never be broken. This is
what is meant to be the body of Christ.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: In Remembrance by Brent Borup)
“It is not
difficult to envision that there will be false prophets and false teachers in
the last days. But what of the promise that there will be false Christs?
“There are,
of course, those deluded souls who announce, from time to time, that they are
Christ or God or the Holy Ghost….or whatever Satan or the workings of a
deranged mind places in their thoughts. But in a larger and more realistic
sense, false Christs are false systems of religion that use his name and profess
to present His teachings to the world.” (Bruce R. McConkie, “The Promised Messiah” p 324)
Elder
McConkie went on to say that the contention of different religions in Joseph Smith’s
day meant that each group of religionists was saying: “Lo, here is Christ; we
have his system of salvation; ours is the true church, we know the way; come
join with us” (JS-H 5).
So strong
was Joseph’s confusion that it led him to the source of all truth for guidance.
We all know the result of that query – that there is only one Christ and one
true system of salvation.
Today there
are an estimated 4,000 to 10,000 distinct religions in the world. There are four
major religions with over 77% of the world’s population adhering to one of
them. They are: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddism.
I was
raised as a Christian so I knew of Christ’s salvation but all I knew of it was
that we were saved from sin so we don’t go to hell. At 16 years of age I
wondered what comes after salvation, what are we saved for? Why are we here and
what is there to come?
When I
found the Church and was baptized at 18 years of age, I was amazed at the vista
of information that the Plan of Salvation offered. For the first year of my
membership I believed that all the Church members were perfect. With all that
marvelous truth at their fingertips, how could you not be? Fifty years later, I
understand and know better….
Despite the
richness of the Gospel, I have seen some members of the Church be seduced by
false Christs in the form of other religions and turn to them in preference to
the Church that possesses all truth. I
am still trying to understand the attraction.
Elder
McConkie explains the splendour we are in as members of the true body of Christ:
“The great restoration of all things has begun, and like the light of the
rising sun, it shall spread over all the earth until the darkness of Babylon
shall be no more, and the Son of Man shall come to be seen and admired by those
who wait for Him.” (“The Promised
Messiah”, p 325)
“This
Church, the great institutional body of Christ, is a marvelous work and a
wonder not only because of what it does for the faithful but also because of
what the faithful do for it. Your lives are at the very heart of that marvel.
You are evidence of the wonder of it all.” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Miracles
of the Restoration” October 1994 General Conference)
When the
Saviour proclaimed himself to be ‘the bread of life’, many of his disciples, lacking
in understanding, “walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve,
Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go?
Thou hast the words of eternal life…..thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God.” (John 6:68)
To whom
indeed???....
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: And The Truth Shall Make You Free by Greg Olsen)
