Holy Communion: Difference between revisions
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[[File:1280px-Última Cena - Da Vinci 5.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|<translate><!--T:1--> The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci</translate>]] | |||
The sacrament instituted by Jesus at the Last | <translate> | ||
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The sacrament of '''Holy Communion''' was instituted by [[Jesus]] at the Last Supper, at which Christ and his apostles were celebrating the feast of the unleavened bread, or Passover.<ref>Matt. 26:17–20, 26–29; Mark 14:12–17, 22–25; Luke 22:7–20.</ref> | |||
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= | [[File:Abraham meets Melchisedech (San Marco).jpg|thumb|alt=caption|<translate><!--T:3--> Mosaic depicting Melchizedek serving bread and wine to Abraham</translate>]] | ||
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== Origins == <!--T:4--> | |||
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The blessing of the bread and the wine is an ancient Jewish tradition which commemorates the [[Sabbath]] and other holy days. It is a ritual which can be traced back even to [[Melchizedek]] who “brought forth bread and wine” when he blessed [[Abraham]].<ref>Gen. 14:18–20.</ref> On Friday evenings, the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, a ceremonial blessing is first pronounced over the wine and then over two loaves of bread, which symbolize the double portion of manna that fell in the desert on the sixth day.<ref>Exod. 16:14–35.</ref> | |||
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At the Last Supper, Jesus | At the Last Supper, Jesus | ||
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<blockquote>... took bread and when he had given thanks, he brake it and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”<ref>I Cor. 11:23–25.</ref></blockquote> | <blockquote>... took bread and when he had given thanks, he brake it and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”<ref>I Cor. 11:23–25.</ref></blockquote> | ||
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As recorded in John 6, Jesus had also earlier admonished: | As recorded in John 6, Jesus had also earlier admonished: | ||
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<blockquote>Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.... Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life....</blockquote> | <blockquote>Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.... Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life....</blockquote> | ||
== Spiritual significance == | == Spiritual significance == <!--T:10--> | ||
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Taken literally, this is a very upsetting statement. But taken spiritually, we understand the point of the real master teacher or Guru. He embodies Spirit-Matter, Alpha-Omega. He is the balance of cosmic forces. And at the last meal with his disciples, or chelas, he is instituting a ceremony of communion which he will use for the next two thousand years to transfer his body and his blood to those who are willing to partake of his being. | |||
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His blood is his Spirit essence or Alpha polarity. His body is his Matter essence or Omega polarity. He has the perfect balance of that cosmic consciousness of the masculine-feminine energies of the universe within his temple. This is a sacred fire, an energy too powerful for us to absorb all at once, because our temples are out of balance. This is the result of karma, an imbalance in its masculine-feminine energy within us, such that were we to suddenly receive the full impact of that Christ consciousness, we could not contain it. | |||
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So the great teacher, the great Saviour of our own path transfers to us portion by portion or, as it is said, blessing by blessing, or [[initiation]] by initiation, the momentum of his attainment, his light. He came to earth so that we would become himself. | |||
== Communion with the ascended masters == <!--T:14--> | |||
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Our partaking of Holy Communion (in any Christian church) is our acceptance of God’s gift of Sonship and our commitment to go out no more from the house of the Father and the Son. Each time we celebrate the Lord’s Body and his Blood, we must go forth from the altar witnessing to his Spirit by our words and our works. Each time we accept the bread and the wine, believing it is, by [[transubstantiation]], the Body and Blood of Christ, we imbibe the flame of our [[Christhood]] increment by increment, piece by piece, drop by drop. | Our partaking of Holy Communion (in any Christian church) is our acceptance of God’s gift of Sonship and our commitment to go out no more from the house of the Father and the Son. Each time we celebrate the Lord’s Body and his Blood, we must go forth from the altar witnessing to his Spirit by our words and our works. Each time we accept the bread and the wine, believing it is, by [[transubstantiation]], the Body and Blood of Christ, we imbibe the flame of our [[Christhood]] increment by increment, piece by piece, drop by drop. | ||
The “flesh and blood” of the [[Universal Christ]] is the essence of His Spirit and His Word celebrated by [[Keepers of the Flame]] who “have the testimony of Jesus”<ref>Rev. 19:10.</ref> in the L<small>ORD</small>’s Communion through the dictations of Jesus and the Servant Sons in heaven, the | <!--T:16--> | ||
The “flesh and blood” of the [[Universal Christ]] is the essence of His Spirit and His Word celebrated by [[Keepers of the Flame]] who “have the testimony of Jesus”<ref>Rev. 19:10.</ref> in the L<small>ORD</small>’s Communion through the dictations of Jesus and the Servant Sons in heaven, the [[ascended master]]s. Our cup is the Messenger, our wine is the initiation of the Light outpoured by the Holy Spirit, our Bread is the Living Word. “I AM Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending”<ref>Rev. 1:8; 21:6; 22:13.</ref> is the true mystic’s mantra of Communion as he partakes of the Body (the Omega) and Blood (the Alpha) of his L<small>ORD</small>. | |||
== | == See also == <!--T:17--> | ||
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[[Transubstantiation]] | |||
== Sources == <!--T:19--> | |||
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{{POWref|28|28}} | {{POWref|28|28}} | ||
Elizabeth Clare Prophet, | <!--T:21--> | ||
Elizabeth Clare Prophet, October 27, 1978. | |||
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{{A4H}}, chapter 28. | |||
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[[Category:Sacraments]] | |||
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<references /> | <references /> | ||
Latest revision as of 20:51, 26 January 2024
The sacrament of Holy Communion was instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper, at which Christ and his apostles were celebrating the feast of the unleavened bread, or Passover.[1]
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Origins
The blessing of the bread and the wine is an ancient Jewish tradition which commemorates the Sabbath and other holy days. It is a ritual which can be traced back even to Melchizedek who “brought forth bread and wine” when he blessed Abraham.[2] On Friday evenings, the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, a ceremonial blessing is first pronounced over the wine and then over two loaves of bread, which symbolize the double portion of manna that fell in the desert on the sixth day.[3]
At the Last Supper, Jesus
... took bread and when he had given thanks, he brake it and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”[4]
As recorded in John 6, Jesus had also earlier admonished:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.... Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life....
Spiritual significance
Taken literally, this is a very upsetting statement. But taken spiritually, we understand the point of the real master teacher or Guru. He embodies Spirit-Matter, Alpha-Omega. He is the balance of cosmic forces. And at the last meal with his disciples, or chelas, he is instituting a ceremony of communion which he will use for the next two thousand years to transfer his body and his blood to those who are willing to partake of his being.
His blood is his Spirit essence or Alpha polarity. His body is his Matter essence or Omega polarity. He has the perfect balance of that cosmic consciousness of the masculine-feminine energies of the universe within his temple. This is a sacred fire, an energy too powerful for us to absorb all at once, because our temples are out of balance. This is the result of karma, an imbalance in its masculine-feminine energy within us, such that were we to suddenly receive the full impact of that Christ consciousness, we could not contain it.
So the great teacher, the great Saviour of our own path transfers to us portion by portion or, as it is said, blessing by blessing, or initiation by initiation, the momentum of his attainment, his light. He came to earth so that we would become himself.
Communion with the ascended masters
Our partaking of Holy Communion (in any Christian church) is our acceptance of God’s gift of Sonship and our commitment to go out no more from the house of the Father and the Son. Each time we celebrate the Lord’s Body and his Blood, we must go forth from the altar witnessing to his Spirit by our words and our works. Each time we accept the bread and the wine, believing it is, by transubstantiation, the Body and Blood of Christ, we imbibe the flame of our Christhood increment by increment, piece by piece, drop by drop.
The “flesh and blood” of the Universal Christ is the essence of His Spirit and His Word celebrated by Keepers of the Flame who “have the testimony of Jesus”[5] in the LORD’s Communion through the dictations of Jesus and the Servant Sons in heaven, the ascended masters. Our cup is the Messenger, our wine is the initiation of the Light outpoured by the Holy Spirit, our Bread is the Living Word. “I AM Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending”[6] is the true mystic’s mantra of Communion as he partakes of the Body (the Omega) and Blood (the Alpha) of his LORD.
See also
Sources
Pearls of Wisdom, vol. 28, no. 28.
Elizabeth Clare Prophet, October 27, 1978.
Elizabeth Clare Prophet, The Astrology of the Four Horsemen, chapter 28.