In writing to the Corinthians, Paul described the institution of Holy Communion. He describes how on a Thursday night at a Passover meal he took some bread, offered a prayer of thanksgiving, broke the bread in two and said to his companions, “This is my body that is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Then he lifted up a cup of the fruit of the vine and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Finally, Paul wrote a sentence on which we will meditate tonight. It is this: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
The whole passage focuses on the importance and significance of Holy Communion. It seems fitting to consider the importance of this sacrament on this somber day we call Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday.
This is especially so when one considers that the word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word for “commandment” It was on the night that Jesus gave his friends the new commandment to “love one another” that he also instituted the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the Eucharist.
The importance of receiving the Sacrament
Part of the importance of this sacrament is that it is a vivid meaningful way to remember Jesus and the sacrifice of his life that he freely gave for us all. When one sincerely examines Jesus’ life and love, it seems clear to that h
