Saturday, April 04, 2009

Communion: like a text message?

What do you think about this statement?

Another challenge to anti-sacramental Christianity is the question, then what happens? If we do not somehow participate in God’s grace, in his love and salvation by means of physical, material things which he has chosen (again, that is the very principle underlying the incarnation—that the Son has already done this), then how do we participate in God’s grace and salvation for us? I am not talking about charging up our grace as if it were a bank account or something like that—that is a most crude and absurd understanding of sacramentality. But the question remains, if there is nothing that happens in the Kingdom when we do these things, then nothing happens. It means that taking communion is just a reminder, a memorial. It does nothing at all that a text message or card in the mail could not.

From HERE.

3 comments:

abu 'n um tulip said...

So the central question is, if we believe nothing happens in the sacraments, then how do we participate in Gods grace and salvation? Well, I guess we come up with invented ways (i.e., idols). Nail the scrap of paper to the fake cross, throw your pine cone on the fire at commitment night, etc.
No, let's use the means God gave us.
-Abu Tulip

Jeff said...

"Unless you eat My Body and drink My Blood, you do not have Life in you."

FrGregACCA said...

Amen, Abu Tulip!

Jeff's quote, from John 6, is but one of many; sacramental realism is the undeniable teaching of the New Testament. Therefore, it is ironic that those who are most commited to "sola Scriptura" are also usually those who are most anti-sacramental.