First Communion
While other Christians might be having trouble discerning the Eucharist, at least five children this past Sunday had no problem with the Eucharist as taught by the early Christian church.
I was feeling lazy and decided to "church hop" and attend the 11 a.m. service at a nearby inner city church. Instead of their usual hour long service, I was surprised to find that it was Communion Sunday and five of the church's children were making their first Communion.
The pastor and several adults had spent much of the past year preparing the future of Christ's Church's for this one day, when they would join Christ and the adults of the church in Communion.
The children were given the honor of reading the scriptures and psalms. They also had the honor of leading the faithful in petitionary prayer. Finally, after renewing their baptismal vows and confession of faith, the children had the honor of going first and making their first Communion. Each child received the Eucharist in the forms of both bread and wine.
While its doubtful the children could recall the name of Justin the Martyr, the early Church teachings that Justin once received, and documented in his First Apology, had made their way down through history to reside with these five chidren.
What teaching did these children receive?
I returned home strengthened in my faith because of the witness of five of the universal Church's youngest members.
I was feeling lazy and decided to "church hop" and attend the 11 a.m. service at a nearby inner city church. Instead of their usual hour long service, I was surprised to find that it was Communion Sunday and five of the church's children were making their first Communion.
The pastor and several adults had spent much of the past year preparing the future of Christ's Church's for this one day, when they would join Christ and the adults of the church in Communion.
The children were given the honor of reading the scriptures and psalms. They also had the honor of leading the faithful in petitionary prayer. Finally, after renewing their baptismal vows and confession of faith, the children had the honor of going first and making their first Communion. Each child received the Eucharist in the forms of both bread and wine.
While its doubtful the children could recall the name of Justin the Martyr, the early Church teachings that Justin once received, and documented in his First Apology, had made their way down through history to reside with these five chidren.
What teaching did these children receive?
- "And this food is called among us Euxaristi [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh."
Justin Martyr, First Apology
I returned home strengthened in my faith because of the witness of five of the universal Church's youngest members.
Labels: Apologetics, children, Communion, Liturgy
0 Comments:
<< Home