First Communion

This Sunday, June 24, we will help a small group of youngsters at Trinity Church celebrate their First Communion.  For the past four weeks or so, the First Communion Class has been learning about the significance of Holy Eucharist and what it means to share communion with one another.  The celebration this Sunday offers each of us the opportunity to really consider what it is we do as we take Holy Communion each Sunday.

As mentioned in a recent blog about renewal of marriage vows, Holy Eucharist is one of the two great sacraments celebrated in the Anglican tradition.  As such, it is deserving of, if not reverence, then certainly periodic thoughtful consideration. The Anglican tradition refers to the terms “Holy Communion” and “Holy Eucharist” interchangeably.   But as with any synonym, while the terms are similar, there are significant enough differences to cast divergent interpretations.  Beginning with the word “Holy,” both terms indicate the sacramental element.  That is, the ritual is imbued with the presence of God.

Both the American Heritage Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary define communion generally as an act of sharing or an intimate fellowship and rapport with others.  Communion is specifically defined as a body of Christians with a common faith and discipline (like the Anglican communion).  So Holy Communion, spelled with a capital C, is a rite in which we share with one another and with God.  When God is present, our intimate relationship with one another develops a deeper connection, a more spiritual affinity.   In fact, one might consider the entire worship service as Holy Communion.  One might even argue that any instance in which two or more are gathered together with God, there is Holy Communion.  However, we tend to regard the giving and receiving of the sacramental elements of bread and wine as the act of Holy Communion.  Communion with a capital C and without “Holy” preceding it is indeed a spiritual sharing of souls with God, but the “Holy” connotes the consecrated elements, which brings us to an examination of the term “Holy Eucharist.”  The word eucharist is a Greek word formed with the prefix eu- (meaning  “well, good, true”) and the root/stem charis (meaning “favor, grace, gratitude).  [Incidentally, the same root charis is also the root for the word chairein, meaning “rejoice.”]  So during Holy Eucharist, God gifts us with true grace.  The sacramental elements, through the Great Mystery of consecration, are blessed with the Holy Spirit.  As we receive the sacramental elements, we tangibly join in the Communion.  

First Communion is a rite of passage in which we acknowledge that a child has reached the age of reason—the reason necessary to comprehend the significance of being in communion with one another and God.  It is a ritual that can easily be overwhelm by traditions (fine suits and white dresses with veils, gifts and parties, etc.) that can separate us from the awesome significance of our own responsibility—that is, to welcome anew these fresh communicants into our fellowship with God.