The Lord of the Rings-Living the Sacraments

The Prophet Habakkuk (c.610-600 BC, feast day-today) extends the cry of Job. Chapters 1 and 2 are a plea to God: “Where are you? Why does evil prosper”? Why do bad things happen to good people? God answers that he will deal with the wicked at the proper time, but that “the righteous shall live by their faith”. (Hab 2:4b). Chapter 3 of Habakkuk is called the “Song of Habakkuk” as this recalls the coming victory of God. The last verse is also sung at the close of each Orthros service.

Holy Communion: Touching God

Habakkuk also announces the entry of Jesus as a baby. He indicates that Jesus comes to participate in our pain. Jesus tells us to give Him our pain (resulting from sin=separation from God) so that He can give us His healing. We give Him our weaknesses so He can give us His strength. As the source of life, He gives us His life-giving energies through the Holy Spirit in Holy Communion so that we may reconnect with Him as the source of life and touch God once again.

The Eucharist (Holy Communion): an opportunity for us to touch God

Holy Communion is Christ touching us. During Old Testament times, no one could see the face of God and live. With Jesus, we not only see the face of God and live but through Holy Communion we partake of Him, His Divinity, and not only live but live gloriously with Him once again.

Holy Communion is the greatest power on earth because it is the love of Christ in eternal and constant sacrifice of Himself for us. It is the ultimate actualization of the power of love.

Preparation for Holy Communion

The preparation for Holy Communion is a humble and contrite heart reconciled with others.

We come to God humble, empty and totally dependent on His mercy. On Sunday morning, we come to church with empty stomachs to declare and recognize our dependence on God. Therefore, the only thing we can be is humble; the only thing we can give is our emptiness to be transformed and made full by Christ.

Holy Communion is the fullness of the free gift of salvation; the sacrifice of Christ done out of His love for humanity. Love is freely given; it cannot be earned (through fasting or works). He gives Himself freely as the bread of life. Jesus said “if you do not eat of My Body and drink of My Blood you will have no life in you.”

Fasting as Response to Holy Communion

We fast as a result of Holy Communion received on the Sunday before, not as a preparation of the Holy Communion to be received the next Sunday. Holy Communion should never be considered as a reward for fasting or works. There is nothing we can do to commend us to God or merit His gift. Our relationship with God is not merit-based but mercy-based.

Further, we do not negotiate with God since we have nothing that really belongs to us or that He really needs from us. To make deals with God would make the relationship conditional. As His relationship with us is unconditional, so should ours be with Him. Unconditional giving is in the image and likeness of God. He gave us our life, our breath, our free will without condition. We offer it back to Him without condition (in terms of aligning our will with His Will). We follow Panagia’s model in doing so. We offer our way of life as a “liturgy” in thanksgiving so that He can transform and divinize our lives.

Fasting days are Wednesdays and Fridays as we recall Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion, respectively, when the Bridegroom was taken from us. Jesus told us to fast when the Bridegroom is away from us.

By receiving God in us on Sunday, we have the strength to fast on Wednesday and Friday and to live in Christ-like fashion during the week. God acts in Holy Communion and we respond by being receptive. The more frequently we receive, the more we have God in us. The more He acts within us, the stronger we grow spiritually.

On Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the day of Resurrection, the first day of renewed life, we abstain in the morning but do not fast. We have no reason to fast on Sunday because we are with the Bridegroom in celebration of our resurrection. We abstain before Communion to recognize that the first thing we do, think and take in is that which has been given to us from God.

There are the various dimensions to fasting:

1. Dependency and strength. Fasting reminds us through hunger of God’s absence from our lives and our dependence on Him. Without Him, we are helpless and defenseless from the attacks of Satan. While we fast, God gives us the strength to continue on our journey through life.

2. Sharing. What we do not spend or consume because of fasting whether time, food, money is to be shared with those less fortunate as a form of charity. You give something of yourself. Sharing with others also recalls stewardship. In being stewards we are not owners, but administrators of God’s Grace and bounty. In giving back, through another person, to God that which He has given us is the key to joy. Saying no to yourself (to our impulsiveness as a form of discipline) and yes to someone else for their benefit is also growing in the image and likeness of God.

3. Harmonious co-existence. Fasting recalls our time in Eden where humans did not consume other living creatures. In the time of Eden; Adam and Eve lived in harmony with the other creatures.

Fasting: what it is and is not

St. John Chrysostom said it is better to devour a steak on Holy Friday than to devour your brother. Fasting is not entry into heaven and neither is its absence a sin. It is a means to an end, not an end unto itself. It is a means, a tool and a commandment by Jesus to help strengthen us for our journey to heaven; to the end which is love.

Fasting is not a self-serving act. (Self-serving actions or prideful arrogance are of demonic influence - this is original sin.) It should not be done for display or praise as the Pharisee but in quiet and humility as the Publican.

Fasting Periods: There are two 40-day fasting periods (Lents) one before Christmas and the 40-day Great Lent, preceding Pascha. During these times, Liturgies are offered during the week. Communion was so important to the early Church that it allowed for Communion to be distributed during the week. This is celebrated today in the Wednesday Pre-Sanctified Liturgy during Great Lent. The Communion elements, consecrated on Sunday are distributed during this special Liturgy. There are also shorter fasting periods before Pentecost and the Dormition of the Theotokos.

Not receiving Communion

We receive Holy Communion to express that we are ill and that we need God to finish the journey. Receiving saves us. It is an acknowledgement of our humility, trust and dependence on God which invites His saving Grace.

We cannot be filled with God’s strength for the journey if we think we are independent of Him. If we do not receive Communion regularly, it is as if we are rejecting God saying that we don’t need Him. Non-receiving becomes self-excommunication. When one receives Holy Communion only 2 or 3 times a year, it makes the action more one of tradition and symbolism and less of real faith and invitation of Grace.

Adults receiving Communion are role models for children. It shows the children that we believe and are active participants in God’s Grace. When adults escort children to Communion but do not receive themselves, it is arrogance. What is conveyed is that the child needs God but I do not. This also sends the wrong message that Communion is solely for children who are immature and dependent. However, we too are children in the eyes of God.

The Presence of God in Holy Communion

Christian denominations have varying views as to the presence of God in Communion. It is predicated on their specific theology as to the proximity of God to us, His creations. The bread and wine change depending on whether one believes God is close to or far away from mankind.

1. Transelementation (Orthodox). Both the bread and wine become totally and completely the Body and Blood of Christ, in the sense of His Divinity, not flesh. This change is both in essential substance and accident (perceivable). There is no explanation as to how this change occurs; this is a Mystery of the Church. God’s presence is total and complete.

2. Transubstantiation (Catholic). The essential substance (bread and wine) become the Body and Blood of Jesus, but the accidents (the perceivable; taste, smell and feel) remain as bread and wine; “the signs of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and Blood of Christ." God’s presence is held back a bit; there is some separation between God and mankind.

3. Consubstantiation (Lutheran and Anglican). The bread and wine maintain their accidental (perceivable characteristics) yet take on the essential substance of Jesus’ Body and Blood; in effect, simultaneously sharing the same space. The Body and Blood are "in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine”. Martin Luther refers to this as a “sacramental union”. God’s presence has become a bit more distant.

4. Transignification (Evangelical Protestant and Baptist). The bread and wine allow us to recall Jesus’ sacrifice. Here, no change has occurred; it is symbolic. The bread and wine are still bread and wine becoming a memorial for Jesus. God’s presence is far removed; it is a memory.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS

The Lord of the Rings has reference to sacraments including Communion. Communion is represented by the lembas bread. This bread is given to the Hobbits by the Elves as the former begin their journey. Along with the bread, Galadriel gives them other gifts as well (to protect and strengthen them). In this, she is the archetype of the Panagia – bearing gifts of salvation. Frodo and Sam comment on how the lembas bread sustains them both physically and in mind (perception; clarity of thought and insight). It allows them to complete their journey.

We are like Frodo and Sam. The more frequently we receive Communion, the stronger we become with the Eucharist in us. This strength allows us to continue on our spiritual journey until we have an opportunity to receive again. This is God within us.

The Hobbits, “Halflings” who also represent us, are from Middle Earth which is halfway between heaven and hell. We have the possibility to change (in church) just as the characters have the opportunity to change (in Middle Earth); to take something of this world, elevate and transform it. We experience the sin of Adam through the distortion of our image and have the opportunity through the Sacraments to grow back into our original likeness.

Middle Earth represents the solea, the raised platform bridging the nave to the steps leading to the altar. It is Middle Earth where the action and battle occurs. It is on the solea that the Sacraments are given whereby a change occurs in God’s presence. It is on the solea that we, as Halflings, are “raised up” and transformed.

Sin: Sin disfigures and distorts us and creates a dysfunctional relationship between ourselves and God. Gollum represents this. His avarice and murder have turned him into a grey wrinkled creature. He is unable to eat the lembas bread; it is hurtful for him to do so. It is the same with evil people; they cannot eat the Communion bread. Church tradition has many stories of sinners who were not even able to enter a church, let alone approach the sanctuary.

In today’s secularized world, “ugly” is in and “beauty” is out. Body piercing, a loss of decency in dress and behavior, lack of common respect or self-respect seem to be in” or “cool”. Today we tear down our God-given image and try to reverse it through tattoos, piercings, hair etc. Aided by the media, we celebrate distortion and dysfunction.

The Conflict between Good and Evil: Fr. Frank pointed out that the battle scenes in The Lord of the Rings are large, gory and horrifying. This is reality and a reminder that the spiritual battle between good and evil is just as bitter.

In the battle scenes is represented “The Church Militant”. This is the Church, now on Earth, fighting for our salvation. We are the Church and that support is there for us; however, it is up to us to accept it. The saints represent “The Church Triumphant”; they have “run the good race and fought the good fight”.

Frodo’s mithral (chain) shirt recalls our spiritual armor as stated in St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (Eph. 6:13-17) among these being the “breastplate of righteousness” (v.14) and the sword (of the Spirit, v.17). Frodo has these, the lembas bread and the light as his tools and resources. These are Frodo’s sacraments; the resources he needs to complete his journey.

THE ROYAL PRIESTHOOD INCLUDES US

The priests are stewards of the mysteries of God and St. Paul said we are all part of the royal priesthood. The laity and priests are connected. Both practice their ‘priesthood.’

To celebrate a liturgy, two components are necessary: 1) the priest and 2) the laity with their offering of the bread and wine. Man introduces his energy and participates by laboring to make bread and wine out of the wheat and grapes that come from God. When people were farmers, they would bring the bread and wine to the church for the liturgy as the offering. Today, we give a part of our wages, and the church provides the bread and wine as the offering on our behalf.

We offer the bread and wine back to God and He transforms the Gifts into Christ and us into being Christ-like. We are called ‘Christofori’ which means Christ-bearers. As with Frodo, when he offered the ring he was transformed. When we offer ourselves and the life He breathed into us back to God, He transforms us and our lives. Holy Communion is the beginning of the journey, not the end. That is why Holy Communion is received on Sunday, the first day of the week. As such, it is Holy Communion that expands the mystery, not the fasting. Receiving Christ into us gives us the strength to fast. The liturgy, our offering to God and God’s offer to transfigure us allows to extend the mystery and live in an offering of ourselves to others throughout the week and throughout our lives.