The Liturgical Life

As I meditate on the truth of Christ in me (see my last post), E.L. Mascall’s rich understanding of the Eucharist and its transformative nature comes to mind. Directly related to Grafton’s thoughts, he writes:

“So, then, the Eucharist is the one perfect act of worship that we can offer to God. And far from Eucharistic worship being a matter merely of the sanctuary and the sacristy, it is of direct relevance to the world in which Christians live and work and love and die. For the Body which appears in its sacramental form upon our altars is the same Body which in its mystical form is at work in the world and of which we are members, in a quite true sense, therefore, what Christians do in the world, in their work and in their play, is identical with the offering made upon the altar and with the act of worship made by Christ in heaven. That is to say, for the Christian as a member of the Body of Christ, his whole life is liturgical […] For the Christian, then, in the Mystical Body, life and worship are but two elements in one great act, the self-offering of Christ the God-man to the Father in heaven. Life itself is liturgical, for whether the Christian serves God or whether he sins against him, he is acting as a member of the Body, and it is in the Eucharist that his life is given true interpretation as not merely his life, but the life of Christ in him: ‘I live; and yet, no longer I, but Christ liveth in me.’”

A Prayer Before Communion (Jeremy Taylor)

“O most blessed, most glorious Lord and Saviour Jesus; Thou that waterest the furrows of the earth and refreshest her weariness, and makest it very plenteous, behold, O God, my desert and unfruitful soul; I have already a parched ground; give me a land of rivers of waters; my soul is dry but not thirsty; it hath no water nor it desires none; I have been like a dead man to all the desires of heaven. I am earnest and concerned in the things of the world; but very indifferent, or rather not been greedy of Thy word, or longed for Thy sacraments; the worst of Thy followers came running after Thee for loaves though they cared not for the miracle; but Thou offerest me loaves and miracles together, and I have cared for neither: Thou offerest me Thyself and all Thy infinite sweetnesses, I have needed even the compulsion of laws to drive me to Thee; and then indeed I lost the sweetness of Thy presence, and reaped no fruit. These things, O God, are not well; they are infinitely amiss. But Thou that providest meat, Thou also givest appetite; for the desire and the meat, the necessity and the relief are all from Thee.”
(from The Worthy Communicant; Or, a Discourse of the Nature, Effects, and Blessings consequent to the Worthy Receiving of the Lord's Supper, And of all the Duties required in Order to a Worthy Preparation: Together with the Cases of Conscience occurring in the Duty of Him that Ministers, and of Him that Communicates; As also Devotions Fitted to Every Part of the Ministration, 1667)

… dry but not thirsty … going along not even desiring the water … not even cognizant …
grateful for this today