Chapter 15

Loving with All of Our Hearts through Intimacy with the Savior

I hope you didn’t skip the other sections to read this one.  But if you did, hopefully, it will inspire you to read the rest.

As mentioned earlier, the great Bridegroom metaphor used by Jesus was intended to help us live the first commandment to its maximum through our relationships with the opposite sex, preferably within the sacred covenant of marriage.  It was also intended to help us be intimate with Him. 

I grew up partaking of the sacrament of bread and water every Sunday, our definition of the Sabbath day.  On some Sundays, we fasted for 24 hours, refraining from food and water and then donating the savings in the form of offerings to give to the less fortunate.  On fast Sundays, the bread and water tasted particularly good.  As young men preparing the sacrament in our role as Aaronic Priesthood, we would often eat the leftover bread as we cleaned up the sacrament trays to appease our hunger.  As we became older teenagers, we would say the sacrament prayer. The sacrament prayer consisted of reading from a card, as we blessed the bread first, then later blessed the water.  The younger boys who passed the sacrament, took pride in how organized they were.  We had routes, we marched in unison, lined up according to a prescribed manner.  Like clockwork, someone from the congregation’s leadership would congratulate the teenage boys who passed the sacrament, on their orderliness, white shirts and efficient manner.

This routine became so routine, that we would rattle off the prayer without really paying attention to what we were saying.  Our only worry was whether we made a mistake.  Often the teenage boys who said the sacramental prayer, would hide behind the table and get in laughing fits, without the congregation’s knowledge.  The congregation leaders, would sometimes toss us a disapproving look

This is the prayer that is said,

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his spirit to be with them. Amen.

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this ^awine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

When the Savior and Redeemer of the world asked His disciples to eat of the bread as if it were His flesh and to drink of the wine, as if it were His blood, he was asking them to do something very intimate.  We could look at the bread, similar to looking at a flag  as a symbol.  Seeing the bread would be a reminder of His flesh.  We could do the same with the wine, we could see it.  But unlike a flag, seeing it was not good enough, He asked us to eat and to drink.  There are few things more intimate than the eating of someone’s flesh or the drinking of someone’s blood.  When we eat and drink something, we chew it and swallow it, it is digested and assimilated into our bodies.  Eventually, it enters into our bloodstream and is pumped by the heart to the brain, the mind.  It becomes part of us, becomes part of the cells that make up our body, so, literally, we are what we eat.

I propose that the Savior has invited us in the most non-sexual way possible, to be intimate with Him and to make him a part of our beings.  When we partake of the sacrament with full intent, we are obeying the first commandment.  We are loving the Lord with all of our heart and with all of our mind, both physically and spiritually.   The bread and wine (water) are becoming part of the heart and mind. 

We also re-member (make whole) Him.  His body was broken for us, like the bread.  We re-member Him, by taking his broken flesh into us and making His body whole again, in our body.  Of course, we also re-member Him with our hearts and minds and souls and all of our beings in our thoughts.  His blood was shed for us.  We re-member Him by bringing holiness (wholeness) to Him.

Jesus, speaking to us said, “if you will love me, and will keep my words; and my Father will love you, and we will come unto you, and make our abode with you.”  One way for Them to make their abode with us is through this intimate act of eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son.  Through this process of ingesting these sacred emblems, we are building the Kingdom within us, literally causing Them to make their abode in us.  Of course, like any ordinance, the literalness of its fulfillment depends on the degree to which we believe in, believe on and love Him.

It occurs to me that the bread, the flesh, represents the mind.  The mind is associated with things of the flesh, of this world, because of its tendency to be logical, analytical and to seek justice.  In its most primitive form, it reverts to its survival mechanism of fright, fight and flight. 

The wine, the blood, represents the heart.  The red colored wine flows like blood and emanates from the heart. The heart may be less inclined to be of the world and it is the heart that helps the brain know when fear is justified or when mercy and justice are in control and no fear is necessary.  The heart, when it is set upon the Son and not on worldly things, helps the brain to stay out of fear and out of the primitive fright, fight and flight mechanism.   The sacrament helps to balance the relationship between the heart and mind.  It does so by doing it in the name of the Son and by always remembering Him.

The blood helps the heart to communicate with the brain or mind and all parts of the body.  The heart and mind may be in conflict, one tends to be merciful while the other tends to be just.  One leans towards the flesh, the other leans towards the spirit.  One emphasizes the need to exercise dominion and have power, the other emphasizes compassion, sorrow and serving.  The broken flesh, and the shed blood, are once again united, at-one  and made whole through the sacrament.  As the flesh and blood are reunited, the mind and heart are brought into balance, a perfect blend of justice and mercy.  This perfect balance of justice and mercy is the love of God and helps us to love Him with all of our heart and mind.

Earlier we talked about the “living bread” and the “living water”.  In the sacrament, both the living bread (Jesus) and the living water (Jesus) are brought together.   As we take Him into us, and take the name of the Son upon us, we are able to show through an actual, physical event, that we are witnessing to the Father that we will keep His commandments that He has given us.  By now, you should know what those commandments are:  To love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, with all of our minds…. And that we may always have His spirit to be with us.  How do we always have His spirit with us?  By the Son and the Father making their abode with us.

When the Redeemer and Savior of the world said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”, He surely must have been thinking of us boys who were blessing the sacrament.  We really did not know  what we were doing.  But, I dare say that most people in the congregation “know not what they do”.  We do not know the breadth and depth of the true meaning of the sacrament, its literal power and what transforming events take place at the time of the blessing of the sacrament if those who bless it and those who partake it, have eyes to see, and ears to hear.

Jesus performed many miracles that brought about miraculous changes in the elements.  Among them was the changing of water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana.  We know that Jesus did not perform miracles lightly, this was not about showing off like a magician or about gaining fame and notoriety.  He proved how humble He was when He was tempted by Satan and others. 

It is easy for a modern day reader to misunderstand the King James account in which Jesus says to His mother, “Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.”    Many a young man would be scolded by his mother for speaking to her so rudely.  But was he speaking rudely?  I believe that Mary, His saintly mother, knew full well what His mission was and that “ this beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.”  The use of “woman” was a common way to refer to a wife or a mother, or any female.  There was absolutely no disrespect.  Rather, Jesus with great respect, was gently questioning her if now was really the time to show His power and glory.  His wise mother, acting under inspiration, knew that it was and therefore admonished the servants to do as He bid.  Mary was His teacher, it is only fitting that she would help Him start His ministry.

A transformation took place.  Water was changed into wine, symbolic of the blood which would be shed for them about 3 years later.  In like manner, He has given us power and authority to do as He did, to perform the same works that He did.  We too can transform water into wine.  We too can multiply the loaves (bread) representing His body.  At the very least, with even a mustard seed of faith, we can change the frequency and vibration levels of these emblems.  The everyday bread and the tap water, can be changed!  If those doing the blessing and those doing the partaking really believe, the bread and water will have an actual physical effect on our bodies.  Is this the bread that Jesus was referring to?

John 6:50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.