The Great Thanksgiving the Body of Jesus and his Blood of the new Covenant

The Great Thanksgiving

The Last Supper

Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:23-27
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

I pray gracious God my Father, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts, this bread and juice that they may be the Communion of the Body of Jesus and his Blood of the new Covenant.

I Take and eat of this bread as the body of Jesus, which is given for me. I do this in remembrance of Jesus. . . . This cup is the new covenant in the blood of Jesus, which is poured out for me and for the forgiveness of my sins. Amen. Amen.

The prayer that asks the Holy Spirit to change bread into the Body of Jesus and wine—or water or juice—into His Blood is a prayer that brings people into the covenant with Jesus. I do not agree with the idea that this can only be done by a priest. I believe it is a direct agreement between each person and Jesus Himself.

Just as I was isolated to a point where no one was there to baptize me in my later years—even though I had been baptized as a baby—I felt that my commitment to God needed to be renewed and established again. I baptized myself in a bathtub many times, with many prayers, because I became desperate to show my full commitment to Jesus and to God.

The love I have for all people, including my enemies, is the same unconditional, beautiful love that our dear God gives to us through Jesus.

I also believe that taking the time to pray this prayer—to ask the Holy Spirit to turn bread into the Body of Jesus and, in my case, juice into His Blood—is a way to remember that He died for our sins and suffered for all our pains and sins. This is the path to true life with the Father and to the blessing for all who join into the vine of Jesus, as I believe I have.

I want others to know this way as well. As I have said, after losing everything I’ve ever had, all I have left is the love of God in Jesus and with the Holy Spirit. Now more than ever, I want everyone to take from what I have left—that is the love, and that is the way to Jesus, God the Father, and the guidance and love of the Holy Spirit.

The great mystery—yes—Jesus described the Spirit as being like the wind: you can feel it, you can hear it, and you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s going, something to that effect. Someone once said we can’t hear or feel Him, but I can feel the Holy Spirit. We know truths from Him; we feel truths and recognize lies—so there is something we hear. I think it’s in Genesis 1:2 that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters, and this connects to the importance of baptism, the importance of blood, and Jesus’ own comparison of the Spirit to wind—fluid and unpredictable.

I also recall how the apostles spoke in tongues they did not know, and Peter understood and spoke clear languages he had never learned. So when we think we do not hear the Spirit, perhaps we just haven’t recognized that the understanding we receive comes from hearing Him.

There is another part in the Bible where the angel tells Mary that the Spirit of God would come upon her and bring the Spirit of life—this same Holy Spirit who can turn bread into the flesh of Jesus and wine or juice into His Blood.

There are so many stories—certainly much more for me to learn and for God and the Holy Spirit to show. I feel the Holy Spirit in my body; He tells me when He is pleased, guiding the direction of what I am saying and bringing clarity through feelings. God is most pleased with what is loving and true, and all the words of God are of love and truth. The Holy Spirit is very pleased with Scripture and also with love songs; He delights when we are in a state of love.

In other stories and lives, I once watched a movie and was deeply moved by a very loving scene. It was one of the first times I realized that God’s love is not only in His words—it is in the lives of all His people. That love is in me for everyone, including my enemies, because God has that same love for us all, and the Holy Spirit in Jesus flows from that love.

The life and death of Jesus and being reminded that we have received the Holy Spirit as our Advocate, the One or You & or Disciple, Apostles & Priests continues the Eucharistic Prayer, I will call the Great Thanksgiving.

Therefore, O Lord, we pray: may this same Holy Spirit graciously sanctify these offerings, that they may become the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the celebration of this great mystery, which he himself left us as an eternal covenant.

For when the hour had come for him to be glorified by you, Father most holy, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end: and while they were at supper he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:

Let’s pause for just a moment. We are about to move into the most holy moment of the Mass. The moment of Consecration. The moment when bread and wine are substantially changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. If ever there is a time for humility, silence and worship, seek it here, at the Temple of the Lord as He now becomes present before us I Holy Spirit and in Bread & Wine being Body and Blood.

Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you.

1 Corinthians 11:24: and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

This incredible moment is captured in all four Gospels, although John’s discourse expands on the mystery of this reality. For us, Jesus’ invitation to take and eat is real as we cannot have life within us without Jesus. To know Jesus on the Cross at His Crucifixion, the immensity of Jesus and his Pains and Sacrifice on the Cross and more.

In a similar way, taking the chalice filled with the fruit of the vine, he gave thanks, and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:

Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.

“Do this in memory of me.” Along my journey, the true meaning of the Sacrifice. To live life walking with my Lord Jesus, keeping the memory alive in love we have for all in my relationship with my family, my children, my friends and acquaintances; AND Yes even the love I have for the enemy. It is a gift for me to be called to share my faith, to be a witness. The love and sacrifice and willingly suffered crucifixion as an atonement for the sins of humanity. This act, often referred to as the “Passion,” is seen by me and many as the ultimate expression of God’s love, bridging the gap between a holy God and sinful people. “I believe you are truly present, body, blood, soul and divinity. You are my Lord and my God”.

What would you do if Jesus suddenly stood before you? This is who you should be all your life and all the time. To treat all as you would treat yourself and how you would be treating the lord your God Jesus.