The same Christ: from Holy Communion to contemplative prayer

Many decades ago, as a novice in a Cistercian monastery, I was instructed in the ways of contemplative prayer with particular reference to the Cloud of Unknowing.  I must admit that it was not quite my attraction and I did not persevere in the way which entailed two blocks of 30 minutes each every day using the ‘Jesus prayer’ (Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God be merciful to me a poor sinner).  I either fell asleep or my mind wandered far and wide! Yet, I believe that the experience was a valuable one if only to demonstrate that the way to God is not primarily through our efforts but through allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, distracted, unsure as well as open to divine grace in the dance hall that is one’s mind.  I realised – to some extent - that the same Christ that I received daily in Holy Communion is the same Christ that meets me in contemplative prayer and whose glory is revealed on Mount Tabor.

Use it or lose it

 

Sunday 15 November 2026

Lectio Divina:*

Proverbs 21:10-31 Psalm 128 (127) 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 Matthew 25:14-30

(See also Mark 13:33-37 and Luke 19:11-27)

 

Meditatio:

‘to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance.’ (Matthew 25:29a)

Commentary:

When I consider how my light is spent

Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,

And that one talent which is death to hide

Lodg'd with me useless

(John Milton, 1608-1674)

 Milton's words bring us directly to today's Gospel. The parable of the talents is not primarily about money. It is about life itself. It is about what God has entrusted to each one of us and what we do with it.

Mystery of mysteries

St. Nektarios of Aegina (1846-1920) was remembered in the Orthodox churches of the East earlier this week (9 November). Originally from what is now modern-day Turkey, he served as a monk and priest in various locations including Cairo where he served as a bishop for one year. Though very popular with the people, some of his clerical colleagues plotted against him using false accusations. He was suspended from his post without explanation or a fair hearing. Rather than defend himself aggressively, he accepted humiliation with patience, a trait that became one of the hallmarks of his holiness [source]. 

Faith before mystery

St. Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724-1783) was a Russian Orthodox monk, bishop, spiritual writer, and saint  who is venerated as a saint throughout the Orthodox Churches and whose primary commemoration is on 13 August.  He believed that Christianity is fundamentally a living relationship with the risen Christ. This conviction gave Holy Communion a central place in his spirituality. It is here, in the Eucharist, that we meet the risen Christ Himself and receive divine life.

In his teaching, he emphasised repentance and confession, including reconciliation with those with whom one is in conflict, before receiving Holy Communion. He also stressed the importance of fasting and prayer as part of one's preparation for the sacrament.  We should approach this sacrament with reverence and attentiveness, never as a merely habitual or routine practice.  Tikhon regarded the Eucharist as heavenly nourishment for the soul, strengthening believers in their struggle against sin and helping them grow in union with Christ.

The Eucharistic destination of creation

An important witness to Eucharistic spirituality in the East during the first millennium was St Maximus the Confessor (c. 580 – 662 A.D).  His theology of participation (theosis), cosmic liturgy and union with Christ provides strong foundations for Eucharistic theology. 

Maximus developed and Christianised the ancient theme of 'exit and return', teaching that humanity was created in the image of God and that salvation restores and perfects humanity's communion with God in Christ.   This emphasis on divinisation or theosis helped secure Maximus' place in Eastern Christian theology, as these concepts have always held an important place in the East.

His principal feast is celebrated on 21 January in the Eastern Orthodox Church, while the Catholic Church commemorates him on 13 August.

For Maximus, the Eucharist is not merely a sacrament among others but a real participation in humanity's union with God and an anticipation of the final reconciliation of all creation in Christ.  The modern Greek Orthodox theologian, philosopher and priest Fr Loudovikos argues that Maximus offers an alternative to both individualism, where the self is self-sufficient and; collectivism, where persons disappear into the whole.  Theosis or divinisation does not entail absorption into God but, rather, personal communion, loving reciprocity fulfilled relationality.

He maintains that for Maximus, being itself is fundamentally Eucharistic, meaning that existence reaches its fulfilment not in self-possession but in communion, gift, reciprocity and loving participation in God and others.  This approach sees creation as unfinished and movement as something positive and essential; history is the journey toward full communion with God.

To borrow a contemporary cliché, it is possible to claim that with Christ we are, indeed, on ‘the right side of history’.

Becoming what we receive

Pope St. Leo I (c. 400-461) is one of the most important early witnesses to Catholic Eucharistic belief. His writings emphasise both the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the transformative effect of receiving Holy Communion.  One of his most famous statements is:

From the Passover Lamb to the Eucharist

pic: Durham Cathedral

Earlier this year, in a series of posts published under the blog label Jewish roots, I explore the Jewish roots of the Christian Eucharist.  I drew on the work of Brant Pitre among others when I wrote this:

One of the clearest places where the Jewish imprint on Christianity remains visible is in the Holy Mass, the Eucharist. Catholics believe that this sacrament was instituted at the Last Supper and marks the new covenant—the new Passover—in the blood of Jesus Christ, shed for all peoples outside the gates of Jerusalem. According to the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), the Last Supper was a ritual Jewish meal, structured as a Passover celebration like those observed by thousands of Jewish families at the time.

Long before modern scholars began to emphasise the Jewish roots of the Eucharist, they were already apparent in the writings of the Anglo-Saxon theologian, Doctor and saint, Bede the Venerable (c. 673-735).  Bede understood the Eucharist as the fulfilment of Old Testament figures such as the manna and Passover lamb.  In his commentaries on the Temple, the Tabernacle and the Passover, for example, he saw the Eucharist as the completion of God's saving plan rather than as an isolated ritual. The history of Israel culminates in Christ, and Christ continues to nourish his Church sacramentally.