Editorial July 8, 1972 Issue

The Bread and the Wine

Alan A. Aylwin

On the night before his crucifixion Christ Jesus dined with his disciples. At the conclusion of the meal he broke bread and distributed the fragments among them, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." Then, passing them a cup of wine, he remarked, "Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood."^{ Matt. 26:26—28;}

What is the spiritual significance of this? Is Jesus' command to be taken literally? Does the actual partaking of material bread and wine in the Eucharist impart spiritual strength? To many it does seem a tangible point of contact with the divine, but Christian Science can unfold to any earnest seeker for Truth a higher and even more satisfying interpretation of Jesus' command.

This Science teaches that communion with Christ is a wholly spiritual experience. It is to understand, love, and live the Truth that Jesus came to prove. He said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."^{ John 4:24;} And the Bible implies that because Spirit is all-pervading He is with us at all times and under all circumstances. No symbols or ceremonies are necessary to communicate with Him, because, as Paul puts it, "in him we live, and move, and have our being."^{ Acts 17:28;}