Cosmic Eucharist 2

Emergence - the power of creativity, how the Universe transcends itself

The Eucharist invites us to transcend the limited horizons of the world of human concerns to journey into another reality. Is there a space in our understanding of Eucharist for the crucified planet, the annihilated species, the vanishing habitats, the polluted rivers? These are also the real limbs of the mangled body of the Cosmic Christ. Are our concepts of Eucharist large enough to encompass the whole of the Cosmos, the sacrament of the Cosmic Christ? How does this powerfully symbolic act of Jesus, release our own creativity to break out of old moulds, to look for wider horizons, to be open to the surprises of divine creativity being revealed to us through the discoveries of the New Story. The emergent Christian will not be satisfied with a pared down version of the Cosmic Christ that speaks only to the concerns of humans.

Homeostasis - the power of maintaining achievement, what the Universe values

Homeostasis and Eucharist

Bread symbolizes that which sustains life. Eucharist bread is about that which sustains all of life - particularly life that is threatened. We tend to limit the meaning of Eucharist to the spiritual welfare of humans. This "spiritualizing" of Eucharist robs it of is "earthy" significance. When we eat the bread of Eucharist, we are contracting in to the Jesus vision to enhance all of life, especially the lives of those who are weak and vulnerable and threatened. The Eucharistic Jesus is the sacrament of the Cosmic Christ. The Cosmic Christ has a saving message for all of creation. The whole of creation is groaning out in expectation of fulfillment.

Cataclysm - the power of destruction, living in Universe where things break down

Cataclysm and Eucharist

The Eucharist celebrates chaos and brokenness. The broken body of Jesus lies at the heart of the mystery of the Eucharist. It was the chaos of Good Friday that made possible the ressurection of Easter Sunday. The Eucharist enables us to enter into the chaos of life with hope, confidence and expectancy. Our brokenness is not an obstacle but an opportunity - the authentic pathway into a real Eucharidtic Rebirth. It is the chaos of our lives that we bring to Eucharist so that the power of the Resurrection may be manifest in us, and the broken parts of our world made whole.

In our world, we have witnessed the chaos of terrible wars and human atrocities, of social and natural disasters, of religious bigotry, of child-sexual abuse in our Church, of political corruption in our country, of the desecration of the planet itself. The Eucharist empowers us to venture forth into this world where chaos abounds with hope and confidence. The story of the Universe itself, and the story of the Universe reflected in the Story of the Jesus tells us that in this chaos there is something new and wonderful struggling to be born. The Eucharist assures us that we can be mid wives of a new and better future here on Earth for the Planet and for all the creatures that live on it.

Eucharistic Dream

The Eucharist symbolizes and celebrates the dream of Jesus for a better world. It is the pledge of fulfillment for those who commit themselves to follow the dream. It is a constant reminder that chaos brings with it the potential for new and undreamt of possibilities. At the heart of the Jesus story is a message of hope - the whole of creation is on a journey of fulfillment to an ultimated destiny which Teilhard called the Omega point - the point towards which the Cosmic Christ is drawing all of creation. Life here on Earth is a hope-filled, momentous evolutionary journey into Divine Mystery.

"Over every living thing which is to spring up, to grow, to flower, to ripen during this day say again the words: This is my Body. And overy every death-force which waits in readiness to corrode, to wither, to cut down, speak your commanding words which express the supreme mystery of faith: This is my Blood". Teilhard de Chardin.

Synergy - the power of working together, mutually enhancing relationships

Synergy and Eucharist

For the early Christians, the Eucharist, the sacramental presence among them of the Risen Lord, was the source of their unity and cohesion. What outraged Paul was the manner in which this central meaning of the Eucharist was being desecrated by petty divisions abd rivalries. It was the synergy among the early disciples that enabled the new Jesus movement to survive and prosper. The Eucharist is a celebration of the coming together of the gifts for the whole community for the good of all creation. It is difficult to see how the synergy of the faithful can be harnessed when only the gifts of some of the faithful are recognized.

Transmutation - the power to change the self, disciplines and constraints

Transmutation from Eucharist to Cosmic Eucharist

How do we approach Eucharist as a force for transmutation and change in our time, a time when the issues are not just human issues, but issues for the whole Earth community of life? A Cosmic Eucharist is the sacramental presence of the Cosmic Christ. The Risen Jesus is not the historical Jesus who was shaped by a world view that reflected the world of the Mediterranian Basin in the first century. A cosmic vision of Eucharist encourages us to articulate for to-day the meaning of the Jesus Story in the context of the world we live in - withering world - whose ecological difficulties have been caused by the inordinate power of humans to manipulate the web of life. A Cosmic Eucharist invites us to interpret "This is my Body" in a way that embraces of whole Universe in its vastness and complexity.

Transnutation in essence is about the nature and dynamic of change. Believing in the Eucharist as a manifestation of the Power of Transmutation invites us to become that power for change in our world. When the Power of the Transmutation is alive in us, we become part of the dynamic of the Universe to enhance the quality of life for all creatures. Looked at through the lens of the Jesus Story, we allow Jesus' passion for justice, equality, forgiveness, life enhancing relationships, concern for the weak and lowly to challenge and change us.

Thoughts of Cosmic Eucharist

"Since once again Lord, I have neither bread, nor wine, nor altar, I will raise myself beyond these symbols, up to the pure majesty of the real itself; I will make the whole Earth my altar and on it will offer you all the labours and suffering of the world." Teilhard De Chardin.