152 Weekly entry: Spiritual Exercises
of St. Ignatius: The Last Supper?
One family
William Barclay tells the story of an old
African chief of the Ngoni tribe. One
Sunday morning he sat at the Eucharist,
watching members of the Ngoni, Senga,
and Tumbuka tribes worshiping side by
side.
Suddenly his mind flashed back to his
boyhood, and he recalled watching Ngoni
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warriors, after a day's fighting, washing
Senga and Tumbuka blood from their
spears and bodies.
That morning at the Eucharist, the old
chief understood as never before what
Christianity is all about. It is God, calling
all people in and through Christ to put
away all hostility and live as one family.
This is the message the Christian
community proclaims to the world each
time it gathers to celebrate the Eucharist.
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How important is my presence at the
Eucharist on the Lord's Day?
The Christian community is Christ's body.
If it is silent, Christ is silent.
If I am silent, a part of Christ is silent.
If a part of Christ is silent,
a part of Christ's message goes unheard.
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