There are so many communions at the sacrament of the altar! I struggled to communicate (sorry for the pun) all of these to my catechumens in adult confirmation class on Tuesday night. There is the communion of the body of Christ with the bread, the communion of the wine with the blood of Christ, the communion of the believer with Christ through the reception of His body and blood, the communion of the communicants with one another in the holy body of the church (the reception of the body unites the body). There is a fullness here that is not easily distilled down to one idea or burned off until there is a single essence. There is a multiplicity of fellowships here around the things that are a fellowship and create fellowship.

Should we be surprised that so many related things happen at the altar of fellowship? Why shouldn't there be an abundance of bringing into unity through the things that create unity and that themselves participate in a unity of body and blood? We are united with Christ, the Head of the church, by the reception of His body and blood, why shouldn't we be intimately connected with the body redeemed by His precious blood? No more intimate communion between persons is there than the unity that the communicants have around the altar. That intimate communion requires that all hearts are united in confession of the faith of the altar (Acts 2:42) and loving forgiveness toward each other (Mt 5:23).

The children of God come to the altar to receive the inheritance that has been bequeathed to them in the last will and testament of the eternal Son of God. No more enriching experience can be had than to receive with the mouth the most precious gifts of Christ's body and blood. Christ Himself has invited us children so generously: "At that time Jesus declared, 'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light'" (Mt 11:25-30). We are His children by an adoption of grace and as such He has asked us to come to Him and find rest for our souls. That is what is happening in the great communion. Here we are united with Him, His body and blood, and one another. That's a lot of communion.