Participation

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
1 Corinthians 10:14-22
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Participation
The Lord's suffering and death is not some locked away event in the past. This is the joy and comfort of our Christian faith. Your Lord brings the very event and its blessings to you. When we bless the cup of communion, when we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we are participating in the blood of Jesus. We are given the spoils of the event. We are proclaiming the Lord's death until he comes. This is the Lord that makes you one with him. You have been grafted into the very life changing event that freed you from your sins and rescued you from death. Like Saint Paul says, "Don't you know that those of us that have been Baptized into Christ Jesus have been Baptized into his death?" We participate in this cross every time we celebrate the Sacrament of the Altar. God transports the gifts to you. He makes you one with him and transforms you by the blood of his Son.