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All of us have ways of remembering departed loved ones, of remaining connected to them despite their absence. You might repeat stories about them; "remember the time she…" You might retain special keepsakes; pictures remind you what they looked like and spur memories of their character. Maybe rituals help you fight forgetfulness; for years my family visited the grave of my maternal grandfather on Memorial Day.
God has a similar plan for helping us stay close to Jesus though he has been physically absent from the church for 2,000 years. "Both the word and the sacraments … focus our faith on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross" (QA 67). The Bible—a story that is all about Jesus—was written so that we may have life by believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:30–31). And the sacraments are rituals that engage our senses in the act of remembrance.
But the sacrament of the Lord's Supper is a memorial like none other. In the meal we actually "eat the crucified body of Christ and … drink his poured-out blood." The meal is more than a memorial; it is an opportunity to truly commune with Christ; if we understand what this meal means and how we should eat it.