Meskel (The Feast of the Holy Cross) Part 4

This article is prepared by Mahibere Kidusan USA Center

2. We Have Found the Bread of Life

When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, sin entered the world and brought death upon us (Genesis 3:1-24). The man of God who had come from Judah died also as a result of eating what he was told not to eat (1 Kings 13:20-25). The manna that the forefathers of the Israelites ate in the desert did not save them from death either (John 6:49). There-fore, our Savior Jesus Christ gave us His flesh and blood as the bread of life and saved us from death. He confirmed this to us by saying, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:53- 54). The Holy Eucharist that is consecrated in our church everyday and we faithfully receive in the form of bread and wine is truly Jesus Christ’s holy body and precious blood (Matthews 26:26-29). That is why Saint Paul the apostle said, "therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unwor-thy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body." (1 Corinthians 11:27-30). 

Please proceed to Part 5