I'm back from my short hiatus in Florida. Before we engage the Confession in its discussion of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper we should expend some effort in understanding what role it has played in church history.
Early church observance of this sacrament can be found in passages such as Acts 2:42-47. Clearly these Christians valued the gathering of the local body of Christ for prayer, preaching, and the fellowship of the table ("breaking of bread" being a common New Testament phrase indicating the Supper). The early church fathers devoted a far amount of written discussion to the significance of this sacrament.
It is impossible to deny the centrality of the Eucharistic Mass in Roman Catholicism. It constitutes the most important part of Roman Catholic worship and has been since the Middle Ages. Official teaching places it at the center of the church's life; it is the chief means by which spiritual (not temporal) punishment for sin is remitted.
Tomorrow: The Supper in the Reformation.
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