The Sacrament Prayers

These prayers were given by revelation; and therefore, are doctrinally perfect. There are many items in the prayers that are seen only after diligent study and fervent prayer. The more that you study the blessings on the bread and water, the greater the understanding that you will come to know. You will see things that you have not seen and/or known before, because you have been enlightened by the Holy Ghost and the eyes of your understanding will be opened. All the ordinances of the Gospel are better understood as we learn them, study them, and pray about them. Then the Holy Ghost will teach us. The ordinances are simple but their meanings are very deep. This is especially true of the ordinances of the temple.

The Blessing on the Bread

This prayer begins by calling on our Heavenly Father. “O God, the Eternal Father.” All prayers begin by calling upon the Supreme Being. Our prayers are addressed to the Father and not to anyone else. By calling upon God, we are acknowledging that God is the Father of our Spirits; that He is eternal; that He is the Supreme Being; and that we are being obedient to His command for us to pray unto Him and Him alone. We are also acknowledging that all blessings flow from Him.

The prayer continues, “we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ.” All prayers are addressed to our Heavenly Father, but they normally end in the name of Jesus Christ. In the blessing on the bread, as in a few other ordinances, Heavenly Father is addressed and then we ask in the name of Jesus Christ for a specific blessing. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, because He is the mediator between Heavenly Father and us. Also, it is stated that these blessings be given in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father is witnessing that Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son in the flesh.

The prayer continues, “to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it.” The bread is blessed and sanctified to the souls who partake. Our soul, our body and spirit, is made more pure through the righteous partaking of the Sacrament. This taking of the bread is part of the sanctifying or cleansing process of the Holy Ghost. It is truly important to feel the Spirit during the Sacrament. The extent to which we feel the Spirit during the Sacrament may be indicative of the level of purification that is going on within us.

Continuing, “that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son,” relates to what we are to remember as we partake of the bread. We are to remember the body of Jesus Christ. His body represents many things including the resurrection from the dead, the free gift given to all regardless of the conduct of their lives. When Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, physical death was introduced into the world. “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (from physical death).” Christ overcame physical death for all. All will be resurrected. The Sacrament bread also represents the Savior, that he is the “bread of life.” What is the bread of life? “The bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world” (John 6:33). In other words, the Savior’s atonement gives physical and spiritual life to the world. To obtain this physical or spiritual life, or eternal life, we must truly follow the Savior, keep his commandments, and keep our covenants. Then through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can come to know the Savior and then be worthy to live eternally with Him.

As I ponder on the last two paragraphs, the use of the term “eat” is interesting. Why do we “eat” the bread? It signifies that while we physically ate and digest the bread, it is also a symbol of spiritually internalizing the bread, which is a symbol for the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is also part of the justification (or forgiveness of sins) and sanctification (or purification from the effects of sin) processes. While we eat the bread during the Sacrament, the preparation for the partaking of the Sacrament and the cleansing processes must be on going on a day-to-day basis. We need to be cognizant of the need to change, daily improve and repent of our sins and transgressions.

Looking at the next word, “and,” it is very important. The word “and,” used as a conjunction, to me means that there are multiple parts and all are importance. The sanctifying of the bread, the sanctifying of those who worthily partake of the Sacrament, the partaking in remembrance of the Son, and the parts that follow are all extremely important and have an important effect on all. We have to ponder, pray, and understand what the Sacrament is and what it means. There is a multitude of simple and complex things here.

Looking at the next word, “witness,” it also is very significant. Webster defines “witness” as: “to see, hear, or know by personal presence and perception; to be present at (an occurrence) as a formal witness, spectator, bystander, etc; to bear witness to; testify to; give or afford evidence of. It is an active word and is not passive. It implies significant action on our part.

Looking at “unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father,” we first are reminded that prayer language is what is appropriate, when we pray. Out of respect, we use the words, thee, thine, and thou. Such language is also appropriate when Priesthood blessings are given. It is also important that we remember that we witness unto God, the Eternal Father, our Heavenly Father. He is the Father of our Spirits; He is the one to whom we pray; and it was His plan that the Savior, His only Begotten Son fulfilled; and the creation was planned and directed by the Father. The Son was the one who carried out the directions of the Father. As Joseph Smith taught: God the first, our Heavenly Father, is the Creator; God the second, Jesus Christ, is the redeemer; and God the third, the Holy Ghost, is the testator or revelator. “O God, the Eternal Father,” is also addressed as He to whom we witness. Often we think about witnessing of Jesus Christ; but by keeping our covenants and through the righteous conduct of our lives, we are witnessing to our Heavenly Father that we love and honor Him. We need to remember this more.

“That they are willing,” continues the prayer. Willing connotes so many different things. The dictionary defines willing: “disposed or consenting; inclined; cheerfully consenting or ready; done, given, borne, [and] used.” Cheerfully consenting or ready captures the feeling. We have to be willing with all our heart. There is no other option.

“To take upon them the name of thy Son” is the first covenant of baptism. To do this we must honestly and truly be Christians, in the inner most chambers of our heart, in thought, and in action or deed. First, our hearts control what we think and what we do. That is why we are commanded to be pure in heart. “The pure in heart will see God.” It all starts with the heart. Having a mighty change of heart is key to this process, and it requires the Holy Ghost to cleanse, purify, and sanctify us. We need to focus on the heart and remember to ask for the Holy Ghost to cleanse and purify us on a daily basis. Only through the effective application of the atonement of Jesus Christ and the cleansing power of the Holy Ghost will this become a reality. Second, being Christian in thought is also a tremendous challenge. We cannot give heed to the influences of the Adversary, of Babylon, of pride or of selfishness. We must be true in thought, mentally faithful to our Heavenly Father, as well as our spouses, our children, our church leaders, our professional leaders, our friends, our neighbors, our enemies, and those that we do not know. In a word, we must be mentally faithful, clean and pure, and without guile, to all. Third, we must be true Christians in deed or action. Obviously the heart and thoughts drive actions, but we need to be very conscious that if our thoughts are not aligned with appropriate behavior that we have to intercede and stop the unrighteous thoughts that will lead to unrighteous behavior. We need to sing a hymn, recite a scripture, “give no heed,” or change our thought trend process any way that we can. We also need to immediately depart from temptation and from that which is not correct or right and seek the direction of the Holy Ghost.

“And always remember him” is the second covenant. It is a very challenging commitment to keep. If we truly remembered Jesus in everything that we did, we would be perfect and be like Him. This covenant is a reminder that we are to be “perfect [or complete] as our Father who in Heaven is perfect. This is our goal and after we have been cleansed of our sins, it can become a reality.

“Keep his commandments which he has given them,” is the third covenant. It focuses on the bottom line. We need to be obedient. Obedience is the first law of Heaven. Only through obedience, we receive the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. D&C 121:20-21 says it best: “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.”

It is interesting that the three covenants of baptism apply to first, our heart, second, our thoughts, and third, our actions. It is progressive. We need to focus on each one individually. The “mighty change of heart” heals our heart; the way to perfection is repentance that cleanses our thoughts and actions; and a godly walk qualifies us for exaltation.

As we keep our baptismal covenants, the Lord then gives a magnificent promise—“that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.” There are few gifts that compare in value to the Holy Ghost or His Spirit. As we become more worthy and obedient, His Spirit will be with us more and more; and we need to constantly listen carefully and hearken or obey to His Spirit’s direction immediately. If we do not hearken to His Spirit’s direction, His Spirit, the Holy Ghost, will leave us. When we sincerely repent, the Spirit comes back. The more that the Holy Ghost is with us, the more we will feel His sanctifying and cleansing powers.

The blessing on the bread ends with a simple “amen.” Amen is a short but powerful word. The dictionary defines amen as follows: it is so; so be it (used after a prayer, creed, or other formal statement to express solemn ratification or agreement); verily; truly; or an expression of concurrence or assent. Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated: “And we say Amen when others pray, thus making their utterances ours, their prayers our prayers.”

The Blessing on the Water

As in all prayers, we address our Heavenly Father first and normally end in the name of Jesus Christ. In the Sacrament prayers in the name of Jesus Christ comes up front. Again the water is being blessed and sanctified to the souls of all those who partake of it. We should not underestimate the sanctifying power of the water. It truly purifies and blesses those, who worthily partake of it, as the blood of Jesus Christ purifies and sanctifies us.

In the original prayers, the word “wine” is used. Per the Doctrine and Covenants 27:2: “For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins.” What a powerful scripture! We must partake of the sacrament “with an eye single to my glory.” We must truly focus on the significance of the Sacrament and the power of the Sacrament. The Lord continues: “remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins.” The word “remember” is there again. We need to remember that His body was laid down for us and that our body will rise in the resurrection and that His blood was shed for the remission of our sins upon the principle of true and sincere repentance.

“That they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them,” is a clear statement and reminder that the Savior of the World, the one perfect being, willfully shed his blood for us so that the plan of the Father could be fulfilled and that we could have a forgiveness of our sins, if we sincerely repent. Speaking of His experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said in D&C 19:15-20 “15 Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your bsufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. 16 For behold, I, God, have asuffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; 17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; 18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink— 19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. 20 Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit.” Verse 17 we are told that if we do not repent that we must suffer as the Savior did, “which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit.” How grateful and thankful we need to be to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. How obedient and repentant should we be! We need to remember these thoughts as we partake of the Sacrament.

“That they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father,” is the exact same wording in the blessing on the bread. Continuing, “that they do always remember him” is slightly differently worded than the blessing on the bread, “always remember him.” The addition of “that they do” is important because of the words “that they do” clearly state action, doing. If we always remember the Savior, everything that is in our heart, in our thoughts and in our actions, is the same as in the Savior’s heart, in the Savior’s thoughts, and in the Savior’s actions. It is not easy to always remember him, but as the Holy Ghost sanctifies us more, it becomes easier. By worthily partaking of the Sacrament, that sanctification process increases slowly. It is a line upon line, precept upon precept experience.

The final phrase, “that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.” is the same in both prayers with the exception that the word “always” is not there in the blessing on the water. The reason for its absence may be that there are three baptismal covenants mentioned in the blessing on the bread and only one of the baptismal covenants mentioned in the blessing on the water. We must keep all three baptismal covenants to always have His Spirit to be with us. Again, amen, is our consent to keep all our baptismal covenants at all times and in all places.

Institutes the Lord’s Supper

Matthew 26:26-29

At some point during the Passover meal, Jesus instituted the Sacrament. Matthew states: “Jesus took abread, band blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my cbody.” I am sure that the Apostles did not understand what was happening. But the Sacrament is one of the very important ordinances of the Gospel. It is the way that we renew our Baptismal covenants each week. It is simple and symbolic.

In verses 27-28 he institutes the second part of the Sacrament, this simple but ever important ordinance of the Gospel. I am sure that the Apostles did not understand the atonement, the Sacrament, or the interrelationship, but I am sure that there was a marvelous Spirit there and after the Savior’s death, resurrection, and 40 days of instruction, it became much more meaningful. Here the Savior invites all to drink of the cup, which is the blood of the new testament which is shed for those who repent. His blood was shed for many and for the remission of our sins.

In verse 29, the Savior then announces to his disciples that he will not drink with them, or partake of the Sacrament with them, again until they do so in His Father’s kingdom. This was the first time that they partook of the Sacrament but there was also a wonderful promise that they will at a future date again partake of the Sacrament with Him in His Father’s Kingdom. What an amazing promise!

Mark 14:22-25 and Luke 22:17-20

The scriptures in Matthew, Mark, and Luke concerning the institution of the Sacrament are essentially the same. I wonder if one was the source for the other two.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

In 1 Corinthians, Paul again relates almost the exact words of Matthew, Mark and Luke about the Sacrament. The Savior gave thanks first. What a great example for us. We should always give thanks first. He brake the bread and offered it to the Twelve, saying “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.” We are to partake of the bread to remember the body of the Savior and to remember that all will be resurrected. Taking the cup, he said “This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” We are to remember that the Sacrament is part of the new testament, the new covenant, of the Gospel of the Savior. We are to do this in remembrance of His blood that He shed for us. Only through His blood and His atonement, can we receive a forgiveness of our sins, as we sincerely repent. In verse 26, the Savior reminds us that as we partake of the Sacrament, we shew, proclaim or announce, the Lord’s atonement, His death and resurrection. To honestly announce or proclaim the atonement, we truly need to apply His atonement daily in our lives.