Jumpstarter 10 of 10

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Question 10

Bercot insists “remembrance” (anamnesis) means more than mental recall—something like “reparticipating” in Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice—while denying any re-sacrificing of Jesus; how would treating communion as real participation (not mere memorial) alter your preparation, repentance, and expectancy at the table, and what fears surface in you when you hear communion described as “sacrifice of thanksgiving” and “altar”?

Another way to ask: Bercot says “remembrance” means more than thinking back—it means really sharing in Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice, without sacrificing him again. If communion is real participation and not just a memorial, how would that change how you prepare and what you expect, and what fears come up when you hear words like “altar” and “sacrifice of thanksgiving”?

Direct Answer

The transcript provided is truncated before Bercot finishes his explanation of “sacrifice,” “altar,” and what he means by “remembrance/anamnesis,” so we can’t quote his full argument on “reparticipation.” Still, based on what he does say, treating communion as real participation would call for greater reverence, repentance, and expectancy of spiritual benefit, while fears likely come from association with Roman Catholic “Mass” abuses and the idea of re-sacrificing Christ.

Support from Transcript:

He rejects the idea that the priest “was redoing the crucifixion…Jesus is being sacrificed again,” calling this a medieval Roman Catholic teaching tied to abuses.
He says early Christians saw communion as “spiritual food and drink,” meaning “a channel of grace…something supernatural,” not merely symbolism.
He urges reverence without idolatry: communion is “something very sacred…not something you take lightly,” while distinguishing reverence from “idolatrous.”
He connects communion to John 6 and eternal life: “Unless you eat…drink…you have no life in you,” and cites Ignatius calling it “medicine of immortality.”
He begins clarifying “Eucharist as a sacrifice” by saying sacrifice originally meant “to make holy,” not necessarily “something is being killed” (but the explanation cuts off).

Discussion Follow-ups

Which fear is stronger for you: drifting into superstition, or drifting into casualness? How would your self-examination change if you believed communion truly communicates grace and has consequences when received unworthily?

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