Written by professors, graduates, and others in
the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary community, these reflections, prayers, and spiritual practices will take you along the journey with Jesus through the cross toward resurrection.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
• 1 Corinthians 11:23–26
I grew up as a Roman Catholic in Bogota, Colombia. I lived in two worlds. During the week I attended the Presbyterian high school. At home and on Sundays we were “cultural Catholics” who attended weekly Mass and received communion only if we had gone to confession beforehand. The Mass itself was more an aggregate of individuals each praying privately than a community of worshipers. The years passed and I immigrated to the United States where I “rediscovered” the Presbyterian Church and became part of a loving and worshiping community in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Eucharist took on a completely different meaning. We gathered around the Table to hear the Word of the Lord and to share the Sacrament. We were not a collection of individuals, but a community connected to one another and to sister churches throughout the denomination. “Connectional Church” took on flesh and blood meaning for me.
Paul understood the centrality of the Eucharist for Christians. At the Table of the Lord we remember the Word made flesh in both Scripture and Sacrament. Then as we share the bread, we are connected to one another in our journey as “Companions” or in Spanish “Compañeros,” that is, “those who eat bread together.”
Lord, as we accompany you on your Lenten journey, we thank you for the compañeros you have given us. Keep us connected to you and to one another as we follow in your footsteps of service. Amen.
– The Reverend Consuelo Donahue (MDiv’96)
Chaplain, Goodwill Industries, San Antonio, and Aust in Seminary Trustee
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.
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