Holy Whisper

"This is the body of Christ, broken for you."
"This is the blood of Christ, shed for you."


In my short life, I have celebrated communion hundreds (maybe even thousands) of times. In all those times, I have never heard these words shouted. I have never heard them proclaimed with strong authority. I have never even heard them loud enough to create an echo, or be heard more than a few feet away. No, these are words that are always said in a holy whisper. Whether the server is a bishop or a teenager, it is always whispered:

"This is the body of Christ, broken for you."
"This is the blood of Christ, shed for you."

Maybe the whispers are signs of reverence and awe of what Christ has done and is doing. We know that the presence of God is passing from server's hands to congregant's hands, and therefore too important to announce casually.

Maybe the whispers are remnants of the early church, whose people whispered these words because saying it any louder could invite persecution, arrest, or even death. In the face of danger, they whispered to keep the holy mystery alive.

Maybe it is because the distribution of bread and cup is too intimate to shout. No matter how large the congregation, it is one person feeding another, as long as it takes, until all have eaten. This is the body of Christ, for you. This piece of bread, these few drops of wine, are not for your neighbor. They will receive their own. No, this morsel, this drop, is for you, picked out especially for you by the God who loves you, and I say these words so that you and you alone may hear.

Maybe it's something else entirely. Whatever it is, I am glad to give and receive this holy whisper. I am glad because it reminds me of the saints before me, the saints around me, and the saints to come. And it reminds me that sometimes, God speaks in a still, small voice, perhaps even a holy whisper.