Bishop Lubaale guides clergy on former communicants
"The keyword is body and blood [of Jesus] which we take by faith using bread and wine," said Lubaale. "When one is a Christian, they ought to participate in the sacrament as a sign of acknowledgement that Jesus died for us."
Rt. Rev. Prof. Grace Lubaale, the bishop of Busoga diocese urged fellow clergy to examine their former communicants who desire to receive the Holy Communion as to whether they had really abandoned the previous mistakes that deterred them from communing. (Credit: Jackie Nambogga)
JINJA - Rt. Rev. Prof. Grace Lubaale, the bishop of Busoga diocese, has urged the clergy to critically examine former communicants who forewent their past mistakes to return to the altar.
A communicant is primarily a person who partakes in or is entitled to receive the Eucharist (Holy Communion) in a Christian church.
Lubaale said that, for instance, whereas the Bible stipulates one wife for one man, some men have as many as six women, which automatically disqualifies them from receiving the Holy Communion.
He also said some young women choose to conceive before marriage (Holy Matrimony) in contravention of the principles of Holy Communion.
The bishop made the comments during Holy Thursday prayers at Christ’s Cathedral Bugembe in Jinja city.
The prayers are conducted in tribute to Jesus’s rituals of his Last Supper before being betrayed by Judas Escariot, leading to his crucifixion.
On this day, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Holy Communion, or the Eucharist.
Lubaale said that in the Anglican Church, the two sacraments necessary for salvation are of Baptism and Holy Communion.
Anglicans receive Holy Communion hosted by the Rt. Rev. Prof. Grace Lubaale as he signified Jesus' Last Supper at the Cathedral on Holy Thursday. (Credit: Jackie Nambogga)
He urged fellow clergy to examine their former communicants who desire to receive the Holy Communion as to whether they had really abandoned the previous mistakes that deterred them from communing.
"The keyword is body and blood [of Jesus] which we take by faith using bread and wine," said Lubaale.
"When one is a Christian, they ought to participate in the sacrament as a sign of acknowledgement that Jesus died for us."
He said it is also a sign of accepting the leadership of Jesus Christ as "our Lord and Saviour".
Maundy Thursday, also referred to as Holy Thursday, is a Christian feast during Holy Week that marks the beginning of the Paschal Triduum, and commemorates the Washing of the Feet (Maundy) and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles.
The day is followed by Good Friday, a solemn Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.
As part of the Holy Week leading to Easter Sunday, Good Friday is a day of fasting, reflection, and prayer, focusing on sacrifice and the belief that Jesus died for humanity's sins.