The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 1 Corinthians 10:16–17 (RSV)
It is a great sadness that we use the gift of the Supper to create divisions among ourselves. Jesus gave His Body and Blood as the means by which we might know our sins are forgiven. We too often use it as a measure of the purity of the other's faith.
However, St. Paul is quite correct that our eating and drinking at our Lord's Table and by His command are made one with Him. We fail when we try to understand what our Lord is doing in the Supper. We wish to take it to pieces, analyze each piece, and observe what we think the Supper is.
Western Christians would write a scientific paper on the Supper as one might do after dissecting a frog. The outcome of such efforts produces a dead frog and confusion as to what the Supper truly might be. Our Orthodoxy Brothers and Sister have a far more healthy understanding. The Supper is a mystery that comes from God. It is not be taken apart in a vain attempt to comprehend the Supper. The Supper is a mystery of God, which no explanation can suffice.
What is true about the Supper are these: The Supper is our Lord's at which you and I are invited guests. As a guest, it is not our place to tell the Host how He might prepare and serve the meal. Nor should we waste time in speculation by what means our Host had provided the meal.
Our minds might stumble at His words, 'my body, my blood,' yet we know that Jesus speaks the Truth for He is the Truth of God. We eat the heavenly meal, feasting on our Lord's Body and Blood, not because we know it can be, instead because Jesus proclaims it to be.
The Supper is our forgiveness, life, and salvation. As we partake of it, we are united in the Body of Christ. Jesus is clear that this is why we are intended to gather around His Body. The pandemic has taken much, but it has given each of us a small gift. It has taken our buildings, our organizations, but it cannot take our Lord from us. Though all the trappings of Christianity are denied us, it cannot remove us from the Lord and His promises.