What is the Difference Between Communion and the Sacrament?

A few things. I want to start with what is similar, though. Just before Christ went to the Garden of Gethsemane to suffer for all of our sins and afflictions, He and His disciples had the Passover feast, which is often called the Last Supper. Here Christ introduced an ordinance to supersede the need of the Passover, which is sometimes called the Lord's Supper. Christ broke and blessed bread, then commanded His disciples to eat it in remembrance of his body that would soon be sacrificed for us all. Then He poured wine, blessed it, and commanded his disciples to drink it in remembrance of His blood that would be shed in great drops for us. This account is found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Today, Christians everywhere participate in this sacred ordinance on a regular basis to remember the sacrifice of our Savior and recommit to living righteously. Some call it the Sacrament, like the LDS Church. Others call it Communion, like the Catholic Church. It's called Communion because the participants seek fellowship with Christ.

Now, I am not an expert on any church other than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even then, I'm not what you would consider an expert on the LDS Church. The only Communion service I am even slightly familiar with is that of the Catholic Church. That's because my current companion, Sister Clendon, attended a Catholic High School in New Zealand for five years and I asked her a bunch of questions. This is what I gathered from her and other Catholics I've had the pleasure of meeting.

The emblems of communion are a wafer and wine. The priest blesses the wafer. It is placed on the participant's tongue. The wafer sits on the tongue and dissolves; it's not chewed. The wine seems to be optional, reserved for teachers, older youth, and clergy. They drink from the same cup and wipe the rim with a rag between each person. What really sets Catholics apart is their belief in Transubstantiation: that the wafer and wine become the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ.

At an LDS Sacrament meeting, the ordinance looks a little different. The emblems are blessed by Aaronic Priesthood holders in the office of a Priest. They can be as young as 16. They bless the Sacrament with the same two prayers each time, one for bread, and one for the water. Then the Deacons, who can be as young as 12, pass the sacrament to each person in the congregation. We use water instead of wine for two reasons given in a revelation to Joseph Smith. First, we were commanded not to drink wine, especially that purchased from the Church's enemies at the time. Second, it doesn't matter what we eat or drink so long as we remember why we're participating in this ordinance. So if someone in the congregation can't have gluten, crackers or gluten-free bread can be used. We believe that the emblems are representations of Christ's body and blood.

The Sacrament is the most important part of coming to church on Sunday. It is when we renew our covenants, especially our baptismal covenant, and helps us remain worthy of the Holy Ghost. It is a commandment to partake of the Sacrament and attend our church meetings. It is so simple, and yet such a powerful symbol in our lives, to always remember the sacrifice of our Savior.

I don't think I receive revelation. Did God stop talking to me?

The Short Answer: Nope.

The Long Answer: Jesus Christ repeatedly tells us in the scriptures, "Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you." It's one of the only scriptures that is found in all of the standard works: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants. The scripture that inspired Joseph Smith to ask Heavenly Father was James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." Clearly Heavenly Father wants to give us all knowledge. The trick is to know how to listen.

A tool of communication.
Please don't text in church.

In a communication cycle, there is a sender, a message, and a recipient who sends feedback on the message received. The burden of understanding, or the one whose job it is to be understood, is on the sender. In this case, Heavenly Father sends us perfectly clear messages through the Holy Ghost. Our job, as receivers, is to be in tune and listening.

To be in tune, we have to be worthy of the Holy Ghost, for the Lord cannot dwell in unholy temples. To do that, we have to make sure we've repented of all our sins -- daily, preferably -- and are living righteously. We don't have to be perfect; we need to be worthy. A sign of our full repentance is that we can feel the Spirit again. We must also fill our lives with uplifting things, like scripture study, daily prayer, attending church, and keeping the commandments.

Then we listen. The voice of God is still and small, but sharp enough to pierce our souls. If we aren't listening carefully, we won't hear what the Spirit is telling us. Sometimes we need to be in a quiet room, at church, in the closet, or at the temple; someplace free from distractions and noise. Fasting can give you increased spiritual sensitivity.

When we hear our answer or receive an impression, we give God feedback. To do that, we write it down and act on it. This is exactly what the scriptures are. Revelation that isn't written down is easily forgotten. If we don't remember the revelation we're given, how can we do what Heavenly Father asked us to? And how can we expect to get more? Our diligence in handling revelation is how we show God our gratitude for the knowledge he's given us. When we've shown God that He can trust us with revelation, he will trust us with more.

Scriptures: A product of revelation.
Please don't text in church.

Soon we will find that we are getting more revelation than we thought possible. Doctrine and Covenants 121:33 says, "How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints." Are you ready for all that? It's going to be amazing.

I'm going to take a break from Church...

This seemingly innocent statement belongs in the same category as:

"How will I know alcohol is bad if I don't try one beer?" 

"I'll just keep my eyes closed when bad parts of a movie come up. I'm mature enough for this."

"It's a family tradition to get a tattoo. Family is important."

"God doesn't need to hear me pray today. I'll pray tomorrow."

"Just this once, and then I'll repent."

"God will justify in committing a little sin."

This has been brought to you by The Gospel According to Satan.

Yes, it's true that God will forgive us if we truly repent, no matter how many times it takes for us to overcome our sin. Satan, however, takes this and manipulates it into, "So just give in one time and then repent. It only took Alma three days." There is danger in this mentality because when you surrender to temptation once, it's easier to surrender again, and again. Soon your'e back into old, sinful habits that you thought you had overcome, or into something completely new and wicked that you never thought you would be in.

Repeatedly in the scriptures, we are exhorted to be obedient, watchful, and diligent. Nephi taught, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father; Ye shall have eternal life." 2 Nephi 31:20 

King Benjamin said, "But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not." Mosiah 4:30

These prophets, and others, know that it is easier on us to keep the commandments 100% of the time rather than 98% of the time. They want us to avoid the painful effects of sin at all costs. Obedience makes us happier in the long run. There is no temptation that is truly impossible to resist. So when you're faced with that temptation to miss church just once, remember that God's commandments are designed to make us happy for eternity.

Repent every day? I'm not THAT bad: A Guest Post by Sister Yates

What's all this talk about "Repent every day?"

Don't get offended by this common Mormon term.  It doesn't mean you're a sinner, sinful, awful person.  It simply means that we are all imperfect and need to change.

To clarify, repentance is:
 "...a change of mind, a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world. Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without this there can be no progress in the things of the soul’s salvation, for all accountable persons are stained by sin and must be cleansed in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Repentance is not optional for salvation; it is a commandment of God." (Repentance, Bible Dictionary)

As it says in the Bible Dictionary, repentance is a change of heart, opinion, life direction, etc.  It doesn't just mean you stop sinning.  Repentance is encouraged each day so we can continually be close to God, and the Holy Ghost so we can receive the guidance and direction needed to return to Heavenly Father.

Ask yourself: Am I someone the Holy Ghost can be around? Is there anything in my daily conduct that needs some improvement? With these questions in mind, don't be overly hard on yourself.  We all, no matter how long we've been Mormon, have room to improve on this.  We are not perfect, but the Lord has asked that we strive for perfection, and the only way we can even begin to achieve that is through repentance.

You may be wondering, "What do I need to repent of?" The world we live in is full of unclean things. We are told in Alma 11:37, "no unclean thing can live in the presence of God."  Therefore, we need to be mindful of things such as:
-Worldly Entertainment: "Would Christ feel comfortable with this music/TV show/ movie, etc.?"
-Vulgar Language: "Would I say that if Christ were in the room?"
-Gossip: "Would the Lord ever say that about any of His children?"
-Anger: "Would this situation be something God becomes angry about?"

These are just a few examples of everyday struggles and unclean things that we, as imperfect humans, need to over come.