Avenues of Grace. Not that in themselves these actions, these accidents, contain anything of the substance of God. God has, though, given them to us, especially the Eucharist (perhaps ONLY the Eucharist), as manifested opportunities of receiving a greater realization of his transforming presence.

This transforming presence is already in us who are Christians. His life essence – His Holy Spirit – is merged with our own spirit. So, He is here already. We do not need some external activity, some accidental phenomenon, to bring Him to us or us to Him for that matter, in a proximity sense. This is Spiritual (metaphysical) stuff we're talking about here. This talk of "physical nearness" is a decent analogy at best.

Of course to say that God's presence could ever be non-transformative is a little interesting – lends itself to a bit of explanation at least. God is "really" present in us Christians all the time. And He is necessarily present as He is in Himself – a nature of Love as well as freedom which makes real love possible. So, Love (God) always seeks to transform us into our ultimate best selves – always works and moves to that end in whatever way is possible. "Possible..." Our cooperation, at least the leaning of our will toward His (a crack in the door) is necessary (as He has willed it to be necessary in the freedom of authentic love) in order for him to do the work of transformation in us.

Our spirits he has. Our inner-most life essence has been brought to life by connection with His own Spirit. We have been joined to Him. We have become one in our life with Him. We share the divine nature, but do not yet fully participate in it. The holistic sanctification/transformation of our triune selves is yet to be accomplished in totality. So, even if He does really live in us as He is in His eternal essential self, we are not yet able to understand that, to realize it. It is not totally real to us in our, as yet, unsanctified minds – our still to be transformed souls. Because of this He cannot communicate with us, especially on a certain level, in an open and unhindered way. We do not yet have this full integration of soul and spirit which is His ultimate will for us; so, He is unable to fully manifest Himself as He is to us, as we are yet unable to comprehend Him.

Sacraments are something that He has given us so that we have a point of focus, so that when our souls are concentrated in this act of reception, our faith opens in us an avenue for His Spirit to move out into the whole of the rest of who we are – into our minds, our wills, and our emotions, and do the work of transformation – transformation by saturation.

This is the mystery of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Not that he is compelled to inhabit and transform those accidental elements into the substance of who He is because of some particular prayer of consecration said by some particularly authorized person – and then we who are separate "come to" Him to receive Him into us over and over again. Does eternal God wane? Does He, once in, then work His way back out? No. That is not it.

The Real Presence is IN US! And in the Whole Body! This is what we must recognize. And so this thing in which we participate is not merely symbolic. It is real contact with the Life of God. It is, in us, a real participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is, on account of our participation in the sacrament, an opening up of our inner selves to his real presence in us and His presence in us communally. So the ever-present transformational Grace of God in us is made effective.

I am convinced, though, because of our progression in manifested union with Him, that we need this less and less as we go along. Because we are growing in substantive integration with His Life, He is more able to commune with us as He is in a constant way. We will no longer need these outward catalytic events to act as opening points for transformation.

Perhaps, though, when we reach these stages, we will desire to participate in them more because of our greater desire to be even more fully integrated with the Self of God. He has, after all, provided this for us as a continual opportunity until He comes again (or until we go to Him), for there is likely always something more to attain – a fuller union to be had. Not sure about that...

Perhaps the only true sacraments are Communion/Eucharist and Anointing of the Sick – Because they are really the only two given that are continual in their being avenues of receiving grace.

– by Alan D. Creech