Although Latter-day Saints
typically do not reference or discuss the term anamnesis in their vision
of what remembrance entails, resonates with the rich connotations of the term.
Remembrance is more than passive mental recollection of the events surrounding
Christ’s passion. Remembrance is action oriented, not passive reception. Somewhat
like Erasmus, President David McKay taught that remembrance involves one’s
promise to fully “enter into the fold of Christ, to cherish virtues mentioned
in the gospel of Christ, to keep them ever in mind, to love the Lord
whole-heartedly, and to labor, even at the sacrifice of self, for the
brotherhood of man—these and all kindreds virtues are associated with the
partaking of the Lord’s supper.” In short, it is to offer oneself as a living
sacrifice. Church leader Cheryl Esplin taught, “As we partake of the sacrament,
we witness to God that we will remember His Son always, not just during the
brief sacrament ordinance. This means that we will constantly look to the Savior’s
example and teachings to guide our thoughts, our choices, and our acts.” In
ways, the active anamnesis promoted in the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latte-d-ay Saints parallels the emphasis on anamnesis as dynamic
retrieval and participation common in twentieth-century liturgical reform movements.
As much as any Christian liturgists, Latter-day Saints in their own idiom talk
about “reliving,” “reenacting,” “making present” Christ’s atoning sacrifice to
regularly reinforce their own connection to Christ and his recommitment to covenants
made at baptism to honor and imitate Christ in daily life. A church manual
explains to Latter-day Saints: “When you were baptized, you entered into a covenant
with God. You promised to take upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ, keep His
commandments, and serve Him to the end (see Mosiah 18:8-10; D&C 20:37). You
renew this covenant each time you partake of the sacrament (see D&C 20:77,
79).
Mormons also make a point
about active anamnesis through their interpretation of the “Bread of
Life” sermon in John 6, which some Christians read as foreshadowing the Lord’s
Supper. It has been a point of debate in Christian theology whether such
statements as “whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life”
(John 6:%4) are best understood as a reference to the Eucharist or more broadly
as a metaphor for devoted discipleship in general. Memorialists like Zwingli
and the Latter-day Saints lean to the latter interpretation. Zwingli wrote, “His
body is eaten when it is believed that it was slain for us. It is faith,
therefore, not eating, about which Christ is speaking here.” Similarly, Bruce
McConkie explained, “To eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God is,
first, to accept him in the most literal and full sense, with no reservation
whatever, as the [Son] of the Eternal Father; and, secondly, it is to keep the
commandments of the Son by accepting his gospel . . . and enduring in obedience
and righteousness unto the end. Those who by this course at his flesh and drink
his blood shall have eternal life.” McConkie supports his metaphorical interpretation
with reference to 1 Corinthians 10:3-4, where Paul, speaking of Israel in Moses’s
day, says, “[They] did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the
same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them;
and that Rock was Christ.” Apostle Todd Christofferson develops this
explanation of eucharistic anamnesis by way of John 6:57—“he that eateth
me, even he shall live by me.” To sacramentally “eat” Christ’s flesh, explains
Christofferson, is to commit to “live by” his will. It is “a striking way of
expressing how completely we must bring the Savior into our life, into our very
being,” and should lead us “to consider how fully and completely we must incorporate
His character and the pattern of His sinless life into our life and being.” In
short, “to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ means to pursue
holiness.” Such declarations exemplify the Latter-day Saint attitude that
genuine eucharistic anamnesis entails the believer’s active imitation of
Christ as grateful anamnesis for Christ’s atoning sacrifice. (Grant Underwood,
Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies [Grand Rapids,
Mich.: Eerdmans, 2025], 410-12)
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