I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my Body that is for you.” St. Paul was always insistent that his authority as an apostle came straight from his encounter with Jesus on the road. How interesting that in this passage he claims he “received from the Lord” that which he had, in fact, received from the tradition. Since he was not at the Last Supper he heard about it from the apostles who were there. In our own faith we need both as well — our personal relationship with Jesus and the tradition of the Church.
