OK, this was something that Lane wanted me to get into, and it takes a bit of getting to, let me tell you! Lane wanted to know whether Catholic bishops ought to deny communion to politicians, and I'm going to try and take a run at that. But one thing I will try to do is, even though discussing politicians, avoid the political. I've never been much interested in the culture wars, as I think they are a sideshow distraction that reduces the dignity of both serious political issues and religion.
In order to understand my own feelings on this matter, it is necessary for me to explain what Catholics believe about communion. I hope you understand I'm not proselytizing as I write this. I'm sure my readers can tell I've been as ecumenical as possible in my blog, and very sensitive to the fact that there are readers from different Christian traditions here. But it is necessary for you to understand my faith for me to tell you what I think about the bishops/communion issue.
What is communion to us? First and foremost, the Eucharist (which is what we also call communion by, a Greek word meaning "thanksgiving") is absolutely central to Catholic life. It is the principal reason for the existence of the Catholic church, and all of our church life revolves around it. We are baptized and confirmed so that we are in a position to receive it. We go to church every Sunday so that we may receive it. We go to confession (we call it "reconciliation" now) so that we are in a state of grace that permits us to receive it. And often times, a deacon or other messenger of mercy delivers us the Eucharist on our death beds. It is so sacred our receiving it usually has to be prefaced by a 1900 year old liturgy tradition, where we pray for forgiveness, sing gloria, read the scriptures, sing a psalm, sing alleluia, proclaim the gospel, offer our prayers, and then recite a number of prayers of praise, thanksgiving, consecration, unity, and purification, as well as giving the kiss of peace.
Communion is as very central to our lives as it is for reasons that we can trace back to the Bible. Over and over again in John, Jesus says, "I am the bread that came down from Heaven," "I am the bread of life," "Unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the son of Man you have no life within you," "My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink." The others all recount the last supper in a way very similar to St. Paul, and which we repeat in our liturgy today with this portion of the Eucharistic prayer:
The night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread, broke it, gave it to his disciples and said, "Take this all of you and eat it. This is my body, which will be given up for you." When supper had ended, he took the cup, gave it to his disciples and said, "Take this all of you and drink from it. This is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me."
This celebration of the Eucharist is what we call the Mass. We do not call it a service, because for us, the Mass is distinguished from other religious celebrations, including our own other celebrations, by this sacred meal, which we consider the graces of the cross made present to the here and now via the Holy Spirit.
We take the troubling words of John's gospel as literally as it is possible to take them. We consider the Eucharist to really be the body and blood of Jesus, retaining the earthly shape of bread and wine as a mere accident. It is one of the beautiful mysteries of Catholic faith. Rather than having a God who remains remote to us, available to us fleetingly via stories from the Bible, or wonderful sermons – we can reach out and touch God, not just the hem of his garment, but the sacred host and cup, as often as every day of the week, and at least every Sunday.
What does the Eucharist mean to me? Many things, and it is hard to put them into words. It lets me be reminded "that I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the words and I shall be healed" - that salvation is God's power, it isn't anything I have control over. It gives me a spot in this universe to focus on the presence of God, consistently. A beautiful sunset comes only once, and one alike never comes again. But the Eucharist is the same unchanging God's "real presence", the table "set before me," cup overflowing. It is an emotional and generous experience, made possible by the cross, and revealed as surely to me as it was to those disciples in Emmaus, who, as soon as Jesus blessed and broke the bread, was immediately recognizable to them.
Most of what the Eucharist is to me I just can't tell you – there aren't words, and where there are some words, what has happened to me is too sacred to speak aloud.
Next post – bishops, what are they to us?
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