Homily on Open Communion

[Fish and Bread]

I liked this homily favoring open communion and found it very uplifting.

I thought I'd re-post it here as spiritual food for thought.

The person delivering it has made it public domain, so I am able to post it in full (in quotes) without violating copyright or any forum rules.

Here is the link to where I found it in case anyone wants to read it there instead, though: Bridget Mary's Blog: Homily for Holy Spirit Catholic Community, Third Sunday of Easter, Beverly Bingle RWCP

I would ask that people discuss their thoughts on the homily itself and the subject it tackles, not the canonical or sacramental status of the person giving the homily (Feel free to start a separate thread about RCWP if you want, though- We can discuss it, it's just a separate discussion ).

There they go, Mr. and Mrs. Cleopas.
Going in the wrong direction.
Away from Jerusalem… disappointed, confused, afraid.
Then they meet up with a stranger.
They walk along together, talking about the scriptures.
They share a meal.
And they come to know Jesus in the breaking of the bread.
__________________________________________
Scholars say that this story of the travelers on the road to Emmaus
shows Luke’s storytelling ability at its best.
It started as a simple story that grew through the years
until Luke made it into a narrative
and enhanced it with scriptural echoes
of the long Jewish tradition of hospitality
where people encounter the divine
in sharing a meal with a stranger.
In its present form,
the story reflects the pattern of early Christian worship—
hearing the Scriptures proclaimed and sharing the meal.
And that’s still the pattern of our worship today.
That pattern has not changed.
__________________________________________
The gospels tell us story after story of Jesus breaking bread—
on the plain, on the mountainside,
at the homes of friends, at the homes of sinners.
No one is turned away, not even Judas at the Last Supper.
Everybody is welcome.
Everybody is included.
That’s what we’re supposed to do at every Mass.
But that pattern has changed.
__________________________________________
We have to wonder how our institutional church
got to the point of making all those rules
to exclude people from the table.
Sure, there have been some times throughout history
when it made sense to be careful,
those times when Christianity was being persecuted
and you could be jailed or killed for celebrating Mass.
But here in the United States, now, with us today?
Instead of walking along the way with people,
instead of inviting them to stop a while with us,
instead of sharing a meal and breaking bread with them,
we still have rules on the books
that say they’re not welcome at the table.
__________________________________________
Some of them are rules about church practices.
Skip Mass last Sunday?
Not welcome.
Didn’t go to communion during the Easter season?
Well, you can’t go now.
Haven’t been to confession in a year?
Sorry.
Take communion in a non-Catholic church?
Then you’re not allowed at the Catholic table.
And then there are the pelvic issues.
Divorced and remarried without an annulment?
Practicing contraception?
Think that homosexuality is not an “intrinsic disorder?”
That abortion is okay to save the life of the mother?
Any one of those, according to the rules,
bars you from communion.
And there are bunches of other rules.
__________________________________________
Thank God for Pope Francis,
who calls us to walk with people where they really are,
not where we think they should be.
Francis looks at these two travelers heading off to Emmaus
and says that
“We need a Church unafraid of going forth into their night.
We need a church capable of meeting them on their way.
We need a Church capable of entering into their conversation.
We need a Church able to dialogue with those disciples who,
having left Jerusalem behind,
are wandering aimlessly, alone, with their own disappointment,
disillusioned by a Christianity
now considered barren, fruitless soil,
incapable of generating meaning.”
The Pope encourages us live our faith in the real world.
He tells us to reach out in service without judging people.
Just like Jesus did, Pope Francis wants us to welcome everyone.
He reminds us that we are one human people the world over,
living in a common home.
__________________________________________
The rules that keep people away from communion
don’t make sense any more,
so we don’t follow them here at Holy Spirit.
We live, as Fr. Ed Hays puts it,
“in unrelenting communion,
even if we are unaware of it,
with God and the Spirit of God.
Life is constant holy communion
because the world was created to be cosmic communion
between God and every creature and entity in the world.
This communion flows from life
as a seamless unity
of every person, creature, plant, animal, and star.”
__________________________________________
The rule that Jesus shows us
is bigger than any church rule.
He did not throw anybody off the mountain.
He did not bar anyone from eating at the table with him.
We who walk the way with him,
we who have been created
in constant, unrelenting communion
with God and with all being
are always welcome at the table…
and so is everyone else.
Thanks be to God!

Public Domain
--
Holy Spirit Catholic Community
Saturdays at 4:30 p.m./Sundays at 5:30 p.m.
at 3925 West Central Avenue
Toledo, OH 43606
(Washington Church)

www.holyspirittoledo.org

Rev. Dr. Bev Bingle, Pastor
Mailing address: 3156 Doyle Street, Toledo, OH 43608-2006

 

[archer75]

I'm of a couple minds about this.

None of this post is intended as anything but musings.

I always make sure to follow the "rules" of any church I visit.

I understand that those who practice closed communion have good reasons for doing so.

That said...I've seen communion handed out in a closed communion church like the wafers were coupon booklets. And I've seen totally open communion taken with real reverence.

 

[Rajni]

I agree it should be open.

If the Eucharist is what the Catholic Church says it is, then one should be able to receive it without having to do confession first. It will do what the confessional is said to do, and it will do it a million times better. But only if it's truly more than just a symbol.

 

[Fantine]

I think that 99% of the American Church operates on the rule of "don't ask, don't tell."

Unless their cover is blown, no one worries about these things. Of course if you're civilly divorced and non-sacramentally remarried and live in a small community, your cover is blown.

Most families today seem to have two or fewer children (Hispanic families are slightly larger). Chances are the vast majority of them are practicing birth control or have become sterilized. But if they're not worried about it, should the rest of us be?

Two men live together. Two women live together. Should we worry if they're a couple? They could just be roommates sharing expenses. How do we know?

I tend to agree with the homilist in this case. I feel that sacraments are an opportunity for extravagant, abundant grace--and withholding them from the people who need them most is akin to walking by starving beggars while savoring an ice cream cone.

I also, liberal that I am, am more concerned about people who are deliberately cruel, or self-centered, or avaricious...than about people whose sin is loving one another. Go figure...

 

[Fantine]

--

 

[tadoflamb]

I didn't care for that homily. For one, the author kept referring to 'taking' communion. Holy Eucharist, being a gift, is not something we take, but something we receive. Aspirin is something we take.

I went to mass almost every day for seven months and wasn't allowed to receive. Instead of feeling left out, I found this to be a time of grace. Now that I am able to receive, when I give my assent (amen) to the Holy Eucharist, I'm saying I'm in communion with everything the Church teaches.

The other side of the coin is that I have zero interest in receiving communion in non-Catholic churches since I don't uphold the entirety of their faith. I'm not sure how much hot water that gets me in with the members of those assemblies. I would hope that they would understand.