One of the most moving moments of the Mass is the Communion of the faithful. From my perspective near the altar, I see pew by pew of people approaching the Communion rail, kneeling, crossing themselves, and stretching out their hands. It’s significant that we don’t grab the host or the chalice. We open our hands, and then we bring our hands directly to our mouths, consuming the host. Likewise, we guide the chalice (being offered by the minister) to our lips. These liturgical movements are a theological expression of the Christian life. We approach the altar of God, offering “our selves, our souls and bodies,” to use the prayer book’s language, and then we receive the gifts of God, the Body and Blood of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Eucharistic action is countercultural, for we live in a consumerist age. We buy whatever we want, assuming we have the means to purchase it. Those who don’t have the means go without. We control gifts as we please, and we attach strings to our money. We deny love and mercy to those we dislike. We refuse gifts, perhaps, from those we want to hurt. But the Eucharist cuts right through all this as an expression of the infinite generosity of God. God doesn’t withhold gifts from us. What God has to offer is always on offer. We, of course, can refuse to receive those gifts but at the peril of our souls. We can’t control God’s gifts, nor should the Church use them as a form of spiritual manipulation (although this is sometimes done). The Eucharist is the purest form of the offering and reception of a gift.
And for this reason, we need the Eucharist to live most fully. It is “food for the journey” (viaticum) in our lives of discipleship. It’s the sustenance for our lives in Christ and the means by which we are healed, particularly from selfishness and ingratitude. For this reason, and for so many more, we go to church. We go to church not to earn an eternal reward, for that would simply be to perpetuate a culture of transaction. We go to church first and foremost to praise and adore God. True worship is the most selfless of actions. In adoration, we hope for nothing in return; we simply offer our worship. But when we do so freely, we find that we are changed. We find that we have, in fact, received something priceless in return. It’s not why we go to church; it’s simply a fruit of that action.
When we go to church, we are also reminded that we need one another. Going to church isn’t a vague humanist enterprise (we can engage in good works without the Church). But in going to church, we find that we are incomplete without others, indeed our own salvation is incomplete without others. The Mass embodies Paul’s theology of the Body of Christ. In the ritual of the Mass, each of us contributes something through our presence. In the Anglican tradition, there can be no Mass without the faithful. We need each other, and above all, we need God.
As we look towards the summer months, when many of us travel and when there might be a temptation to take a vacation from church, I suggest that we hold the opposite view. When you travel, find the nearest Episcopal church and go to Mass. And if you’re in town, come to Mass! This summer, I’ll be leading a book study before the 10:30 a.m. Sung Mass, beginning at 9:30 a.m. We will be reading Timothy Radcliffe’s book Why Go to Church?: The Drama of the Eucharist. This book was the Archbishop of Canterbury’s 2009 Lent book, and it’s a wonderful explanation of the Eucharistic action. It can help us explore the meaning behind something that can become just another mindless ritual. I hope you will consider joining me this summer for this book study, even if you will be away for some Sundays due to travel; come when you can. Our first meeting will be on Sunday, June 16, so you have plenty of time to order the book from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or the book seller of your choice. If purchasing the book is a hardship, please contact me privately, and the church will buy you a copy. Stay tuned for a more detailed schedule and reading assignments.
And above all, I hope to see you in church this Sunday! Before then, consider attending the retreat house benefit concert this evening (Friday) at 7 p.m., performed by Ruth Cunningham. You won’t be disappointed. As usual, this Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Easter, we will end Mass with a procession to the gardens and bless them in honor of the traditional Rogation days this week, when we give thanks for the fruitfulness of God’s creation and ask his blessing on creation and the fruits of our own labor. Our guest preacher at Sung Mass will be Bishop Geralyn Wolf, former Bishop of Rhode Island, and now Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Long Island. Until Sunday. . .
Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle