In today's gospel reading [John 6: 56-69] Jesus delivers a sermon about his real presence in the Eucharist. His language is unmistakably clear, "My flesh is real food, my blood is real drink." And he repeats the assertion many times. The result is that many of his followers bail out, because they won't believe it. That has always been something of a mystery to me. If the Spirit of God infuses all of creation, why is it so hard for some today to believe that the same Spirit infuses and transforms bread and wine at Mass? That protestants can blow off this clear biblical teaching is more of a mystery to me than the mystery of real presence itself.
I read recently of the experience of a theologian who served as a tour guide in the Middle East, enjoying the privilege of bringing visitors to sites where Jesus lived, taught, aggravated so many Establishment types, was crucified, buried, and resurrected. One time, at a stop in Cana -- the town noted for the water-to-wine story -- tourists were sampling locally-made wine when one lady asked him whether that wine was from the time of Jesus. The theologian replied, yes, because now is the time of Jesus. He is risen, he is alive and in charge of the Christian enterprise. What a poignant and meaningful observation. For many protestants communion, when it happens, seems to be about the consumption of bread and grape juice while thinking about the events of two thousand years ago. In our tradition, Communion is about the real presence of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine, received at every Mass, every Sunday and holy day. It is spiritual food for our life journey.
But we need to recognize that the eucharistic sacrament is also sacramentum unitatis, as we have always held, the sacrament of unity. We live in a society which is continuously more polarized, in political and social matters, divided along lines of race, gender, sexual orientation, and other human- made barriers to relationship. Jesus warns us that unless we find unity among ourselves, we will not find unity with God. Judgmentalism and exclusionary policies in many Christian traditions make a bad situation worse. That model is avoided assiduously by Episcopalians, as our part of being faithful to Jesus who taught us about God's equal and unconditional love for all.
In the late 1940's, a young Afro-American woman in Ohio, who had been raised Baptist, visited an Episcopal parish, loved it, took instructions, and became an Episcopalian. Soon she began to date a young man, whose background was also that of a Black Baptist. She invited him to Mass at her church. He told her that he knew that most of the members of her church were white and, in that segregated society, he was frankly afraid to participate in race-mixing. She assured him that there was nothing to fear, and he gave in and attended with her. He enjoyed the liturgy, but when it was time for Communion and she took him to the rail, he said that he was terrified. The priest came through with the hosts and administered those, "The Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life." The couple received the consecrated bread together. Then the chalice was brought, and the young man was astonished that all partook of the same cup. "The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for thee preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life." All those who came forward for Communion knelt together as equals, as brothers and sisters whose relationship transcends human categories. The young couple received the consecrated wine together. The boyfriend said that his amazement was based on knowing that he could not drink water from the same public fountain as whites or eat in the same restaurant, yet here in the Episcopal Church all were equal in Christ! He was so impressed that he soon took instruction and was confirmed in the Church.
The couple went to on to have a successful marriage and life. In 1953, they had a son, Michael Curry, who is now the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church -- a great blessing in his national ministry. I am so delighted that we can preserve our Catholic Tradition in an open fashion. Here you don't have to "qualify" for Communion by allegiance to the Pope, or by affirming all Eastern Orthodox doctrines and being confessed. You just have to be a baptised child of God, that's all.
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