This is Not Our Table & A Boatload of Disclaimers

(Unless specifically indicated, these thoughts and words are Joanna’s. They do not necessarily reflect Pastor Matt’s opinions)

(Yes, I am separating the official positions of the Catholic Church from the myriad opinions of individuals who are Catholic. And no, no one has ever denied us Communion when we've visited a Catholic church, nor have they asked for ID or membership card. But I worry someone might do that, to David)

(I certainly do not agree with every single position the United Methodist church takes,  especially those concerning gays and lesbians and marital equality)

I have taken Communion in a number of different churches over the years, but this past Sunday (9/2) was one of the few times it really meant a lot to me.

I was sitting near the front of the church as usual, so I received the Eucharist early on in the service, and then watched everyone else go through the line. I suppose Communion is a somewhat-private matter, but I’m not checking off a list of participants in my head, or anything. One of the drawbacks of sitting at the front is that usually I don’t see too much of who all is in attendance, and the Communion line is a chance to see folks I otherwise wouldn’t.

So anyway, this Sunday, near the end of the line, a young man who had Down syndrome came through the line. Either his parents or grandparents were guiding him through the procedure. At our church, we take Communion by intinction, meaning you receive the bread from the pastor and then step sideways to the person with the chalice, and dip the bread in. This young man had evidently not caught this instruction at the beginning, and as soon as he got the bread he ate it, and thus had nothing to dip into the juice when he got to the next stop. When Pastor Randy had given him the bread, I could hear him (Randy) say, “Jesus loves you so much,” which is the phrase he uses with, um, children,  rather than getting into the “body and blood” stuff (Pastor Matt says something like, “This is Jesus’ gift for you”). When the young man received another piece of bread and dipped it in the juice, the Communion assistant said to him something to the effect of, “this is Jesus’ blood poured out for you.” The young man’s response was an enthusiastic (but reasonably modulated), “Thank You!”

It was just so simple, so nice. What else do you say when someone hands you something special, other than thank you? It did a good job of reminding me of the simplicity of the Eucharist.

Note: Pastor Matt missed this entire encounter, though he and Pastor Randy were standing side by side. I hope that is a reflection to the level of concentration and commitment he gives to Communion.

It also made me wonder,  would this young man (or David, of course) be able to take Communion in other churches, specifically a Catholic church? I could write for a whole day, perhaps, on my issues with the Catholic church’s approach/canon law/etc to Communion. I realize it’s their church, their rules, their party, and if you don’t want to follow the rules you can find another party. But …

Our previous senior minister,  Pastor David, had what I will describe as an eminent folksiness. When he was finished with the liturgy, he always said something to the effect of, “This is not our table, but the Lord’s table. All are invited – won’t you come?” This is a good summary of my feelings on the whole deal – this is not our table. This is a remembrance of the Last Supper and a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Communion is much like God’s grace – freely available to all; the only thing required is that we accept it.

I know the Catholic church approaches it differently – it’s in canon law that (this is not taken directly from a Catholic document, it is summary by an author who agreed with a priest’s recent decision to deny First Communion to a boy with cerebral palsy):

Can. 97.2 there is a presumption of age of the use the reason at about 7, unless circumstances demonstrate otherwise.

Can. 913.1, says that people must be able to grasp something of what the mystery of Christ means. They must be able to receive the Body of the Lord with faith and devotion.

Can. 913.2 the Eucharist may be administered to children in danger of death if they can distinguish it from ordinary food.

Can. 914 says that the parish priest must see to it that those who are not prepared and not sufficiently capable, should not come to Holy Communion.

In our current church, we serve Communion to whomever comes forward, including young children. Some people disagree with this, saying only older children who  understand the significance of the body and blood should receive, and I suppose the Catholic church also wants you to be able to understand and articulate the church’s position on (whatever). Matt agrees the ideal is that someone receiving Communion be able to distinguish the consecrated elements from a regular meal. But/and:

(1) The disciples who received the Last Supper were notorious for not really understanding what Jesus was trying to tell them, ever, and they especially/specifically did not really get too much about the death and resurrection deal. If they, as the participants in the original thing, didn’t get it, what do we have the right to expect from others? As Pastor Matt did say, it’s his belief that very little about faith depends on our ability to understand what is happening – and thank goodness, right? If God waited until we understood everything fully,  I’m not sure God would be too busy intervening in anything. This may be an odd comparison, but you could look at taking Communion like taking vitamins – they work, regardless of your understanding of how or when they work. Pastor Matt also said, he’s not sure there’s any basis to believe a person with the IQ of 160 understands Communion exactly 100 more points than a person with an IQ of 60.

(2) My understanding of the Eucharist has certainly evolved over time – my recollection of the small Methodist church where I grew up is that we had Communion about once per quarter, and at that age it felt really functional/ritualistic to me, as opposed to deeply meaningful and symbolic, but I only attended regularly until about age 14, so what is really meaningful to anyone at that age? Even though my understanding of Scripture and my overall religious understanding/education/relationship with God has deepened considerably, I will admit that Communion does not always mean a lot to me deeply and spiritually.  But on those occasions when it does mean a lot and I am totally in the moment, it means A LOT.

(3) There is a website run by the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (ncpd.org) with the motto Faith, Giftedness, Partnership. I read through quite a lot of it that Sunday evening; it covers both physical and developmental disabilities. I encourage you to check out the site and read it for yourself. It says, among other things:

Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities

These guidelines are presented to all who are involved in pastoral ministry with persons with disabilities. They reaffirm the determination expressed by the bishops of the United States on the tenth anniversary of the pastoral statement on persons with disabilities "to promote accessibility of mind and heart, so that all persons with disabilities may be welcomed at worship and at every level of service as full members of the Body of Christ."

It is essential that all forms of the liturgy be completely accessible to persons with disabilities, since these forms are the essence of the spiritual tie that binds the Christian community together. To exclude members of the parish from these celebrations of the life of the Church, even by passive omission, is to deny the reality of that community.

I. General Principles


1. By reason of their baptism, all Catholics are equal in dignity in the sight of God, and have the same divine calling.

6. The creation of a fully accessible parish reaches beyond mere physical accommodation to encompass the attitudes of all parishioners towards persons with disabilities. Pastoral ministers are encouraged to develop specific programs aimed at forming a community of believers known for its joyful inclusion of all of God's people around the table of the Lord.

11. Either personally or through others, the pastor is to see to it that the parents of an infant who is disabled, or those who take the place of the parents, are properly instructed as to the meaning of the sacrament of baptism and the obligations attached to it. If possible, either the pastor or a member of the parish community should visit with the family, offering them the strength and support of the community which rejoices at the gift of new life, and which promises to nurture the faith of its newest member. It is recommended that preparation programs for baptism gather several families together so that they may commonly be formed by pastoral direction and prayer, and so that they may be strengthened by mutual support (Canon 851, n. 2).

Section Specifically Regarding the Eucharist



19. The eucharist is the most august sacrament, in which Christ the Lord himself is contained, offered, and received, and by which the Church constantly lives and grows. It is the summit and the source of all Christian worship and life, signifying and effecting the unity of the people of God, providing spiritual nourishment for the recipient, and achieving the building up of the Body of Christ. The celebration of the eucharist is the center of the entire Christian life (Canon 897).

20. Parents, those who take the place of parents, and pastors are to see to it that children who have reached the use of reason are correctly prepared and are nourished by the eucharist as early as possible. Pastors are to be vigilant lest any children come to the Holy Banquet who have not reached the use of reason or whom they judge are not sufficiently disposed (Canon 914). It is important to note, however, that the criterion for reception of holy communion is the same for persons with developmental and mental disabilities as for all persons, namely, that the person be able to distinguish the Body of Christ from ordinary food, even if this recognition is evidenced through manner, gesture, or reverential silence rather than verbally. Pastors are encouraged to consult with parents, those who take the place of parents, diocesan personnel involved with disability issues, psychologists, religious educators, and other experts in making their judgment. If it is determined that a parishioner who is disabled is not ready to receive the sacrament, great care is to be taken in explaining the reasons for this decision. Cases of doubt should be resolved in favor of the right of the baptized person to receive the sacrament. The existence of a disability is not considered in and of itself as disqualifying a person from receiving the eucharist.

Section Regarding Reconciliation (Confession and Pardon)

22. In the sacrament of reconciliation, the Christian faithful obtain from the mercy of God pardon for their sins. At the same time, they are reconciled with the Church, which they have wounded by their sins and which works for their conversion by charity, example, and prayer (Lumen Gentium, n. 11).



23. Only those who have the use of reason are capable of committing serious sin. Nevertheless, even young children and persons with mental disabilities often are conscious of committing acts that are sinful to some degree and may experience a sense of guilt and sorrow. As long as the individual is capable of having a sense of contrition for having committed sin, even if he or she cannot describe the sin precisely in words, the person may receive sacramental absolution. Those with profound mental disabilities, who cannot experience even minimal contrition, may be invited to participate in penitential services with the rest of the community to the extent of their ability.

** This is a great site. They appear (again, read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions) to agree that the person participating in communion and confession should have some idea of what they are doing. However their interpretation of “some idea” is more flexible than other folks’. They seem to be saying that even if someone cannot verbalize a word-for-word catechism, that their parents and other people involved in their care are part of their religious formation and will continue to guide and direct them, and if class materials are adapted, most people can sufficiently develop “some idea.” **

** A side note, not really related to the rest: The evening of Matt’s ordination service in June, David was really fussy. We’d packed a ton of diversions for Simon, thinking he would be more problematic, but after some initial grumpiness Simon did fine. I got up a couple of times (sitting at the end of the row, good plan) with him, walking up and down the side aisle and bouncing him a little. Early on, I thought, Okay God, this is it – if you have called my husband you have called our whole family and this is what you get. But eventually I took David outdoors for awhile. I was in tears when the usher opened the door. He asked what was wrong, and I choked out, “His daddy is getting ordained and I want to be able to see it.” Once I calmed down, the usher basically instructed me to go back in, “and unless it gets really bad, stay right in there.” So that shored me up a bit – ushers are kind of the bouncers of church gigs, and if I had his permission I figured I was okay. And we were okay for awhile, until the line of ordinands formed and we were getting somewhat close to Matt’s turn with the bishop. David cried that whole time – I missed the laying on of hands and the charge by the bishop, because I was having to “shhh!” so loudly in David’s ear. Matt got done and I stumbled out with David, who was still crying. I was so upset – this was going to occur exactly one time (unless we switch denominations or something) and I had missed it because of this screaming child. This was also only 2 weeks after my miscarriage and I was overall not really able to cope with much.

I did think to myself, thank goodness he has Down syndrome, maybe people will have more patience with him (whether this was a correct thing to think I do not know, but it was what I was thinking). I also wondered how many other ordained clergy have children with developmental disabilities – I’m guessing there’s no one with a kid with Down syndrome because I’m sure we would’ve been referred to them long ago J. I wonder how many kids with DD there are in the Western North Carolina Conference, period.