CATHOLIC VOICES By Julia Gatta In 1938 Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: In the period between the death of Christ and the day of judgment, when Christians are allowed to live here in visible community with other Christians, we have merely a gracious anticipation of the end time. It is by God’s grace that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly around God’s word and … [Read more...] about Communion with Christ and One Another in a Time of Pandemic
Eucharist
FROM THE ARCHIVES: The 1918 Epidemic and the Churches
The following editorial appeared in The Living Church on October 19, 1918, in the middle of the most severe month of the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, a month in which 195,000 Americans died of the disease. Churches around the nation closed, most for several Sundays, in October 1918. The very general closing of churches by direction of health authorities presents an … [Read more...] about FROM THE ARCHIVES: The 1918 Epidemic and the Churches
Bishops Withhold Common Cup in Response to Coronavirus
By Mark Michael Touching on centuries-old theological controversies, bishops across the Episcopal Church have issued pastoral letters recommending changes to worship practices to prevent infection from the novel coronavirus. Bishops in the Dioceses of California, Dallas, Olympia, and Los Angeles ordered that Holy Communion be administered to the laity in bread only, … [Read more...] about Bishops Withhold Common Cup in Response to Coronavirus
Resurrection, Ascension
Cæli enarrant Our faith is not some scholastic puzzle or elite curriculum, and certainly not reserved for the clever. Our faith unveils Truth in time; Truth incarnate and crucified; Truth, in turn, triumphant. And it endeavors to speak to God and of God, following his lead — and repeating after him, to guarantee truthfulness and accuracy. “Pray then in this way: Our Father … [Read more...] about Resurrection, Ascension
‘Something to Celebrate’
By Zachary GuilianoThe mood was jubilant at General Convention’s daily Eucharist on Friday. The Theodicy Jazz Collective was playing as the bishops, deputies, and visitors assembled.“We have something to celebrate today,” singer Ann Phelps said, mere hours after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that same-sex marriage is a Constitutional right. She invited those present to sing, … [Read more...] about ‘Something to Celebrate’
Dress for the Banquet
Catholic VoicesBy E.T. Malone, Jr.Recently someone asked me, “Why does the Church require that a person be baptized before receiving Holy Communion?” It was clear to me that he felt this was not fair. “What would Jesus do?” he asked. The implication was that, surely, a loving and inclusive Jesus would not turn anyone away from the heavenly banquet.There is no short, simple … [Read more...] about Dress for the Banquet
Breaking (More) Bread Together
Correction (March 11): St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach, Florida, has a growing dinner church ministry called Seekers, which gathers people for worship during a meal. St. Paul’s canceled a different ministry, one that gathered families for a regular meal, more than a year ago.By G. Jeffrey MacDonaldPreparing for Eucharist on campus at the University of … [Read more...] about Breaking (More) Bread Together
Hunger Games: The Eucharist
Art Babych and Jesse Hair write for the Anglican Church of Canada:About 130 young people gathered in a heavily fortified bank vault in the depths of the “Diefenbunker” near Carp, Ont., on Nov. 17, 2013. They were there for a Eucharist and sermon comparing the pacifism of Christ and the “redemptive violence” of the bestselling novel and movie The Hunger Games.The once-secret … [Read more...] about Hunger Games: The Eucharist