Come, You Who Are Hungry...

A little reminder before we head for our churches this Sunday.

The Ardagh Chalice, Irish, 8th Century.

Traditionally it was taken for granted that some preparation before taking Communion was the way to go, so the older churches still insist on a pre-Communion fast.

The Romans have relaxed their requirements of late, so where fasting from everything but water from midnight the night before was the norm they now stipulate abstaining from food and drink for at least one hour before receiving the Eucharist. Water and medicine do not break the fast. The elderly, the infirm, and their caregivers are exempt.

The Orthodox (surprise, surprise...) still insist on fasting from midnight the night before receiving Holy Communion.

With us (surprise, surprise...) it's left to us. There is no official, universal rule, but fasting beforehand is strongly encouraged as a spiritual discipline and many traditionalist, Anglo-Catholic parishes recommend fasting from midnight.

Most of the other Protestant denominations (surprise, surprise...) treat Communion as a memorial rather than a sacrifice so (and I am paraphrsing...) fasting beforehand doesn't really matter. Fasting is generally left to the individual's personal conscience, and it isn't tied to the reception of Communion.

This is a long introduction to what I want to say about preparing ourselves to receive Holy Communion and what I am going to say has nothing to do with not eating, although it is about not being 'full'.

It's rather to do with taking stock and getting into a certain mind-set (and heart-set) that's best described using the word 'poverty'.

Remember the line from the Beatitudes? "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).

There's more than one way to comment on that mysterious phrase but it's what came to mind when I read these words from Rowan Williams: “We take Holy Communion not because we are doing well, but because we are doing badly. Not because we have arrived, but because we are travelling. Not because we are right, but because we are confused and wrong. Not because we are divine, but because we are human. Not because we are full, but because we are hungry…” (Being Christian: Where It All Begins).

So an empty belly helps with the mindful reception of the sacrament of the Eucharist, but even more important is a certain 'emptiness' when it comes to our self-image.

Remember Jesus said he came to call the unwell rather than the well? The sinner rather than the righteous? And remember that he said those things while he was at a meal (think Holy Communion) in the house of a man who was both unwell and a sinner? (see the Call of Levi/Matthew in Mark 2:13-17).

So I think we can sum everything up by saying that it's important to remember that we don't take the Body and Blood of Christ because it's a nice thing to do; not because we are worthy of it; not because we are entitled to it; but because, in our poverty we need it.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us. 

God bless you all.