It all started with a blog post by Sally Quinn, religion reporter for the Washington Post, talking about her experience at Tim Russert’s funeral:
Last Wednesday at Tim’s funeral mass at [Holy] Trinity Church in Georgetown (Jack Kennedy’s church), communion was offered. I had only taken communion once in my life, at an evangelical church. It was soon after I had started “On Faith” and I wanted to see what it was like. Oddly I had a slightly nauseated sensation after I took it, knowing that in some way it represented the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Last Wednesday I was determined to take it for Tim, transubstantiation notwithstanding. I’m so glad I did. It made me feel closer to him. And it was worth it just to imagine how he would have loved it. After I began “On Faith,” Tim started calling me “Sister Sal” instead of “Miss Sal.”
The Catholic League’s president Bill Donohue responded with this:
Just reading what Sally Quinn said is enough to give any Christian, especially Catholics, more than a ‘slightly nauseating sensation.’ In her privileged world, life is all about experiences and feelings.
Quinn shot back with this:
There’s no sign out there that says you’re not allowed to take Communion. [The Catholic Church is] like, “Everyone is welcome. This is God’s house.” God doesn’t turn people away, supposedly.
Then, something surprising happened. Instead of agreeing with her and heaping scorn on Christians for their exclusivity, many started to defend the right of churches to reserve some parts of their worship for the truly faithful. The faith columnist at Slate, not at all known for its conservative views, had this to say:
I have to give Quinn credit for bringing me, for one, into line: I’d always been squishy on who should receive Communion, and never really saw the harm in setting a few extra places at the family dinner. But thanks to “Sister Sal,” oh Lord, now I do.
The New Testament doesn’t give many specific guidelines on who should participate in communion and who shouldn’t. Only some instructions from Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 about how it should be observed, based on the words Jesus spoke at the Last Supper in Luke 22: “Do this in remembrance of me.”
Not in remembrance of someone else who died. Not because it makes you feel good. Not because everyone else in a room is doing it.
Communion is a special celebration reserved for people who remember Christ’s death as the central event of all human history and the only hope we have of being delivered from our sin.