Vondey,
in People of Bread, says in his
conclusion that “the rediscovery of an ecumenical ecclesiology based on the
image of bread…is framed by the hallmarks of a life in companionship, an ethic
of hospitality, and a joint celebration of the Eucharistic meal. These three elements are not individual
entities but three expressions of the same fundamental reality we call ‘Church’”
(300).
When
he speaks of “companionship,” Vondey means “a deliberate fellowship of people
who seek to establish and maintain relationships with one another.” (67) They share life together, break bread and
enjoy food together, and are there for each other in concrete ways. “Hospitality” refers to a community which
does not have closed borders, but is open to welcome the poor and the outcast, including
those who do not share the same beliefs (294-95). It “is not a simple social
obligation but also a personal, moral responsibility.” One shares “bread with strangers in order to
turn them into neighbors” (93). The “Eucharistic meal” refers to a ritual that
involves breaking bread (that looks and tastes like bread) together. The bread is not only “the body of the
crucified and resurrected Lord” (297), it is also Christ’s continuing presence
in the Church (296-97).
How does this
relate to my ministry? Once again, I
turn to the women in NOPP. We are still
talking about their desire to receive Communion. None of them understand the Catholic teaching
that only Catholics can receive the Eucharist in the Catholic Church.
In
this light, how could we celebrate the Lord’s Supper in the prison? We’re talking about preparing for it by
trying to live as a community that shares life, not just on Tuesdays when we
get together for church, but as a group that shares life together, who eat
together and who are available for each other in any needs. We’ll let others know that we’re an open
community, happy to welcome anyone who is searching for God or for meaning in
her life. And we’ll plan what we want to
include in our ritual: what prayers,
scripture readings, blessings over the bread, hymns, poetry, art, etc., we want
to include, and choose who will do what, making sure that everyone has a
role. It will evolve, and may not ever
happen, but that’s where we are right now.
I will find out about bringing a piece of
bread we can use; if that isn’t possible, someone will save the bread from her meal, and
we will divide that among us. We will
become “Women of Bread,” like the early Christians. Vondey would be proud!
Sister Judy, thank you for your post on “Women of Bread.” I found your post to be interesting in how you related the readings to your work with the women of the New Orleans Parish Prison. In particular, I appreciated the way in which you call to question how you and the women of NOPP could celebrate the Last Supper in the context of prison.
ReplyDeleteIn the reading for this week, Vondey states that “Bread is a human food. No animals or other living organism produce and feed on bread” (246). He goes further to describe how bread is a combination of the fruits of creation and that which is manufactured by human creation. Here he portrays a togetherness between humans and the earth in communion with one another. Vondey states that “human beings cannot by themselves produce food without reaching out into creation” (248). His writing reflects a sort of a two dimensional togetherness. One dimension of the togetherness can be found between humans and the earth. The other dimension of togetherness can be found between human beings and other human beings, bonded together in the unifying ritual of baking and breaking bread with one another. This togetherness can be seen in the coming together of the ingredients that make up the dough along with the process by which the hands of the baker mixes and shapes the soon to be formed bread. This togetherness symbolizes a unity and coming together of important parts to make the whole. The way in which the ingredients mix and the process by which the bread is constructed is indicative of the human experience of togetherness. We are all shaped by the hands of the creator and drawn to one another as ingredients of the dough. We sometimes need to be worked on work, just as a baker kneads the dough. And after going through the fires of life, we learn to depend on one another in the culminating process of being baked as one unified community. Sometimes without that fire, we don’t realize how connected we are and how much we need one another.
Judy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your timely and touching reflection. I have been thinking about incarceration quite a bit lately, partly because of a television drama my partner has engaged me in, partly because many folks I encounter in my ministry and daily life are dealing with the after effects of having spent time in incarceration. One woman I recently assisted in moving off the street has found heartfelt back in prison on a parole violation, which stemmed from her being homeless in the first place.
I have not spent much time in jail and even less in prison, but my visits to friends and short periods locked up behind a civil disobedience action have been enough to cement the injustice of such an arrangement in any but the most egregious of circumstances. In Isaiah' s vision
Judy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your timely and touching reflection. I have been thinking about incarceration quite a bit lately, partly because of a television drama my partner has engaged me in, partly because many folks I encounter in my ministry and daily life are dealing with the after effects of having spent time in incarceration. One woman I recently assisted in moving off the street has found heartfelt back in prison on a parole violation, which stemmed from her being homeless in the first place.
I have not spent much time in jail and even less in prison, but my visits to friends and short periods locked up behind a civil disobedience action have been enough to cement the injustice of such an arrangement in any but the most egregious of circumstances. In Isaiah' s vision
in chapter 58 he speaks of the need to release all those held captive or imprisoned. Incarceration can be isolating in the extreme. Communion as a lived, sacramental reality is the foundation for communion in the doctrinal or ontological sense as Vondey points out in chapters 6 and 7. I think you are right to pursue communion sharing with the women who share in your ministry. Open table fellowship is essential to the community of disciples according to Vondey and could play an important role in the eschatological/ecological vision of the church, which cannot admit prisons. Open table fellowship can also be a basis for the lived rapprochement of churches towards doctrinal unity that more fully embodies the desired goal of ecumenism. May your community of women be a model of church for the rest of us who still do not feel free enough to worship across denominational wall.
ReplyDeleteRoy Baumeister and Mark Leary also argue for "belonging" as a core human need. Jail and prison can be isolating in the extreme. Perhaps the Eucharist can bring a healing sense of belonging to those in your group who still hunger to belong.
Sr. Judy,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in prison ministry we only had Mass on rare occasions - perhaps once every two months. I found that what the ladies I ministered to needed the most was to see themselves as a "loved sinner." Many of them could not get their head around the fact that God REALLY loved them unconditionally, no matter what sins they had committed or mistakes they had made. Their stories about their life highlighted the truth as they saw it - people are not so loving or forgiving. In their heart of hearts they yearned to "know" this God of love. Like you, I had trouble getting them to understand that when we had Mass they could not receive the Eucharist. Many times during Mass at the prison, I witnessed non-Catholics receiving communion, even though I had schooled them to the best of my ability. The priest had no idea who was Catholic or who wasn't so he gave everyone who came up communion. At first it concerned me, but upon reflection I knew that the God of love who created every living thing would not be appalled that someone wanted to receive him into their life so badly that they would break a "rule." I even think for some of them it was a sort of test. They would ask me afterward, "Does God still love me now?" They needed my assurance that there was nothing they could do that would take God's love away from them.
Following up on your pastoral query for creating a table ritual for the women you serve, there is plenty of precedence for this in the Christian tradition. (One interesting one is the antidoron, or blessed bread that is not Holy Communion that is in use in Byzantine, Easter Catholic and a few Western Catholic contexts. In addition to the antidoron, some orthodox communities also offer non-blessed bread for those who are present at the divine liturgy, but who are non-Orthodox.) In Western Christianity, ritualizing prayer in context of a meal that includes bread is a viable option.
ReplyDeleteThe hard truth though is that this is not Eucharist, at least not in the Roman Catholic sense of the term. Eucharistic reality does not just emerge from one's personal desire for it; it is first and foremost a communal symbol that one enters into with the rest of the community. It is expression of one's corporal identity as member of the Body of Christ. It is in this context that it is also encounter with the real presence of Christ.
I do believe that God honors and meets the person who desires and yearns for encounter with God - no doubt. But Eucharist is always also a corporal communal reality in the Catholic context, and one who receives Eucharist encounters the Lord in the context of His communal Body. If one does not in fact belong to the actual community, there is a dissonance here that we should not dismiss easily. This is a hard reality, but a significant question to grapple with.