The communion table in the cathedral lingers in memories. The juxtaposition of people waiting, table prepared, and the sense that it is not quite the time creates an awareness of the dynamic that dominates much of my life. The characters in the scene are metaphors for the setting of the day ahead of me. The waiting in the quietness before the moment arrives. My awareness of the experience of receiving a sacramental gift or, on occasion, an instrument that shares it with others. In each movement, I am invited to a role and opportunity.
You and I are children of Divinity. Within every individual is a part of Divinity. While we look, act, and even think differently, we are members of the same family. Our standing is equal. Our value is defined by Divinity and not by ourselves. Our calling is a gift and opportunity that we can embrace or ignore. At the centre is the reality that we are, by Divinity’s choice, in a relationship with Her. My efforts to be superior do not impact where I am relative to my brothers and sisters. My thoughts do not change the thoughts She has for me. I, like my siblings, is Divinity’s child.
There is a thirst within me to be accepted and belong. The longing is shaped by the awareness of my flaws and weaknesses. I struggle to improve and yet still fail. In this knowing, I desperately want to be accepted, just as I am. I need to know that I belong. Life reminded me as I looked at the communion table and again at the sunrise this morning that I am a child of Divinity. I am accepted. I do belong. I am invited to the table in the moment that is now. My standing echoes the writer’s reminder; “No one elects himself to this honored position. He’s called to it by God, as Aaron was.” (Hebrews 5.4)
Being at the table is a call to action. I know my role will change in any given moment. Tomorrow, I consume. Today, I serve.
