Did I Hear You Right?

Finally finding some down time I thought to myself, why not write a blog post? So here I am. I enjoyed an overnight retreat through the campus ministry and had some time to reflect and have a few posts I want to write. This one has been on my mind for a while, and so here it goes. I wrote a post called “We’ve got to come together” about how the catholic and protestant churches need to come together as one church under one God, and for some reason they never do. While I love the ministry at Holy Cross, I got into an interesting discussion with one of the chaplains. I was talking about getting involved and going to Mass, but was told that because I am technically Presbyterian (even though I am baptized Catholic) I cannot take communion. I was shocked, it was like someone slapped me, threw water at me, and slapped me again. ‘Not take communion, what do you mean!’ I thought to myself. I was then told I could “at my own discretion.” Here’s my reasoning, after I die I sincerely hope to be welcomed into the kingdom of God and once there sit in company of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, and eat with Him. If I will eat with Him then, why shouldn’t I be allowed to eat with Him now? God is my Savior and Lord, and under His law I live my life, to not take communion (despite me being a believer) I feel would be more wrong than taking it in a church I am not a member. We are one body in Christ and must eat with our Savior as one body. No exclusions, no blessings, just everyone sitting at the feet of Jesus and following His command “take and eat.” He didn’t say “take and eat, but only if you follow this church…” No, in John 17:20-21 Jesus prays “I pray also for those who believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” No division, no exclusions, just one big happy family. Until then the church can never fully carry out the work that our Lord gave us before He left.