I was telling my Spiritual Director about my love for Communion one day. She responded in a very affirming way. “It is a special grace,” she said, “that you receive so much meaning from communion. Embrace that.”
Nouwen has such deep love for the Eucharist, even from childhood. I love that. The way he talks about it paints an Icon in my mind, like the Rublev Trinity. I am invited to the table where God is engaged in mutual adoration. I am invited into the circle. The inverse perspective folds me into the image; I am there, in the with-God life. It is plain to see why Nouwen would want to share the experience across denominational bounds.
When I was at the first residence for class, I loved taking communion every day. Rob Rife was like a picture of my own desire to devour the elements in their full meaning. I would watch him literally munch, with his great jaw working, the body of Christ. I always want seconds.
Like Nouwen, my love for communion with God and with God’s family is strong. I too want to commune with other traditions. Some of my most meaningful times have been celebrated with Episcopalians. I appreciate the hospitality they show in open communion inviting even a Pentecostal like me into the heights of liturgy.
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