I have communion with my sister every time I visit our childhood church. Whether or not she's physically there, I have communion with her and it is a beautiful thing. No one else knows I do this. Not even my sister.
The church we grew up in is ridiculously conservative. The kind of church that teaches women and the men who rule over them that women should be quiet in church. And while they're at it, they should be quiet everywhere else too. And wear a dress god-damn-it!
But I've digressed. This church also has some pretty strict rules on who can and can't participate in Communion: You must be a Christian, You must be a communicating member of a Christian church, You must be able to confess your faith and other silly ideas that I don't think Jesus ever intended.
My sister is one of the loveliest people I have ever met. I've never heard an unkind word cross her lips and I've never seen her when she isn't smiling or offering a hug. And as if that weren't enough, she's a very generous laughter too. Salt of the earth type.
She is also developmentally delayed. A rambunctious 10 year old with the heart and body of a 26 year old woman.
I choked on the sacrament the first time I saw my sister being denied it. Gagged might be the proper term. The taste of the bread changing in my mouth. She was passed over. Neglected. Rejected is the proper term. Everyone else partaking in dutiful compliance. Don't you see? She doesn't meet their requirements of Communion.
Their requirements are fucking disgusting. Our society judges fish on their ability to climb trees. Our churches should not. My sister is more loving and more deserving of having communion than they will ever be. But they can't see what I see. They don't feel what we feel. They can't love like she loves.
I have communion with my sister when I visit my childhood church by refusing communion every time it is offered to me.
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