Dreading the Eucharist
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
A good friend of mine, Jenny Redding Rhodes, is working on a degree in special education at Vanderbilt University which focuses on adolescents with eating disorders (and she's also an M.Div graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity School). Jenny has just written an article on the way that people with eating disorders experience church life. Some of her comments are heart-breakingly shocking:
"Many eating-disorder patients have told me that they participate in the Lord's Supper only half-heartedly at best. They feel compelled to take Holy Communion because Jesus commanded us to do so. Because some see Holy Communion as God's reward for virtuous or faithful service, they refrain. All of them dread the Eucharist because it involves food."
You need to read this article. The link goes to the main page for the current issue of the Reporter. Scroll down to find Jenny's article, which is entitled, "Anorexics mirror, distort Wesleyan 'perfection'."
Obviously, we all know that eating disorders afflict thousands of Gen-X'ers. But many sufferers remain hidden by a veil of secrecy or shame. Jenny's commentary begins to help us know how to embrace those who experience anorexia, bulimia, or other related disorders.
"Many eating-disorder patients have told me that they participate in the Lord's Supper only half-heartedly at best. They feel compelled to take Holy Communion because Jesus commanded us to do so. Because some see Holy Communion as God's reward for virtuous or faithful service, they refrain. All of them dread the Eucharist because it involves food."
You need to read this article. The link goes to the main page for the current issue of the Reporter. Scroll down to find Jenny's article, which is entitled, "Anorexics mirror, distort Wesleyan 'perfection'."
Obviously, we all know that eating disorders afflict thousands of Gen-X'ers. But many sufferers remain hidden by a veil of secrecy or shame. Jenny's commentary begins to help us know how to embrace those who experience anorexia, bulimia, or other related disorders.
posted by Andrew C. Thompson at 11:31 AM
1 Comments:
"Many of us exclaimed, What an order! I can't go through with it. Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection."
Alcoholics Anonymous p.60
As a person in recovery myself I can relate to the same fear as Jenny. I know it's only grape juice in a Methodist church but it looks like wine, smells kind of like it too, they even say that it is.
When I am in fit spiritual condition it doesn't bother me and it helps to remember that only Jesus was perfect.
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