Communion

Please note I forgot to take my camera to church so all photos of the church were taken by the lovely Samantha McCurry.

Today we went to Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral for worship. St. Fin Barre's was established in 606 AD, and they have had worship every Sunday since, even when the church was under construction. The latter part of the day was spent like any other sabbath should be spent: in rest and fellowship. We had lunch at The Flying Enterprise, a ship-themed restaurant in the section of Cork known as "The People's Republic" due to its socialist tendencies during the 1920s Civil War. Afterwards, some went to the Masonic Lodge in Cork, which is one of the oldest lodges in the world, while others came back for a Sunday afternoon nap. By 2:30 though most everyone was resting or journaling. This evening we are getting pizza from a restaurant across the street from the B&B and hanging out.

St. Fin Barre's.

Worship at St. Fin Barre's cathedral was absolutely indescribable. Having never worshipped at a church that is over one thousand years old, I was astounded by the sheer magnanimity of God's presence in worship. From the time the organ started playing the processional until they turned out the lights on us because we stayed so long, I was overwhelmed. Not only did I feel the historical significance of the cathedral, but I felt the significance that the church placed on God. Above all else, the worship was constructed to emphasize Christ and Christ's role in the church and in our lives. In today's consumer driven culture, worship that isn't about what novelties the church can offer any specific demographic or free merchandise used as subliminal manipulation is rare. Even more so, many churches are no longer about Christ but seek to provide entertainment laced with a watered-down Gospel .

In the chancel.

Therefore, St. Fin Barre's provided a nice change to many services I have attended. My favorite part of the service was taking communion. Kneeling at the altar to receive communion was a new and beautiful experience for me. I felt the sacred presence of the Holy Spirit in a new and beautiful way. I believe that communion is one of the greatest sacraments the church observes, and by celebrating communion, we are celebrating the birth, the life, and the death of Christ and the implications that has in our lives. And what an important reminder as we celebrate Epiphany Sunday! The dean of the cathedral delivered the homily this morning, and he talked about what "epiphany" means and the revelation of Jesus Christ in the world. This morning, I would say that I experienced the full magnitude of epiphany through communion and worship.

Ceiling above the chancel. 

The afternoon and evening have brought a new kind of communion, for which I am equally thankful. I have discovered that a group of travelers, like our group, always draws close together on journeys, yet this evening we have simply fellowshipped together by sharing our time with one another. We might just be listening to "Banana Pancakes" and writing in our journals or playing sudoku, but we are still experience the special communion of a group of people united by physical exhaustion and anticipatory hope for tomorrow will bring. We are content, and that is most important. 

Jordan teaching Kurt to play sudoku.