Open wounds: COVID-19, eucharist and the mystical body of Christ
This paper considers the effect on the mystical body of Christ, the church, of the Church of England’s (CofE’s) "prohibition" on online Eucharists during the COVID-19 pandemic. First of all, I situate the discussion in the context of the contemporary emphasis on embodiment in sacramental t...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
International Academy of Practical Theology
2023
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| In: |
Crisis, fear and hope
Year: 2023, Volume: 3, Pages: 55-62 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | This paper considers the effect on the mystical body of Christ, the church, of the Church of England’s (CofE’s) "prohibition" on online Eucharists during the COVID-19 pandemic. First of all, I situate the discussion in the context of the contemporary emphasis on embodiment in sacramental theology, and in recent work on online worship by Teresa Berger and others following the emergence of Web 2.0. I argue that the online believer is bodily present at worship and that the members of a local church can be suitably gathered in a virtual space to receive the sacrament. Secondly, I consider the effect of Eucharistic loss on the mystical body of Christ, the church, through the lens of trauma. I examine the characteristics of trauma as outlined by Karen O’Donnell, focussing on the concept of rupture or wounding, and contend that the loss of the Eucharist is traumatic for that body. Thirdly, I posit that the absence of the Eucharistic entails the loss of opportunities to encounter both real presence and real absence. The mystical body of Christ, the church therefore suffers complex layers of trauma. I suggest further reflection on the issue of online Eucharists by the CofE from the perspectives of "presence and absence" and of "encounter" in order to facilitate "faithful connections". |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Crisis, fear and hope
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.25785/iapt.cs.v3i1.813 |