Kirkepiscatoid

Our Kiwi friend Bosco has a very busy thread up asking some very thought-provoking questions about the Eucharist in terms of our brave new virtual world; namely, "Can a "virtual Eucharist" be possible?"

I have become very intrigued by the responses on the thread, not so much whether or not the questions he poses can be answered definitively, but because to even discuss the questions requires us to ponder the definition of a "spiritual community" and the nature of the Eucharist as a communal "meal."

The bulk of the discussion gets tied up in a lot of details about various denominational theologies and canons, transubstantiation, and the like..."trees" rather than the "forest." The beauty of that is, of course, that you can spend hours and hours asserting your version of the details is "correct" because none of these doctrinal positions can be scientifically "proved." You can spend more hours

But beyond the "trees" come larger questions about the forest itself. What can we learn about "community" in our virtual world of internet social networking, blogs, and Twitter?

I think one of the things I am learning is that as much stock as we put in "physical presence", whether it is ourselves in our community of friends, or the presence of Christ in bread and wine, there is something very real that transcends physical presence. Maybe "physical presence" is not all it is cracked up to be.

Don't get me wrong; I would not trade my "live-time" real life for a totally virtual one. But I am becoming more and more convinced that my virtual life teaches me very important lessons about my real time one.

On my blog, I retain semi-anonymity. Those who wish to know who I am in real life, well...it is not hard to figure it out. Those who do not, may need to keep me faceless, body-less, genderless, and socio-economic-less in order to hear what I am saying better.

On Facebook, I have FB friends whom I've never met. I would enjoy meeting them, but if we never met, that would be okay too. I feel as if I've known them in many of the ways I know my real friends. In some ways, I can be a better "me" to them than I can my real friends because I am not having to process their body language, gestures, or other physical things that can trigger my own "emotional hooks." In understanding that, I learn better how not to let these things "hook" my own wounds in the presence of my live-time friends and learn to interact with them better and in a more holy way.

On Twitter, I have to say what needs to be said clearly and with no misunderstanding in 140 characters or less! I have to "cut through the BS" as we say in these parts.

All of these virtual environments have new ways to "miscommunicate" as well. That is a problem at times. Sometimes that LACK of body language or physical presence causes miscommunication.

What it all does, I believe, is it challenges us all to become people of a higher awareness as to "how we communicate." If we are challenged to communicate better with each other, perhaps it can also improve how we communicate with God, or how God communicates with us. This challenge is a tall one. It's both scary and exciting. But I am grateful I live in an era where I can watch it unfold!