We being many are one body

St Paul wrote in his first letter to the church at Corinth:

Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (10:17)

One of the fascinating aspects of life is the infinite diversity of people.  God never repeats himself: each one is uniquely made and fashioned.  We are as the psalmist says:

For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. (139:13).

Each living human being is unique and gifted from the first moment of conception. Reason, science, and faith together point us towards this truth. When he assumed the office of Pope, Benedict XVI said:

We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.

No matter how much we might disapprove of someone’s behaviour or character, no matter how much we loath the actions of dictators, despots and torturers we must never forget that each one was made in the image of God.  While Christians must make moral judgments about actions and conduct, the ultimate judgment of each person's soul belongs to God alone. The dignity of every living human being must be sacrosanct. 

In the Eucharist we are invited into a communion of love and life with Christ and with members of his church.  That includes many others who do not share our core values.  This can be hard – to stand beside someone whose way of life or views seem completely opposed to ours.  Still harder, perhaps for some is the memory of being excluded for whatever reasons from communion only to see others included who seem to be totally at variance with the values of the gospel. Once again, it is not for us to know or judge or determine who can receive. I leave that to higher authorities.