Aristotle postulated that, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” These 10 words could open doors to all kinds of conversations. I think about this phrase when I think about people and the world around us. No individual person or thing is a whole in and of itself. All things are composed of pieces, parts, fragments. Our whole is made up of fragments that, when put together, compose our physical being and our spiritual being.

At times, we feel more like fragmented beings. Our lives are in pieces. We spend our days rushing around tending to the different pieces of our life. The world around us seems to be in pieces. It is hard to see or sense any kind of unity or wholeness.

This Sunday we will celebrate World Communion Sunday–a Sunday when Christians of all kinds celebrate Communion as a sign of unity and wholeness. I have been a Christian since the age of 11 and have celebrated/participated in Communion more times than I can remember. Sometimes when I come to the Communion table my life feels whole and the ritual routine. At other times I feel dumbfounded by the violence in the world and Communion feels comforting.

I remember taking Communion one Sunday after a particularly difficult shift as a chaplain at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, TX. Sitting in the congregation and watching the celebrant (a rare experience for clergy) hold up high and break the bread, I suddenly saw Communion in a way I never had before.

When the bread was broken, the brightness of the stage lights burst through that open, fragmented space. And I was reminded, that though life can be very difficult and hard, God’s light always shines on us…shines through the fragments of life to tell us that we really are whole.

Whether you are feeling whole or fragmented and broken, I encourage you to seek out a church this week…a place where you can share in Communion and remember that God’s light is still shining.