“This is my body”
This coming weekend we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi Sunday. On it, the Church asks us to ponder the great mystery of our faith that is the Holy Eucharist.
Sunday's second reading gives us the oldest retelling of the story of the Last Supper that we have, coming to us from St. Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians. This writing is older than the Gospels themselves, probably written some time in the mid 50s AD. In it, Paul begins by saying: "I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you." Paul, here, is implying that what he is doing is what has been done by the Church from its earliest days. He then tells the story in language very familiar to us because it makes up the backbone of what we still say today in the Mass.
The fact that the Eucharist has been a part of the Church's life since the beginning isn't a coincidence. Jesus himself demanded, as St. Paul tells us, to "Do this in remembrance of me." But more than a remembrance, the Catholic Church has always held that this is a great mystery of our faith, a sacrament, where Christ becomes truly present to us. Jesus' statements of "This is my body... this is the chalice of my blood" aren't just symbols or nice representations. Through the power of the Holy Spirit this bread and wine, though still like bread and wine in appearance, taste, smell, etc., are transformed into Christ's own body and blood and given to us to take and to eat. Through our partaking of this sacrament, Jesus Christ comes into our minds and hearts and we are invited to "become what we receive" as St. Augustine once said.
So, this week, as we reflect on this great mystery of our faith, let us pray that our reception of this sacrament may take hold of us. By receiving it, we receive Christ himself! Through it, may Jesus transform our hearts to become more like his heart. And may we, in turn, be moved to be missionary disciples who proclaim the Good News and continue to build up the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.
Want to prepare your heart and mind for Mass this weekend? Click here to find the readings this Sunday's Mass.