BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST, 06 JUNE 2021, EXODUS 24. 3-8; HEBREWS 9. 11-15; MARK 14. 12-16, 22-26
Focus: The Festivity of the Body and Blood of Christ is a call and duty to enter into a new covenant of communion and love that lead to sacrifice and life, for purifying ourselves to serve the living God and to receive the eternal inheritance
1. A key and common term that runs through all the three readings is “covenant”. In the OT, people enter into covenant with God through the offering of the blood of goats and calves by the priests, for the remission of sins. But, with Christ, it is no more a series of priests, no more a series of offerings, no more the blood of this or that animal. He is the supreme high priest. He offered his blood, once and for all. He obtains forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, restoration of the covenant, and eternal inheritance. In fact, it is the ushering of a new covenant. It is the outflow of a new life. It is the revesting of the faithful with a new dignity.
2. Thus, in the festivity of the Body and Blood of Christ, what we celebrate are some key ingredients. They are namely covenant, love, communion, sacrifice, and life. Yes, in the first place, the Body and Blood of Christ embodies and actualizes our covenant with God. This is rooted in His selfless and unconditioned love for us. It is selfless because the Savior died for us, even while we are sinners. This love leads him into intimate communion with us, restoring the broken relationship that is due to sin. This communion and becoming one with us is such that he sacrifices his own self totally for us. He offers his own body to be crushed and broken. He offers his own blood to be poured out and sprinkled. The consequence and the greatest effect and fruit is life, life here and now, and life in eternity.
3. Seen in this perspective, the celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ is the celebration of the life of God, gifted to us. It is the feast of the culture of life. In our present times, a culture of death is viral. The beauty, value, and power of life are reduced and despised. Consequently many live without the inner vitality, without the dynamism and the direction of life. Life in the case of a good number appears to be empty, weak, and aimless. It is in such a context, the feast of the most holy body and blood of Christ, the feast of the Holy Eucharist, is a timely and perennial recall and recharge.
4. Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life; whoever eats of my flesh and drinks my blood, will not die, but will live forever” (Jn 6. 35-58). Some take this literally and mock it as cannibalism. This is nothing but being simplistic and foolish. Such a protest is not worth our reflection now. Here very clearly the whole concern of Jesus is “Life”. It is not in the physical sense. At the same time, it is not merely symbolic. It is real and actual. It is in an elevated sense. It is the higher kind of life that he offers to us, the quality of life that we must live. It is already the active living and living action of the new eternal life.
5. We are children of a God of life, a living and life-giving God. We are destined for eternal life. We are meant to live our life fully (Jn 10. 10: “I came to give life and life in its full measures”) and joyfully (Jn 15. 11: “so that my joy be in you and that be complete”). Therefore, to live a culture of death, to live constantly under the shadow and fear of death, is a steep contradiction to the very nature of life, our existence as human beings, our identity as God’s children, and our destiny as heirs of eternal life.
4. It is in this context Jesus assures us of the abundance and beauty of life. He also shows us how to obtain it and live it so. “Live interiorly, with the inner power; Live vibrantly and rightly, by the guidance and strength of this inner power; Live high and above with a sense of orientation for the eternity”. This is what Jesus means in Jn 6. 56-58, disclosing the three fundamental signs and effects of the Holy Eucharist: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever”. Therefore, mutual interior dwelling, the vigorous process of living, and focused orientation to eternity – this is what the whole life is about. In other words, interiority (of divine presence), dynamism and vigor (of the way of life), and the focus and direction (towards eternity) are the hallmarks of a culture of life, the new life that Jesus offers us.
6. Seen in this wider perspective of life, it is not fair to confine the Holy Eucharist, only to the sacrament of Holy Communion. Surely we must constantly deepen and enhance our reverence and devotion to the Holy Eucharist. We must desire to receive it regularly and frequently. But we must be cautious not to reduce the Holy Eucharist only to be a pious practice, a thing to be venerated and worshipped. But the Holy Eucharist is much more than that. It is the person of Christ himself. It is the fount of life. It is the link of bonding. It is the source of communion. It is the interior power. It is the energy of living. It is the direction to an eternal destiny.
6. It is really sad that many venerate and receive the holy Eucharist but do not experience the presence of Jesus, and the power of his presence. Why we do not feel the bond of communion with him and with others in our believing community? Why do we live so shallow lives, without depth and interiority? Why do we often feel weak and undernourished, in spite of this greatest nourishment? Why do we often let ourselves misguided and controlled by other forces of evil and the world? Why are we often without any higher goals, without a sense of purpose and destiny?
Direction: To be truly Eucharist-centred people would mean that we live as covenantal people, in love, communion, sacrifice, and life
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