Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
Reflecting on the power of the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, Pope Benedict XVI remarked that he could turn to his brothers and sisters who had received and say, “alas, bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh.” He reflected on the reality that by receiving Christ in the Eucharist, we receive His true body and that, since we share in it through communion, we all share in His one body. St. Paul, in our second reading, highlights this reality: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” If we do then truly share Christ’s body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Eucharist, what does that mean for us?
There are two things worth reflecting on. First, Jesus tells us that if we eat his flesh and drink his blood—the Eucharist—we have “eternal life.” In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve disobeyed God, lost communion with God, and thus lost eternal life. We were created for communion, a reflection of the communion shared by the Trinity. This is what it means, in part, to be made in the image and likeness of God. The Eucharist and all that it is and means—the Pascal mystery, allows us that communion once again. We have been restored to union with God.
Second, that union with God extends past our relationship with God to those around us. Like Pope Benedict XVI, we can look to our brothers and sisters who receive communion with us and say, “alas, flesh of my flesh.” We are no longer strangers but intimate friends, bound together through Christ. The brokenness, fear, hatred, and doubt can be healed through this union. We become, once again, one family.
As we celebrate Corpus Christi, let us faithfully receive the Body and Blood of Jesus and be restored, nourished, and given the courage to act as Christ, to be like Christ in union with the Father and Spirit, and let us be “one flesh” in Christ so that all might have eternal life.
Reflection by Fr. Etienne Huard, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections