The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. With these words, Jesus distinguished himself from other spiritual leaders. He was doing more than offering advice. He was offering himself: The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. Through the Eucharist, Jesus provided a way for his followers to be intimately connected with him, not just with his ideas. When we receive this sacrament, we are able to be close to the Lord not only in our hearts, but in our bodies as well. In other words, we are able to unite our entire being--body and soul--to Christ. Unlike other prophets, Jesus did not just describe a path to follow. He told people that he was the way (Jn 14:6). He made very bold claims about reaching spiritual fulfillment, and one of them involved receiving him in the Eucharist: I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever. We thus have a choice to make. Will we eat this living bread? Will we really allow Jesus to become part of us? If we answer yes then we partake of true Communion--we enter into a profound union with the Lord. But if we choose not to eat this bread from heaven (or if we eat it without faith or reverence) then we miss out on Christs invitation to unity with him. Instead we would be like those in the crowd who quarreled among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? They thought Jesus couldnt have been serious about this. But he was. He insisted, My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Today on the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, may God grant us the faith to recognize the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Jun 2014 13:14:16 +0000
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