(Corpus Christi)
(Click Here for Readings)
Gospel of John 6:51-58
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
Today the Church celebrates Corpus Christi Sunday in honor of the most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Holy Communion is the essence of our Catholic Faith. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist at Mass, we "solemnly bear it for procession, publicly proclaiming that the sacrifice of Christ is for the salvation of the whole world." (Pope John Paul II)
Real vs. Symbolic A couple of years ago I taught a 4th grade 1st communion class. I remember when I spoke about the Eucharist being the REAL body and blood of Jesus Christ, one of my precocious students questioned me: "Miss Jennifer. Isn't it cannibalism for us to eat the body and blood of Jesus? Ooh, Gross! I don't want to eat and drink it then!" I thought it was interesting she'd think of it that way. I explained Jesus Christ has already died and gone to heaven so it's not his physical body we eat but his spiritual body.
As a former Protestant, receiving holy communion was considered a symbolic gesture. (In fact, Methodists receive communion only monthly and Southern Baptists one a year.) It's not until I became Catholic, receiving first communion and adoring the Blessed Sacrament, that I truly understood the real presence! When I received communion, I could feel Christ touch my lips and enter inside my body. I could feel his presence in the monstrance and in the tabernacle. What an amazing sense of peace and closeness! What's even more incredible is when I give the body and blood of Christ to others as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. I share my intense love for the Eucharist with others. Truly a wonderful ministry.
Power of Holy Communion Saint Catherine of Siena in her beautiful book "The Dialogue" writes a chapter titled "The Mystic Body of the Holy Church." In the following excerpt, God explains the meaning of the bread of life:
Dearest daughter, contemplate the marvelous state of the soul who receives this bread of life, this food of angels, as she ought. When she receives this sacrament she lives in me and I in her. Just as the fish is in the sea and the sea in the fish, so am I in the soul and the soul in me, the sea of peace. Grace lives in such a soul because, having received this bread of life in grace, she lives in grace. When this appearance of bread has been consumed, I leave behind the imprint of my grace, just as a seal that is pressed into warm wax leaves its imprint when it is lifted off. Thus does the power of this sacrament remain there in the soul; that is, the warmth of my divine charity, the mercy of the Holy Spirit, remains there. The light of my only-begotten Son's wisdom remains there, enlightening the mind's eye. [The Soul]is left strong, sharing in my strength and power, which make her strong and powerful against her selfish sensuality and against the devil and the world. (The Dialogue 112)
The frequent reception of Holy Communion helps us fight temptations, providing us the strength to turn away from sin. The blood of Christ mixed with our own blood becomes a powerful spiritual antidote against pride, sensuality, and vanity. I know weeks whenever I'm unable to attend a Sunday mass, and receive the body and blood of Christ, my week doesn't turn out so well. My envy, resentment, jumping to conclusions, and overall impatience resurfaces. Not good!
When my soul needs consolation, the body of Christ soothes....
When my soul needs hydration, the blood of Christ quenches....
When my soul needs therapy, the Eucharist is the remedy!
This week make an effort to attend a Daily Mass if at all possible. Visit Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Always remember that Jesus is present with us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Take the time to receive Him humbly, reverently, and frequently!
Each one of you brings your own candle, that is, the holy desire with which you receive and eat this sacrament. You candle by itself is unlit, and it is lighted when you receive this sacrament. I say it is unlit because by yourselves you are nothing at all. It is I who have given you the candle with which you can receive this light and nourish it within you. And your candle is love, because it is for love that I created you, so without love you cannot have life. (God speaking to St. Catherine - The Dialogue 110)
-J.
No comments:
Post a Comment