The Body of Christ. Amen.
This past Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi - the Most Sacred Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a celebration of that most precious thing which Christ gave up for us - His very own life, that our lives (and our souls) may be saved!
I was reminded several times over this past weekend that the Eucharist is not just something we receive on Sundays at church; rather, Eucharist is something that we do as a church, as a unified people of God - as THE Mystical Body of Christ. So often I feel that people have forgotten the true meaning of the Eucharist. How much of a habit the Eucharost has become! "The body of Christ. Amen. The blood of Christ. Amen." We receive each week, or even each day, but for many, Eucharist ends there. we have lost touch with what we so blindly and readily attest to each time we receive that communion wafer, and partake of that shared cup.
"THE BODY OF CHRIST"
"THE BLOOD OF CHRIST"
This is not simple bread and wine, these are not simple words - these are just about the most amazing words you will ever hear in your entire life! And how loved we are by God to have the opportunity to hear these words so regularly! But the regularity has, for many, turned the eucharistic celebration into just another thing we go to.
Eucharist is more than the wafer and wine that we receive. The entire Mass is Eucharist - it is Christ truly present in our lives. Many Catholics today focus so much on Christ's real presence in the bread and wine that they forget Christ is also present in the Word, in our neighbors and in all of creation. Notice that I said Christ is in our neighbors. Christ is in you!
Christ is in you! Christ is your Savior, your Redeemer, and He is in you! Are there any more beautiful words than these? The joy of these words is immense, but it often either forgotten - or worse, doubted! To lack faith in this matter is truly to turn your face from the loving light of God. But there is more than one difficulty in accepting this Awesome Truth.
First, to accept that Christ is within us is to accept that we are truly made in the image and likeness of God. This is not to say we look like God; rather, that we have been blessed with God's Spirit. Second, if we accept that Christ is within us, we must accept that Christ is also in others. Even in those we dislike. Yes, Christ's love extends to all men & women throughout the world, even to those who do not believe. Is this a challenge to accept? Of course! It can create feelings of resentment - why lead a good life when God will love you no matter what? The answer presents the third challenge of accepting that Christ is you - because you ARE Christ! I don't mean this in a blasphemous way, of course. I do not mean to say that you are God. What I man to say is that, if you accept Christ within you, you can't help but share that Christ with others, you truly become GOD'S LOVE for others! Are you amazed? Are you humbled? Are you afraid? YOU SHOULD BE!
Why? Why had God chosen ME to be His Love for others? Why has God chosen YOU to be this same Love? Because Christ died for you. He died for me. This death - this saving death - has created an eternal link between each and every one of us and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is no greater love than this, and that Love lives in you. Once you accept this and believe it, then every action you take, every word that you say, is done or said by Christ.
Accept Christ in your life and go forth and be Christ to the world!
I pray for you all! May you never feel darkness again.