How many watched the Belmont Stakes horse race? I was reminded of a story about a 19th century traveling preacher who trained his horse to gallop whenever he said, "thank God" and to stop whenever he said, "amen."
One day the horse was heading toward a cliff in full gallop. The frightened preacher said "amen!" and the horse stopped at the very edge. The preacher was so relieved he said "thank God!" The preacher was never heard from again. I guess the lesson is: don’t forget your codes.
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, in Latin Corpus Christi, in Greek the Eucharistia or thanksgiving.
I would like to highlight the significance of this sacrificial meal.
In the course of human history there have been many impressive meals. For example:
At the first, so the Book of Genesis says, the appetizer was forbidden fruit. That meal turned into a catastrophe.
The Passover, the Seder meal, is a remembrance of God bringing the ancient Hebrews “out of the house of slavery.”
Families celebrate at the meal table memorable events like holidays, birthdays, graduations, vacations, retirements.
The altar or table of the Lord is the center of our global Catholic community. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper, the mystery of the dying and rising of Jesus Christ, so that we can re-experience our salvation and nourish the life of God within us. We hear the powerful words of Jesus, “do this in memory of me,” “this is my body, this is my blood,” “take and eat, take and drink.” What an awesome experience this is!
What does the word of God say to us on this feast of Corpus Christi?
The word takes us back to the Hebrews in the wilderness after their escape from Egypt. Moses renewed the covenant God made with their forebears. The author of Deuteronomy notes their hunger: not only for food but for God. Think of the hungers of people today: for bread, for truth, for justice, for peace and for God.
Yes, we need God’s living word as much as we need food. We give thanks and consider ways in which we can share our blessings, especially with the needy.
Paul in his letter speaks about the presence of the Risen Christ not only in the bread we break but also in one another. We are all one human family. The Eucharist symbolizes our oneness. Sadly, things often appear otherwise, with focus on superficials. Let us focus on essentials: on our God-given gifts for the community.
In the Gospel, Jesus says that he is the bread of life; whoever eats this bread has eternal life. This “I am” is one of the seven “I am” sayings that allude to Jesus's divinity.
We find in the word of God today three historical moments. Each is an exodus, a going out.
First, the thirteenth century BC. The Hebrews’ escape from their oppressors was a wonder of wonders. That is why, in the Seder service, Jewish families proclaim: “... it is our duty to thank, praise … and adore the God who did all of these miracles.” Each Passover is a feast of hope.
Next, the exodus of the first century. St. Paul speaks of a tradition handed on. The lamb that God had the Hebrews eat prefigures “the lamb who takes away the sins of the world,” Jesus Christ. The bread and wine are the real presence of the living Christ, “flesh and blood,” given for and to us.
Jesus’s last supper begins his exodus or “going out” from this earthly life, back to his heavenly Father. To eat and drink is to proclaim Jesus's death until he comes again. Each Eucharist is a feast of hope which deepens our expectation.
Third, our exodus today. In another passage of John’s Gospel, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples at his last supper and says: this was “an example: as I have done, so you must do.”
“Going out” in service is essential for the Christian. I recall the connection Martin Luther King, Jr. made when he observed: “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important.”
The Eucharist forms us into a vibrant faith community. Yes, the Eucharist is the real presence of the living Christ. Yet it is an empty gesture unless we go forth to feed the hungers of others—for bread, truth, justice and peace, for God. To paraphrase a hymn: Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today. We must be present to others, especially by being men and women of moral character, trying to choose what is true and good and right in all decisions. Then we will experience our own exodus or “going out.”
We pray that the God who dwells in us will grace us so that we can bring the God of hope and love to others through our service to one another. Amen.
