The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
What is the most precious thing you have gifted to someone? You’d probably agree with me that the dearer the person, the more generous we are. The more we love somebody the more deeply we give. Think of today’s feast of Corpus Christi as God’s complete and total self-gift to us. It is an expression not only of God’s immense love for us, but also of how precious we are to God.
I would like to reflect on each of the scripture reading from the perspective of God’s love and self-gift to us.
Covenantal Love
The first reading (Ex 24:3-8) is the description of a primitive covenant making ceremony. Traditionally, this was called the covenant ‘cutting’ ceremony. The covenanters would cut into each other's arm and suck the blood, the mixing of the blood rendering them ‘brothers of the covenant.’ It also meant that breach of the covenant would be paid in blood. But when it came to the Covenant between God and human beings, there was no way to mingle human and divine blood. The blood of animals would become the substitute. Moses sacrificed young bulls and sprinkled half its blood upon the altar and half upon the people as he read God’s Law to them. The ceremony was more than just a social contract. It symbolized covenantal love. This is the most significant part of this particular covenant cutting ceremony. It symbolized a deep and committed relationship – God with people and people with God. In the same way that God loved people, people were being invited to a committed a covenantal love for God.
The New Covenant
The second reading from the letter to the Hebrews (9:11-15) takes us a step forward. It talks about a better and New Covenant. What makes this new covenant better is that unlike in the Old Testament, God was physically present in Jesus. Moreover, the new covenant is not sealed by the blood of animals but by Jesus’ own blood. Third, in the New Covenant God did not just give the people a set of laws. By the shedding of his blood Jesus gave people a new lease on life. This is an act of total self-giving. Behind the self-giving is God’s love for humanity. This New Covenant says that God loves humanity so immensely that God’s self-gift is total; that God loves humanity so immeasurably that God’s self-gift is unconditional; that God’s us loves so deeply that God gives to us in the deepest possible way.
We Are the Sacrament of God's Love
Today’s gospel reading (Mk 14:12-16, 22-26) takes us yet another step forward. At that last Passover that Jesus celebrated with the disciples, he took bread and said, “This is my body.” And then he took the cup and said, “This is my blood.” The account we have from Mark does not end the narrative with the words, “Do this in remembrance of me.” But the other gospels and Paul include the memorial as an essential element of the last Passover (I Cor 11:24,25). Today we are here to do what Christ himself has asked us to do in his memory. We gather to “do this is remembrance of me.” On the one hand, the Eucharist is the reenactment of the Last Supper. Bread is transformed into the Body of Christ and wine is transformed into the Blood of Christ. But there is yet another transformation. We who eat of his body and drink of his blood become the Body of Christ. In other words, today, now we are the sacrament of God’s covenantal love. Today we are the gifts that God gives to the world. In us, the world knows God’s covenantal, unconditional, immeasurable and deep love.
A covenant requires that both parties play their respective roles. Christ has done his part. Now we must do ours. As the body of Christ, and Christ’s gift to the world, let us make real Christ’s love for the world. Let us be the Body of Christ.
As the bread and wine is brought to the altar and is transformed into the body and blood of Christ, let us be like the people in today’s first reading and say, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do." Let us become what we celebrate; let us become the Eucharist, the body and blood Christ, the love and self-gift of the Lord.
- Satish Joseph