Ex 24, 3-8 / Heb 9, 11-15 / Mk14, 12-16, 22-26
We
celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. That is the formal name of our feast
today. In fact, we are celebrating what
we as church continually celebrate. Today
we are celebrating the Eucharist. Because
the Eucharist is so central and familiar to us as Catholics, I want to reflect
on this sacrament which so clearly identifies us as disciples of Jesus.
I
think it very important for us to remember and appreciate the context in which
Jesus gave us the Eucharist. It is our
founding memory as a community of disciples.
Jesus takes bread – blesses, breaks and gives it to his friends saying: “Take
this and eat it. It is my body which is
given for you.” Also he takes a cup of
wine – blesses and gives it to them saying: “This is my blood of the new covenant poured
out for you and for many.” Then Jesus
adds: “Do this – as my memorial.”
The
context is crucial to understanding what is being said here. The community of disciples that Jesus had
worked so hard to nurture is about to disintegrate. Judas has already sold him out. Peter, in whom he had put such special trust,
will desert and deny him. And Peter will
soon be followed by all the other disciples.
In the face of denial, desertion and his own death Jesus chooses to share
himself – to share his life. And he
chooses to give himself – to share himself with the very ones who will do the
denying and deserting. That first
eucharistic assembly was a community of the unwilling, the unworthy and
unbrave.
In
Jesus’ understanding it was absolutely right that he entrust himself to
sinners, to the weak and unreliable because he was acting in hope – hope in God
– hope in what God can do working through our very human lives. In Jesus’ understanding there’s more – much
more to us – than what we do of ourselves alone. There’s life in us. There’s God’s own life in us. There’s the Spirit of Life in us – the same
Spirit of Life as in Jesus.
Contemporary
images make blood a sign of gore. Just
watch TV to see how much blood is used to grab our attention. But in Jesus’ Jewish imagination blood meant
“life”, “haim” in Hebrew. I’m sure
you’ve heard the Jewish toast: “L’haim” “To life”. In our first reading, when Moses sprinkles
blood over the people at the reading of the covenant, he is sprinkling them
with the sign of God’s life to which they are committing themselves. So intimate was the association of blood with
life that kosher rules for food preparation required the blood of animals be
drained from them before cooking. The
fear was that taking in an animal’s blood would make one act like an animal.
When
Jesus identifies the wine with his own blood, he is identifying it with his own
life. Drink in – take in my life – my
way – my values – my attitude to life – my love. Live as I live. Love as I love.
We
are the direct descendants of that first eucharistic community. Today we make up the community of the unwilling,
the unworthy and unbrave. And again
Jesus acts and speaks among us in great hope – hope in the Spirit of God
already in us – hope in the life of God already acting within us. Jesus’ life – Jesus’ Spirit moving,
motivating and shaping us.
“Do
this”, Jesus says to us. “Do this – as
my memorial.” Do my way! Do my life!
Do my love! Do not withhold
yourself from one another. That is my
way! Pour your life into the lives of
others – into the lives of sinners – into the lives of those who are weak and
unreliable. Let your love’s hospitality
be like mine – shockingly expansive and shamelessly inclusive.
We
celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. But we must become what we celebrate. We must become the holy body and blood of
Christ by embracing the human completely and compassionately – all our brothers
and sisters – with their joys and hopes – and with their sins and sorrows.
In
the Letter to the Hebrews we read: “[Jesus] is mediator of a new
covenant…” He is that mediator through
us – now becoming his body and blood for the life of the world. Let us then recall the words of consecration
we hear said at every Eucharist. They are
our words of consecration. They tell us
who we are. “…blood of the new, eternal
covenant… poured out… for the forgiveness of sins.” Let us become what we recall and
celebrate. Let our lives be poured out
to others in a love that forgives.
Fr. Pat Earl, SJ
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