Word to the Wise
Sunday, June 6, 2021 - Sunday after Trinity Sunday: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (formerly called Corpus Christi"") - A"
[Exodus 24:3-8; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14::12-16, 22-26]While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many." [Mark]
How does one compress the meaning of the event we call "the Last Supper" into a few sentences? As soon as we say the words "eucharist" or "communion" we reveal an interpretation of Jesus' actions on that fateful evening. The celebration of the Last Supper is more specifically commemorated on Holy Thursday when the event is situated within all the actions of Holy Week. The celebration of Corpus Christi takes the consecrated bread and wine, the Body and Blood of the Lord, out of that context! Yet, each celebration of what we call "the Mass" is meant to commemorate all that happened in Holy Week, and not just the personal "communion" of the individual worshiper with the Lord.
"Sacrifice, liberation from sin, covenant" - these are all part of a larger meaning of what the Second Vatican Council calls the "source and summit" of Catholic faith. Adoration of the sacred host is not meant to make an "object" of Jesus. It is meant to recall the covenant with his disciples and the mission he entrusted to them. Jesus and the disciples didn't just go home after that meal. They went to the Garden of Gethsemane!
The traditional procession with the Blessed Sacrament on this feast day is a comforting historical Catholic devotion. And we are relieved at the gradual lifting of COVID restrictions and parking lot communions. If nothing else, this can remind us of the "liberating" significance of what Jesus asked us to do in his memory. The transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord is also meant to transform those who receive it into disciples who live out its meaning. AMEN