posted on June 06, 2010 11:21
Before people became aware that overindulgence in food produced a national epidemic of obesity, many flocked to restaurants that advertised, “All you can eat!” Some of them are now paying dearly to take off what they have put on. The feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) puts a very different spin on that phrase “All you can eat!” Jesus feeds us with bread that is more than mere bread, and in his own prodigality he continues to invite us to eat all that we need to be satisfied. At the Last Supper Jesus said: “Take and eat, this is my body; Take and drink, this is my blood.”
The presence of Jesus in the Eucharist in the form of bread and wine is not symbolical, but real presence. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.” During the Mass, at consecration, the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ. This change is called transubstantiation - one substance changes into another.
Jesus is present in the Eucharist as our bread of life. Those who come either infrequently to the Lord’s table, or approach it in an unworthy manner, are depriving themselves of food they need to nourish the divine life given to each of us at Baptism. As Jesus says: "He who eats My Flesh and drinks My blood will abide in Me and I in him" (Jn. 6:56). However, Eucharist is not our right, but God’s gift, which must be received with a contrite heart: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you.” This should help us to practice the profound advice of St Augustine: "Believe what you eat; eat what you believe and become what you eat."
Fr Victor G. D’Souza