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This
weekend the Church throughout the world celebrates Corpus Christi Sunday, the
commemoration of the institution of Jesus’ Body and Blood in the Holy
Eucharist. At the Last Supper, Jesus speaks to his disciples in words that sum
up the whole of the Law and the Prophets: “This is my Body, given for you.
This cup is the new covenant in my Blood.” He distributes his Body and Blood
under the form of bread and wine and instructs the apostles to repeat his words
and actions of that moment over and over again in his memory. By transforming
the bread into his Body and the wine into his Blood, he anticipates his death
and he transforms it into an action of love. In doing so, Jesus turns the
violent and painful act of crucifixion into the ultimate act of love and
self-giving. This initial action is the first transformation which set in motion
a series of transformations leading ultimately to the conversion of the whole
world.
This
transformation is something that is very familiar to the human understanding,
for our world is constantly being transformed: spring into summer, seeds into
plants, dawn into daylight. And
to this common event of life, Jesus adds a new transformation: violence is
transformed into love, and death into life. This conversion, which began with
the Last Supper, is continued according to Jesus’ mandate to “do this in
memory of me.” Pope Benedict XVI uses the image of nuclear fission in
referring to the transforming nature of the Eucharist. As close as I can
remember from high school science, nuclear fission is the splitting of an atom
which produces energy and in turn begins a chain reaction that splits again and
again, producing more and more energy. Thus, the initial explosion triggers a
series of transformations. The exact same is true by Jesus’ initial act of
sacrificial love — each time we celebrate Mass, we are renewed by the
transformative power of Christ’s sacrifice.
But
that transformation does not stop there. On the contrary, the process of
transformation must now gather momentum. The Body and Blood of Christ are given
to us so that we ourselves will be transformed. Each time we receive Jesus in
the Blessed Sacrament, we are called to be transformed — to allow the Lord to
change us and to make us more like him. But the transformation cannot end there.
We, in turn, are called to go forth to transform the world. You see, that is
where Benedict’s idea of nuclear fission plays out — the continual
transformation that continually extends and grows throughout the world. Each one
of us participating in Mass and receiving the Eucharist plays a part in
Christ’s transformation of the world.
So
this weekend, in addition to celebrating the importance of the Eucharist in the
Church, we also celebrate the transforming power that the Blessed Sacrament has
in our lives and in our world. We can never underestimate the power that comes
in our participation at Mass and our reception of the Eucharist.
SOUL
of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds, hide me.
Separated from Thee let me never be.
From the malignant enemy, defend me.
At the hour of death, call me.
To come to Thee, bid me,
That I may praise Thee in the company
Of Thy Saints, for all eternity. Amen.
~St. Ignatius of Loyola
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