Corpus Christi
Exodus 24:3-8 Hebrews 9:11-15 Mark 14:12-16, 22-26
Saint Mark’s account of the Last Supper is drawn from the concepts of sacrifice and covenant as described in the Old Testament. Today’s liturgy shows how we need to understand these concepts in order to deepen our understanding of the Eucharist.
When we look at the history of humanity we find that once people became aware of a supreme being or of an invisible spirit they wanted to relate to that being. They began to rely on that spirit and they felt the need to give praise and thanks for benefits that they received. Today’s Psalm sums up their attitude: “How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me? (Ps 115).
Sacrifice means to make something sacred, that is, to remove it from everyday life so as to dedicate it especially to the sacred being. In olden times this sacrifice was usually in the form of food, food from an animal.
So, two important rituals developed: the sprinkling of the people with animal’s blood, followed by a sacrificial meal. This way they ratified a covenant (or relationship) with the deity. When they celebrated the sacrificial meal they believed that the god was at the table with them. Each year the great events of the Exodus were celebrated this way at Passover. In his gospel Mark introduces the account of the Last Supper by liking it to the Passover. The Lord renewed the old covenant at the Last Supper but it was with his own blood, which was to be poured out once and for all on Calvary. The high point of their celebration of the Last Supper was when Jesus instituted the Blessed Eucharist: “Take it, this is my Body ……. this is my Blood, the blood of the covenant which is to be poured out”. Then, as if the sacrifice was not yet complete, Jesus declared “I will not drink any more wine until the day I drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God.”
This is the future, the heavenly dimension of the Eucharist – when God will be given perfect praise in Heaven. That is why, when we celebrate the Eucharist we are invited to ‘lift up your hearts’ to give praise and thanks to God with the choirs of heaven, singing ‘Holy, Holy, Holy.’ That will be the Perfect Praise!
In celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi we are made aware of the continuous and constant presence of the Lord in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Our Corpus Christi processions of old and the ‘Forty Hours’ devotion helped us to somewhat understand the awesome reality of Jesus present to us in His Body and Blood. We do need constant reminding of this mystery, this Presence in our world.
The wonderful story of Bishop James Walsh, Maryknoll missionary, helps us to appreciate what we hold in the Eucharist. Bishop Walsh spent more than twenty years in a communist prison in China. His prayer life was sustained by a daily hour before the Blessed Sacrament. In a communist prison? The nearest church he knew of was in Japan, so each day he faced east towards Japan for an hour of Eucharistic prayer. What difference did a thousand miles make? In the eyes of Faith a thousand miles is no greater than a thousand millimetres.
Jesus is really and truly present, Body and Blood, in our tabernacles.