Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
June 18, 2006
 

Exodus 24: 3-8 Psalm 116 Hebrew 9: 11-15 Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

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1. In northern India, in a village a seven year old boy was really misbehaving. He tormented his little sister; he would not obey his mother. Neither threats nor bribes could cause him to change his behavior.  When the father came home, dusty and tired, the mother just looked worn out. She said she just could not do anything to manage the son. The uneducated and illiterate farmer went straight to his son. He just took him in his arms, and held him close. He rocked the child for nearly an hour, saying nothing. When he felt the tension and anger subside in the son, on then did he sit the child down on a rug. Then went in to have a shower and change his own clothes. The father did not do a college course Parenting 101. It just came naturally to him.

1a This story is the essence of the feast we celebrate today: the Feast of the Eucharist. Hundreds of homilies have been preached on this Feast. For me, this Feast moves from the realm of theory into our practical every day life in this way. God knows that we live in a world where there are a lot of good people, full of love and caring and generosity. But for the most part we seem to experience anger and hatred, jealousy and fierce competition, wars and retaliation. We read about these in the papers in Sri Lanka and East Timor, in Palestine and Israel, in Iraq and Sudan. In a lesser degree even in our peaceful Canada. And so God like the Indian farmer takes us in God’s arms, holds us close to the Heart and rocks us gently until we are at rest and at peace.

This is the Eucharist.

2. This feast started way back in Belgium, in the 13th Century to establish the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. It was ratified by Pope Urban IV in 1264. Through the centuries it came to be known as the Feast of Corpus Christ (in English: the Body of Christ.) It was celebrated on Holy Thursday, but because the penitential spirit of Lent prevented a celebration, it was moved to the first free Thursday after Pentecost. Now it is celebrated on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday. Together with this feast, we celebrated the Feast of the Precious Blood on the 1st July. However, after the Vatican Council, these two feasts were united. It was restored to the original spirit of the feast in the 13th Century. Now we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ and the feast on the 1st July is abrogated. When we receive either the Sacred Host or the Consecrated Wine - we receive the entire Christ.

2b However, this year, the emphasis by virtue of the Liturgy of the Word, all the three readings and even the Psalm 116 focuses more on Blood than on the joint symbol of Body and Blood.

We have Moses. He gathers the blood of the Sacrificed animals. He sprinkles this both on the altar and on the People. It might sound a bit gory and we might feel a little squeamish in our sanitized way of living. But in Africa, in the Caribbean, in India, - the people live in a culture where even today the blood of animals is poured out in expiation and propitiation. Blood signified Life and the pouring of the blood showed a Life poured out in acknowledgment of the honor due to the Almighty God.

 In the Psalm, although Blood is not mentioned, we have the Response which tells us of a “Cup of Salvation” - which can only contain some liquid.

 Hebrews speaks about the Priest, the Sacrifice The Priest who offers the sacrifice, the animal that is sacrificed through the pouring out of blood, and the pouring of Blood. But the writer of the Book of Hebrews informs us that none of this now necessary after the Slavonic Act of Jesus. Jesus replaces all three. Jesus is the Priest. Jesus is the Sacrifice. The blood of Jesus is poured out in the sacrifice.

 And the Gospel although it speaks of the Bread that is broken, the largest part of the Gospel deals with the Blood that is poured out for our salvation.

3. And so we see Jesus as he raises the Cup of Blessing. It is not merely a Cup that we see on our Altars these days, gold or some other precious metal Chalice encrusted with Jewels. But it is a Cup of Blessing because it is shared by many. It is shared that we may be one.

We cannot help remember that it is from many grapes that one Wine is made, and from the One cup the members of One Body are united as one.

 Jesus also raises the Cup of wine to signify a Cup of Plenty. It is a sign of the abundance of the Love of God - who contains riches for everyone. Although the Great Lakes of Canada are limited and we can go from one shore to the other, I find them a good example of the Limitlessness of the Love of God. We can all go to the Lake with a cup or even a bucket, and there is enough for each one of us and then some more. This is the Cup of Plenty that Jesus offers to the Father.

4. And so on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, if we cannot remember all the ideas involved in this great Mystery, - we will find it difficult to forget the picture of that Indian Father who rocked his child into peace and rest. The Eucharist is God loves way of giving us Peace. The Eucharist is God loves way of uniting us in spite of our differences and failures.

 On this Solemn feast, our call is to be the Body of the Lord in this world, to be the Arms of God to embrace those who feel unloved, unwanted, and alone and abandoned - even when they are surrounded by material wealth and security. We must know the Passion of a God who chooses to be with us in a manner that we can touch and taste, see and hear. May we continue to drink of this Cup of salvation, this Cup of Blessing, this Cup, the sign of Plenty?