Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Blood and Body of Christ

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

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This is one of my favorite feasts.  It celebrates the ultimate in self-giving, not only to lay down one’s life for another but, further, to freely give one’s essence to another.  This story of the feeding of the 5,000 is the only one of Jesus’ miracles that appears in all four Gospels. In Luke’s version the feeding of the crowd is not the result of Jesus’ compassion for the crowd.  It is an incentive to the disciples to do something about the problem they perceive.  When they want Jesus to send the crowd away so they (the crowd and themselves) can get something to eat, Jesus tells them,  “Give the people some food on your own.”  When we come to the Eucharistic table, hungry for the Word of God and the Body of Christ, what does the Jesus, in the person of the priest say?  “Take this, all of you, and eat of this.  Take this, all of you, and drink.”

That’s the challenge before us.  What, exactly, does Jesus mean by “food.”?  The story is about food for the body in a deserted place.  People who live in fear and hiding lest they be persecuted or killed over the practice of their religion certainly live in a deserted place.  The “food” they desire is the courage, the support to sustain them in faith.  We pray that all people of goodwill will find strength in hope, convinced that, as St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come.” (Romans 8:18)  In the midst of current challenges may they, and we, seek the kingdom and find strength in hope.

I recall in 1959-60 when our wood-frame convent was condemned by the fire department.  The townspeople responded with open hearts when they were asked: “May we live with you until we can build a new house?”  We certainly felt “welcomed as Christ” – the people viewed it a privilege to house the sisters and some of our boarding school students.

PS     I will share another true little story with a Eucharist theme.

One day (in a Montessori class of 4-5 year-olds) I had shown a filmstrip.  (Remember them?  They were the precursors of PowerPoint and Smart Boards.)    After the class had viewed the story of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, I asked them to tell me the story.  Martha was so animated that the rest of the class sat mesmerized as she explained how it happened.  “There was a little boy named Benjamin who had some bread.  He gave it to Jesus.  Jesus raised his eyes to heaven, thanked his Heavenly Father, and said (click your fingers) Bing!  And there was enough for everyone!”  He said what?  “You heard him – he said BING and there was enough for everyone!” (Clue: The cue to move to the next picture frame.)

I think it is safe to predict you won’t hear Fr. Pat (our celebrant) at Mass say “BING” – although it may ring in your head.  However, at the sacred words of consecration there will be enough for everyone – enough of Jesus for our whole world!  He is only depending on us to make room in our hearts and in our lives to respond generously and without hesitance to his query: “Where may I eat today? Where may I rest?”

~Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

Have a good week! In your kindness: pray for protection for violent weather, good growing season, and for adequate health care benefits and food for  ALL the hungers of the body and heart.

 

 

First Reading: Genesis 14:18-20              Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Gospel Reading: Luke 9:11b-17
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Transubstantiation

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Have you ever met anyone, (or maybe you’ve been counted among those) who found the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation a bit hard to accept?  Maybe just for a minute or two you may have wondered how Jesus could talk about eating his flesh and drinking his blood?  At the words in this Gospel, so many of Jesus’ disciples abandoned him that Jesus asked the twelve if they also planned to quit.

Jesus’ statements had caused arguments to break out within the crowd and gave Jesus the opportunity to move the conversation to the next level. The crowd begins to express confusion over how Jesus can give his flesh for them to eat.  Jesus senses the restlessness but does not avoid the topic.  Rather he makes an even more offensive statement: they will need to eat his flesh and drink his blood. He had spoken before about “eating” the bread from heaven, using a very common word.  Now He switches to a less common word that has a connotation closer to “munch” or “gnaw”, a graphic word noisy eating, the sort of eating like an animal or your brother crunching a mouthful of fresh potato chips.  But that is not the important point; this is eating that is urgent, even desperate. It is eating as though your life depends on it, because it does. 

So, how did the early Christians interpret Jesus’ challenging words?  History tells us that the pagan Romans made charges against the Christians for cannibalism. They had heard that when these people met, they ate and drank human blood.  Not many Christians themselves questioned the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist till the Middle Ages. In trying to explain how bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ, several theologians went astray and needed to be corrected by Church authority. Then St. Thomas Aquinas came along and offered an explanation that became classic.  The Eucharist, he said, is the one instance of change we encounter in this world that is exactly the opposite. The appearances of bread and wine stay the same, but the very essence or substance of these realities, is totally transformed. What was once bread and wine are now Christ’s body and blood. A unique word “transubstantiation” was coined, and remains to this day, to an effort to explain the miracle of the changing of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus.

Such an awesome gift deserves its own feast. And that’s why, the feast of Corpus Christi was proposed by Thomas Aquinas to Pope Urban IV, who created a feast focused solely on the Holy Eucharist, emphasizing the joy of the Eucharist being the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.

When I ponder our Gospel reading, which is the same as that used for the Feast of Corpus Christi, it strikes me that with Christmas we were touched with joy and awe at the birth of the God-man Jesus.  At Easter we explode with ALLELUIA at the resurrection of our Savior.  The Ascension leaves us quietly looking upward, outward waiting in expectation for “what’s next?”  Then, comes the solemnity of the Trinity – the mystery that baffles us … that God is so great, so awesome that only in three persons can all the divine manifestations be expressed.  And, today, the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ – this touches, awakens in us feelings we can hardly express – that our God, our Jesus, our Savior would choose to gift us in such a personal, intimate way!  Our Creator-God chooses to be “assimilated within the body of the creature.”  His body and blood become, over and over, absorbed into my body – His blood courses in my veins … invading every fiber of my being.   When the priest (or Eucharist minister) presents the host or chalice, looks us in the eye and says: “Body of Christ!”  “Blood of Christ” – we are overcome with the awesomeness of this gift. All we can manage to say is “AMEN” – so be it – AMEN!

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

Pray for students beginning a new term …  for healthy friendships,  academic success, nurturing teachers and stimulating extracurricular activities.

 

 

First Reading:   Proverbs 9:1-6         Second Reading:  Ephesians 5:15-20
Gospel:   John 6:51-58
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“Don’t simply seek to find a place for Jesus in your life; live your whole life in Jesus.”

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With the singing of the Vigil this past Saturday evening, we begin our celebration of the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ – once called Corpus Christi (but that only refers to the Body of Christ).  I suspect many of us can recall when this was an all-day in-church occasion with processions and Benediction in three locations?  I can remember that but I recall most vividly enduring curlers in my hair.  I had stringy, VERY straight hair and my mother did not consider braids or a ponytail appropriate for church.  So I slept with toilet paper twists in my hair to make curls that barely lasted until the end of Mass.  Before lunch my hair was secured in bobby pin twists to get me through the afternoon processions.  Not a very holy memory but one that certainly marks this day as special.

In the Gospel account just read, Mark describes for us only those elements of the Passover that he believes to be most essential: Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it and shared it with his disciples.  Similar words and actions follow as Jesus shares the chalice with his disciples.  And don’t you love the part about where the Passover will be celebrated!  Go to town.  You will see a man with a jug on his shoulder.  (Another evangelist says, “you’ll see a man with a donkey.”)  Ask him “Where is your guest room, where we may eat the Passover meal.”  Isn’t that what Jesus says to us when He appears in the person of the guest, the stranger: “Where is your guest room, where may I eat?”

I think back to 1959-60 when our original wood-frame convent-home building was condemned by the fire department.  The local community responded with generous hearts when we asked, “May our Sisters and academy girls live with your family and on the third floor of Saint Anthony School until we can build a new house.”  We certainly felt “welcomed as Christ” – the people saw it as a privilege to meet our need.  Over the course of this year we will have our turn to return the favor.  Gradually we will begin to open our doors wider.

Today, each and every day Jesus asks each of us … “have you reserved a guest room for Me in your heart?  Where I may rest, where I may eat a meal with you?  Our corporate commitment continues to challenge us to “respond with the compassion of Christ to the hungers of God’s people.”  I envision Jesus, his cloak open wide, to envelope all creation – no space between peoples – ALL persons gathered with, and into, Christ.

Pondering the significance of this feast (other than curlers in my hair), it strikes me that with Christmas we are touched with joy and awe at the birth of Christ.  At Easter we explode with ALLELUIA at the resurrection of our Savior.  The Ascension leaves us quietly looking upward, waiting in expectation for “what’s next?”  Then, comes the solemnity of the Trinity – the mystery that baffles us … that God is so great, so awesome that only in three persons can all the divine manifestations be expressed.  And today; the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ – this touches, awakens in us feelings we can hardly express – that our God, our Jesus, our Savior would choose to gift us in such a personal, intimate way.  The Psalmist knew a close relationship with God.  Sometimes on a 1:1, face-to-face basis.  In Psalm 103 we pray, “The Holy One enfolds us in tenderness, fills our life with richness, renewing our youth like an eagle’s.”  We, who live since Jesus’ coming on earth … how privileged we are!  Our God and Savior chooses to be assimilated within the body of the creature.  His body and blood become, over and over, absorbed into my body – His blood courses in my veins.  Did you ever wonder how an aspirin knows where you ache?  Or an antibiotic knows what to attack?  Is it heresy to say: Jesus attaches himself to every fiber of my being?  When the Eucharistic minister and I look each other in the eye, the minister says: “Body of Christ.”  Note the minister does not say “This is the Body of Christ.”  No, it is greeting that the minister and communicant exchange.  The one greets us: “Body of Christ” – it’s a greeting not an announcement.  Our one-word response, AMEN, acknowledges, “You, too, are the are the Body of Christ. AMEN!”

Some of you have heard this story from my first year as a CCD teacher.  Sister Rosaria, the pastor and I were unsure if Jimmy had sufficient reasoning to make First Communion.  (How little we understood!)  On First Communion Sunday, following the Consecration, when the priest elevated the Host, the child’s voice could be heard by everyone in the church.  With awe in his voice he said aloud: “Here He comes!”  A lesson to us all.  Yes, here He comes!  He is only depending on us to make room in our hearts, in our lives to respond generously and unhesitantly to his query: “Where is your guest room?  Where may I rest; where may I eat a meal with you?”

~ Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

First Reading:  Exodus 24:1-6
Second Reading:  Hebrews 9:11-15       Gospel:  Mark 14:14:12-16; 22-26
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