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Corpus Christi - the Body of Christ

An Open Letter to the ABCs of Faith

This weekend, we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi, The Body of Christ. As Catholics, we believe that Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist, and each time we participate in Communion, we become united with Him and each other through His precious Blood.

The Eucharist used to be the center of our Catholic Faith. Throughout the past three decades, many of today's American Catholics have come to ignore this great mystery of our faith. With polls showing that less than 30 percent of Catholics in the United States believe in the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist, it is no wonder that priestly vocations are down and the Catholic divorce rate is so high. The Eucharist, and its proper reverence, is key to the success of both marriage and ordination.

In 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, St. Paul warns that partaking in the Eucharist can do us more harm than good. When taken unworthily, we drink judgment on ourselves (cf. 1 Cor 11:27-29). He states, in verse 31, that if we discerned ourselves, we would not be under judgment. How often do we as Catholics discern our recent decisions and actions before accepting the Lord into our body? Do we take the Lord in the Eucharist as just something to do each week? Do we fully understand the repercussions of taking part in the Lord's Supper without first repenting and having a desire to change and become more like Him?

In the first celebration of Corpus Christi, the twelve apostles gathered in the upper room. All but one was in communion with what Jesus was teaching them. It was Judas who had other ideas. After partaking in the Lord, he left the scene and betrayed the one he called Teacher and Master. Are you like Judas? Do we present ourselves to the Lord with our own agenda, doing whatever we deem necessary to bring about our own will? Do you leave the celebration early to "do your own thing?" Or are you like the beloved disciple described in John 13:25, reclining at Jesus' side, resting your head on him, fully in Communion with Him?

In John 13:27, we find that at the Last Supper, Judas received the Body of the Lord and then left our Lord's company forever. Turning back to 1 Corinthians 11:30, St. Paul tells us that the reason for the sickness in our community is because we are taking the Body and Blood of our Lord in an unacceptable manner. We, in fact, are cursed like Judas when we don't properly discern and prepare ourselves for this holy feast. Not only is it a danger to us individually, but we are also affecting the entire community of believers and we all suffer for it.

In the early 1970s, the focus of the Eucharist binding us as a community began to wane. Catholics began holding hands during the Lord's prayer and saw this action as the vehicle for bringing themselves together as a community. The Mystery of the Mass and Eucharist was fading. American Catholics no longer saw the Mass as a communal gathering of Catholics throughout the world, but as a gathering of an individual parish community. In fact, in 1975, the Congregation for Divine Worship published, in its official publication Notitiae, that "the practice of holding hands during the Lord's Prayer should be repudiated." The committee knew that if we Catholics began emphasizing the communal gathering within the parish, that it would lead us farther from the true meaning of the Eucharist and the Universal Church. Thus, our vertical relationship with God, through the Body and Blood of Christ, is what makes us a community that does not know the boundaries of any one parish or diocese.

In the mystery of the Eucharist, the Church teaches us that "the whole Church is united with the offering and intercession of Christ" (Catholic Catechism, 1369). In essence, the celebration of the Mass is not just a gathering of an individual community, our horizontal relationship with each other; it is a gathering of all Catholics in our vertical relationship with God. This includes faithful Catholics throughout the world, the Saints in Heaven, and the faithful departed who are being purified in Purgatory (CC 1370-1371).

Mother Mary, please pray for us that we may accept Christ's true presence in the Eucharist and help us prepare ourselves to be worthy of receiving this precious gift of grace. Grace and peace to you all.

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With Eternal Brotherly LoveRichard
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For related topics, see The Bible and the Lord's Supper and Mary and the Bible

Your link to "Reflections of the Saints" and other articles submitted by Richard Sojka