Body and Blood of Jesus Christ (June 2, 2024)

Today the Church celebrates the fulfillment of God’s great desire to be one with his people –to establish an everlasting covenant with us – a covenant which guarantees our forgiveness and reconciliation. Jesus’ body is broken, and his blood poured out for us on the Cross. Jesus’ willingness to sacrifice himself so that we can be reconciled to God and to one another completes his Father’s loving plan – a new covenant is made permanent. Today’s Gospel account reminds us that Jesus gave us a continuing memorial of his loving sacrifice – a way for us today to share in his saving death and resurrection. Each time we come together to celebrate Eucharist, we break bread and share a cup that signifies the Body of Jesus broken and his Blood poured out for us. The Blood of Christ reminds us of an earlier covenant between God and his people. Like Israel of old, Jesus’ Blood forms us into a new people of God – the Church. During each Eucharist we proclaim, as they did, “All that God has said, we will do.” As we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus, we enter a deeper communion with Jesus and with one another. We become the Body of Christ present in our world. Like Jesus, we must become willing to do our Father’s will, opening ourselves to accepting a share of the sufferings that may entail. We are never alone in our efforts because sharing in Eucharist makes us a covenant community. Our oneness in Eucharist must lead us to oneness in daily living. Today’s feast is a strong reminder of the realities of our Christian life:

• Our God desires to be intimately one with us and the Eucharist is the place where that happens most clearly. As we eat Jesus’ Body and drink his Blood, he becomes one with us and we with him.
• Our sharing in Eucharist also draws us into deeper communion with all the members of the Church. We become more fully the Body of Christ.
• As the Body of Christ in our world, we continue the mission of Jesus to announce the good news of God’s love to all our brothers and sisters, especially those who need to hear that God loves them.

As we give thanks today for the great gift of the Body and Blood of Jesus in Eucharist, let us re-dedicate ourselves to living out our oneness in Jesus as we go about the daily tasks of living this week.