Reflection on the Feast of Corpus Christi (the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ)

I suspect that a goodly number of Catholics will go to church today just because it is their obligation. Maybe they will pray a little or mutter a few responses. Or maybe they will use the time to prepare their grocery list for shopping after Mass, or plan their activities for the coming week because what is going on around them does not capture their interest. They are in a large parish where people do not linger to form any kind of community. They have never been updated in understanding of their faith to an adult version so they know only what they learned as children. They will go back to their usual routines uninspired but satisfied that they have fulfilled their obligation. 

When we talk about poverty we don’t often think about this kind of poverty.  Many people have been deprived of the richness of faith — which is not obligation – but the realization that our God loves us and is present to us at all times and in every situation. When a person knows he or she is loved, it makes a huge difference in their sense of self-worth and in their relationship with God.  

God understands and loves the people who are simply fulfilling an obligation on Sunday mornings. We humans are the ones who can change things. We are the ones who have not found a way to educate adults in their faith. Valiant efforts have been made but just not enough. Sometimes it only takes a little conversation to peak another person’s interest and set them on a path to greater understanding.

Today we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi. I have to admit that I struggle with what Jesus meant when he said to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Our current theology stresses the presence of God everywhere and in everything. If that is true, is God not already present in the bread and wine? Is God any more present in the Eucharist? How do we understand it? 

Here is what I think: Paul says we humans are the body of Christ. Jesus said, “When two or three are gathered together, there am I in their midst.” He also said, ”When you do this, remember me.” I think that when we gather to remember to do what Jesus taught us, to share the bread together, we are inserting ourselves into that last meal with his disciples. We are the disciples, the body of Christ. In those moments God is present as always but because we are more focused, our desire for God is stronger, so God’s presence is a more intense experience. God isn’t more present, we are. I think forming community was a very strong part of Jesus’ plan, and he often did that around a meal because that is what brings people together. Unfortunately, we have to use our imaginations to see our use of wafers as breaking bread.

Of course we don’t always experience ourselves as the body of Christ. God knows I can come to a Communion service or Mass physically but not mentally. I am not paying attention. I’m thinking about all kinds of other things. All of us have days like that. On the other hand, on good days, I may come ready to listen, very conscious of why I am there, more aware of my companions, and more aware that I am there as a member of the whole body of Christ. I am more alert to the presence of God in and around me as I share this bread with my fellow believers. It is not just Jesus and me, but Jesus and us. We are his community, we are his body, and we are God’s  people, God’s beloved little ones.

Our God knows what it is like to be human. God has inserted God’s self into all of matter from the smallest grain of sand to the largest star in the universe. The whole of creation is a container for God’s love. God walks in our mud, in the heat of the desert, in the rubble of bombed cities and in the castles of the rich. God doesn’t care if we are wealthy or poor, intelligent or intellectually challenged, fashionable or grungy. God just wants to love and be loved and for us to love one another. That’s why we are here this morning. That’s why we share this bread and remember all that Jesus did for us. We want to respond to God’s love.

Here is something  else I have been pondering. I think we can assume that scientists are credible when they tell us that the whole universe is made up of tiny waves and particles. We may not have any understanding of it all but someone out there does. 

They tell us that these waves and particles communicate with each other not only in close proximity but even at a distance. So here’s what has been going on in my mind:

What if when I say a prayer for you, one of my waves or particles goes out to meet one of your wave particles and even vice versa. Wouldn’t that be cool? And don’t forget, God is also present in those waves and particles. Maybe that is how prayer works.

What if when we gather together for prayer or a Communion service, we are actually exchanging waves and particles? Jesus was human so he was also made up of waves and particles, and he promised to be in our midst when we gather in prayer. Is this how we become the body of Christ? Is that how we are united to Jesus?

There! I’ve said it out loud, and I leave it with you to ponder. I suspect God is saying, “So, Eileen, you think you’ve got it figured out, do you? Well like I told you, eye has not seen and ear has not heard, so keep on pondering.”