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Today we celebrate the
Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. Throughout
salvation history the chosen people kept alive the promise that God
would somehow bring salvation and forgiveness into the world. In the
mean time the Jewish people practiced a religion of ritual sacrifice.
For these people there was no forgiveness of sins without the shedding
of blood. By the time Solomon completed the Temple there was an entire
economy of sacrifice. Blood was poured out of the Temple by the gallons
in the hope of establishing a right relationships with God.
Who could have dreamed that the ultimate ritual sacrifice which would
finally bring salvation and forgiveness of sin into the world would mean
the sacrifice of God's own Son in his human flesh? The blood of sheep
and goats could at best symbolize the desire for forgiveness. In God's
plan the perfect sacrifice was Jesus freely laying down his life on the
cross.
How could so great an event in human history be limited to one place and
one time, for just a handful to see? In the gift of the Eucharist Jesus
has made this monumental gift, this sacrifice to end all sacrifices
present for every generation. At every Eucharist we experience the
events of Calvary in an unbloody way.
Sacrifice means saying "yes"
to God. On the cross Jesus proclaimed his "yes" to the Father by giving
up his very life for us. In each Eucharist we are invited to share this
eucharistic attitude with him. Jesus cannot die again in his human
nature. His glorified body is now seated at the right hand of the
Father. In order for the sacrifice of Calvary to be present at every
Eucharist we must let Christ die in our human nature. Each Eucharist is
our opportunity to say "yes" to the Father's will in our lives, to
participate in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of our lives we forget about the
powerful and holy mysteries which the Lord has entrusted to us. Each
Sunday as our congregation gathers to celebrate the Eucharist we are
privileged to share in one of the most important moments of human
history. It is a time to set all our other concerns aside. This Year of
the Eucharist is a time to say "yes" to the Father, "yes" to the Son,
and "yes” to the Holy Spirit of God who calls us to be one.
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