Sunday Reflections

The Lord god Vishnu asked his angels to survey his people and ask them what they needed.  Gone for a long time, they finally returned with their report.  “Well,” he said, “what do they need?”  “Your people are hungry,” they angels replied, “they need food.”  “Then,” Vishnu said, “I will leave myself as bread.”  This Sunday on the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ or Corpus Christi, as many well remember.

After his resurrection and ascension, the physical Jesus was no longer accessible to humanity but the Holy Spirit of God came to continue his abiding presence.  However, since our faith is primarily rooted and shaped by our human senses, we needed something tangible. Jesus left himself as bread and wine to nourish us and keep us strong.  In the same vulnerable manner that he came into this world as a helpless infant, he continues to come to us in vulnerable form of communion.

Just as many did not recognize him as God in human form, so too the same blindness often clouds our awareness of what is available to us in communion.  Jesus Christ, the beginning and end, the alpha and the omega, the creator of the universe and savior of all, literally places himself into our hands regardless of what is in our hearts or minds.  He does this for the same reason he died for us — love.  Our souls are hungry for God even though, we forget to come to the table to eat.  The years of Covid seem to have worsened people’s church attendance.  But like food for the body, although we can live for a while without it, eventually, we will die.  The same happens with our spiritual life.

The next time you go to holy communion perhaps stop trying to figure out the incredible theological mystery of what or how Christ can be present in the bread and wine; instead hear the words, “I love you.”  If we can do this, we will heed the words of St. Augustine, “Christians, become what you eat.”