The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi, connect us to the Covenant that is enfleshed by Christ and reveals our true identity as children of God.
The reading from the Book of Exodus describes ratification of the Covenant by Moses.
* [24:4] Sacred stones: stone shafts or slabs, erected as symbols of the fact that each of the twelve tribes had entered into this covenant with God; see 23:24; Gn 28:18. (Exodus, n.d.)
Psalm 116 is a thanksgiving for Recovery from Illness.
* [Psalm 116] A thanksgiving in which the psalmist responds to divine rescue from mortal danger (Ps 116:3–4) and from near despair (Ps 116:10–11) with vows and Temple sacrifices (Ps 116:13–14, 17–19). The Greek and Latin versions divide the Psalm into two parts: Ps 116:1–9 and Ps 116:10–19, corresponding to its two major divisions. (Psalm 116, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews proclaims the Sacrifice of Jesus.
* [9:11–14] Christ, the high priest of the spiritual blessings foreshadowed in the Old Testament sanctuary, has actually entered the true sanctuary of heaven that is not of human making (Heb 9:11). His place there is permanent, and his offering is his own blood that won eternal redemption (Heb 9:12). If the sacrifice of animals could bestow legal purification (Heb 9:13), how much more effective is the blood of the sinless, divine Christ who spontaneously offered himself to purge the human race of sin and render it fit for the service of God (Heb 9:14).
* [9:11] The good things that have come to be: the majority of later manuscripts here read “the good things to come”; cf. Heb 10:1.
* [9:13] A heifer’s ashes: ashes from a red heifer that had been burned were mixed with water and used for the cleansing of those who had become ritually defiled by touching a corpse; see Nm 19:9, 14–21.
* [9:14] Through the eternal spirit: this expression does not refer either to the holy Spirit or to the divine nature of Jesus but to the life of the risen Christ, “a life that cannot be destroyed” (Heb 7:16).
* [9:15–22] Jesus’ role as mediator of the new covenant is based upon his sacrificial death (cf. Heb 8:6). His death has effected deliverance from transgressions, i.e., deliverance from sins committed under the old covenant, which the Mosaic sacrifices were incapable of effacing. Until this happened, the eternal inheritance promised by God could not be obtained (Heb 9:15). This effect of his work follows the human pattern by which a last will and testament becomes effective only with the death of the testator (Heb 9:16–17). The Mosaic covenant was also associated with death, for Moses made use of blood to seal the pact between God and the people (Heb 9:18–21). In Old Testament tradition, guilt could normally not be remitted without the use of blood (Heb 9:22; cf. Lv 17:11). (Hebrews, n.d.)
The Gospel of Mark outlines the Passover with the Disciples and describes the Institution of the Lord’s Supper.
* [14:22–24] The actions and words of Jesus express within the framework of the Passover meal and the transition to a new covenant the sacrifice of himself through the offering of his body and blood in anticipation of his passion and death. His blood of the covenant both alludes to the ancient rite of Ex 24:4–8 and indicates the new community that the sacrifice of Jesus will bring into being (Mt 26:26–28; Lk 22:19–20; 1 Cor 11:23–25). (Hebrews, n.d.)
Robby Francis comments that the concept of sacrifice is central to the Christian faith. Today, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we get a glimpse of what it means to sacrifice. The Eucharist itself is a celebration of the ultimate sacrifice – Jesus Christ giving us his body and blood. This act of love is the cornerstone of Christian belief, reminding us that true love often involves self-giving and surrender.
Moreover, sacrifice is not merely about loss; it is also about gain. Through sacrifice, we often find deeper meaning and fulfillment. By letting go of our own desires, we open ourselves to the possibility of something greater. The reading from Hebrews speaks of using the blood of animals for an external cleanse but expresses that the blood of Christ goes further – it cleanses our souls. It’s a reminder not to focus on the externals but to delve deeper into the internal. We can become so focused on the externals of our sacrifices, but we are encouraged to be attentive to the internal change, which has lasting effects. When we let go, something profound happens within.
Sacrifice is not merely about loss; it also involves gain. Through sacrifice, we often discover deeper meaning and fulfillment. By letting go of our desires, we open ourselves to the possibility of something greater. (Francis, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Your Word will enlighten and save me,” by Clement of Alexandria, 150-215 A.D.
"The commandment of the Lord shines clearly, enlightening the eyes. Receive Christ, receive power to see, receive your light, that you may plainly recognize both God and man. More delightful than gold and precious stones, more desirable than honey and the honeycomb is the Word that has enlightened us (Psalm 19:10). How could he not be desirable, who illumined minds buried in darkness, and endowed with clear vision 'the light-bearing eyes' of the soul? ... Sing his praises, then, Lord, and make known to me your Father, who is God. Your Word will save me, your song instruct me. I have gone astray in my search for God; but now that you light my path, Lord, I find God through you, and receive the Father from you, I become co-heir with you, since you were not ashamed to own me as your brother. Let us, then, shake off forgetfulness of truth, shake off the mist of ignorance and darkness that dims our eyes, and contemplate the true God, after first raising this song of praise to him: 'All hail, O light!' For upon us buried in darkness, imprisoned in the shadow of death, a heavenly light has shone, a light of a clarity surpassing the sun's, and of a sweetness exceeding any this earthly life can offer." (excerpt from EXHORTATION TO THE GREEKS 11.8) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Exodus 24:3-8 comments that the Israelites’ response to Moses is clearly admirable and pleasing to the Lord, but today’s feast of the Body and Blood of Christ invites us to consider another aspect of our response to him. We are so used to focusing on “doing,” but at its heart, the mystery of the Eucharist is focused on “being” more than “doing.” Just as the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of the Lord at Mass, so do we become the body of Christ when we gather for worship and receive him in Communion. So when we say “Amen” just before receiving the Eucharist, we can say in our hearts, “We will be everything the Lord has made us to be.”
Of course, it’s a good thing to do what God is asking us to do. But today is a perfect day to celebrate who you are becoming. Treasured and redeemed and beloved, you are taking on the likeness of the very One you are receiving!
“Jesus, thank you for giving me a share in your Body and Blood, your Soul and Divinity!” (Meditation on Exodus 24:3-8, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the Hebrew understanding of cutting a Covenant and the significant symbol of blood as providing a transfusion of life where sin had brought death. Archeology has supported the understanding that Jesus celebrated Passover in the Essene quarter of Jerusalem. He proclaims “This is me” in Aramaic at the Last Supper. Friar Jude compares the blood in the Cup in the words of Mark and Matthew with the Cup of the Covenant as expressed by Luke and Paul.
Harry Elias SJ, who assists in the Hurtado Jesuit Centre in Wapping, East London, comments that the enactment of the Church’s faith in the common remembrance of the new covenant in Christ’s sacrifice is not just a way of passing on knowledge, or merely a symbol shaping a community. The bread and wine is sacrament – both sign and realisation – of a new creation, binding it together and transforming it from within.
This is what Paul says about the Last Supper, which he calls the Lord’s Supper:
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).
The Lord’s Supper was for Paul a sharing, a partnership or communion (in Greek: koinonia) with the sacrificial offering of Christ by the eating and drinking of bread and wine, and through Christ with God. Mention is made of three interrelated embodiments of Christ’s self-offering: the body of Christ that was put to death; the bread, taken, blessed and shared; and the many who partake of this bread. (Elias, n.d.)
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares how contemplative practice offers access to a deeper, more loving response to the world. Neurosurgeon Eben Alexander writes, “True thought is not the brain’s affair. But we have—in part by the brain itself—been so trained to associate our brains with what we think and who we are that we have lost the ability to realize that we are at all times much more.” [1] In this moment, in every moment, we are much more than our physical brain and our physical body.
True thought is pre-physical. This is the thinking behind the thinking, the consciousness behind our small ability to plug into it. If we stay at the horizontal level of calculating, judging, and labeling, we won’t plug into it very well because we don’t really believe in it. Many of us don’t really believe there’s anything spiritual beyond this material body. I think those of us in the West have probably been influenced by the materialistic worldview more than we realize, but Alexander and other scientists are coming to the recognition that there’s something more. The recognition that the real power, as in the Trinity, is in the capacity for relationship, for communion, for being mirrored, and therefore gaining the ability to mirror other people. This type of thinking isn’t dependent on linear deduction. It moves as fast as lightning, making connections on different levels. It might be hard to verbalize, but it’s experienced as a moment of insight, a spontaneous gift of compassionate, inner clarity. It will never be angry or violent, only a clarity of love. (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder how the Covenant that Jesus declares invites us to deep communion with the Triune God as we contemplate our experiences of “thin places” where the spiritual and material are perceived in intimate connection.
References
Elias, H. (n.d.). Corpus Christi transforming creation. Thinking Faith: The online journal of the Jesuits in Britain. Retrieved June 2, 2024, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/corpus-christi-transforming-creation
Exodus. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/24?
Francis, R. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved June 2, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/060224.html
Hebrews. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/9?11
Mark. (n.d.). USCCB Daily Readings. Retrieved June 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/14?12
Meditation on Exodus 24:3-8. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 2, 2024, from https://wau.org/
Psalm 116. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/116?12
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Contemplation Changes Everything. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved June 2, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/contemplation-changes-everything/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). This Is My Blood of the Covenant, Which Is Poured out for Many. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved June 2, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jun2a
No comments:
Post a Comment