The life of Jesus poured out

We speak of the mystery of Christ’s Body and Blood on our knees in profound adoration and thanksgiving. For that is God’s remembering of the greatest act of redemption. And we become part of that memorial when we avail of the infinite treasure of Christ’s Body and Blood given to us as the supreme gift of Himself. The length and breadth and height of such a mystery which we know as the Eucharist we can hardly fathom. But in faith, we are given to understand that the Body of Christ we celebrate today is a broken Body from which all His life-blood flowed out in unconditional love.

The touching story of Jesus’ last supper with His chosen twelve has all the facts of perfect love in it – blessing, thanking, sharing. "Take this," Jesus said, "this is My Body." He likewise took a cup, gave thanks and passed it to them, and they all drank from it. "This is My Blood, the Blood of the new covenant," Jesus said, "to be poured out on behalf of many."

The "many" Jesus speaks of is understood as a great number without restriction. Christ’s blood poured out will admit the whole mass of mankind into a new covenant with God. Gone would be the sacrifice of lambs as the people of God were wont to do on the feast of the Passover celebrating their deliverance from bondage. The Eucharist, therefore, interpreted as bread and wine (food), is clearly the source of new life for men.

We are familiar with the chalice or the "cup of wine." We also know that after Jesus consecrated the bread and wine for the first time, the cup came to have "covenant blood," blood as "life" seen as blessing to come to all men in the poured-out life of Jesus. And this eternal life, the life of the Risen Christ, is a life which can never be destroyed. There is that eternity in the Body of Christ broken and His Blood poured out for the remission of sins, the eternity of Jesus’ one and only sacrifice. We have to remember that Jesus whom we receive in Holy Communion is the God-man whose self-offering is a heavenly, not an earthly reality since it is offered in the new sphere of existence that He enters into at the time of His exaltation.

It is for this reason that the chalice was an abject of Jesus’ agony: "Let this chalice pass from Me, yet not My Will but Yours, My Father, be done." This was the offering. Now this, the supreme sacrifice consummated when the dying Jesus sighed: "It is consummated." Meaning, He had accomplished the Will of the Father. Three days after, He rose from his tomb, glorious.

The Eucharist is for us a sign of hope symbolizing peace: "My Body is given for you . . . My Blood is shed for you." Body and Blood include the suffering Church in some way, the Church’s suffering is Christ’s passion.

Let us see to it that we are ever participants of God’s remembering which repeats the great moments, the great acts of redemption. And the only way we can be is to live Eucharistic lives, celebrating life in the Eucharist and receiving Christ. Then the supreme gift, the priceless treasure doesn’t become mere recollection; it effects redemption in Christ Jesus.

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Mark 14:12-16; 22-26.