Reflections on Corpus Christi Sunday

.
To be your bread now,
Be your wine now,
God, come and change us
To be a sign of your love.

Blest and broken,
Poured and flowing,
Gift that you gave us,
To be your body once again.

David Haas
“To Be Your Body” (1992)


I think . . . of the tragedy of hunger which plagues hundreds of millions of human beings, the diseases which afflict developing countries, the loneliness of the elderly, the hardships faced by the unemployed, the struggles of immigrants. These are evils which are present – albeit to a different degree – even in areas of immense wealth. We cannot delude ourselves: by our mutual love and, in particular, by our concern for those in need we will be recognized as true followers of Christ. This is the criterion by which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations will be judged.

– Pope John Paul II

As wheat becomes one loaf
and grapes become one cup,
we too are gathered and pressed
into the one body of Christ,
prepared to eat and drink as Jesus taught us,
inviting the stranger to our table
and welcoming those who are poor.
May their absence serve to remind us
of the division each Eucharist seeks to heal.
May their presence help transform us
into the Body of Christ we share.

– Excerpted from the Didache.

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Celebrating and Embodying Divine Hospitality
Trusting God’s Generous Invitation
“Take, All of You, and Eat”: Communion and the Rainbow Sash
“Receive What You Are, the Body of Christ”
Corpus Christi