Sunday, June 22, 2003

The Feast of Corpus Christi

Readings:
Exodus 24:3-8 --- This is the blood of the covenant.
Psalm 115:12-13, 15-18
Hebrews 9:11-15 --- He is the mediator of a new covenant
Mark 14:12-16; 22-26 --- The Last Supper

Located between two seas, with two primary ports, Corinth was the most important center of the Greek archipelago, the crossroad where diverse cultures and races met, the halfway point between East and West.

The population of Corinth was composed of 200,000 free persons and 400,000 slaves. It is said that Corinth had 8 kilometers of walled enclosures, 23 temples, 5 supermarkets, a central plaza and two theaters (one of which had a capacity for 20,000 spectators). In Corinth, one could find the vices that would be typical in any port city. The idleness of the sailors and the affluence of the tourists who came to Corinth from many different places, made this city a Las Vegas of the Mediterranean World. “Live as a Corinthian!” was synonymous with depravity and corruption. The word corinthian was used throughout the Mediterranean area to designate “prostitutes” and it is left to your imagination (and you don’t need much imagination here) to decipher the meaning of the corinth when it is used as a verb.

The population of Corinth was very heterogeneous (Greeks, Romans, Jews, Orientals) and here all the gods of the Greek Pantheon were worshiped. The most important of these gods was Aphrodite, whose temple was attended by more than one thousand prostitutes.

About the year 50 AD, Paul of Tarsus arrived in this city and through his preaching established a Christian community. He remained there for 18 months, encouraging the members of this community who were predominantly poor and slaves (although there were some members who were known for their wealth and learning). This activity marked the beginning of what would become the most conflictive of the early Christian communities.

When the demands of his missionary endeavor forced him to leave Corinth, a true class struggle began to unfold and a struggle which also became evident in the Eucharistic celebration. The new Christians, rich and poor, free and slave, lived together but did not share together --- there was no sense of solidarity among them. When Eucharist was celebrated (which at that time was simply eating together in remembrance of Jesus), everyone came together, but each one remained with the members of his/her social class, so that “some went hungry while others became drunk” (I Cor. 11:17ff)

From Ephesus, Paul writes a strong letter to the Community at Corinth, reminding them that: “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you, do this in remembrance of me.’”

As Catholics we have had great difficulty understanding these words. Theology comes to the conclusion that Jesus invites us to assist at Mass and receive communion. A very simple act. Yet this action has no meaning if before we go to Mass, we do not take the bread (the symbol of who we are and all that we have), break it like Jesus did, and distribute it and share with those persons whom we meet on a daily basis.

It is interesting to visit different churches and see the great diversity of people who gather within. All have their place and no one is asked to change anything. The rich enter rich and the poor, if they enter at all, leave the same way. Paul spoke to the community at Corinth because of situations that have always been problematic for Christians: “It is impossible to partake of the Lord’s Supper in this way.” In other words: “The Eucharist loses its meaning when these divisions persist within the community.” Indeed, the Lord’s Supper makes all the participants equal and communion has meaning only to the degree that Christians break, distribute, and share (their own lives).

Class struggle has become a part of our eucharistic celebration just as it did in Corinth. When this exists, it is impossible to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In the desert, the Israelites understood that the covenant between God and the people committed them to live their lives in the way the Lord commanded them. Jesus, before leaving the world.

It is necessary to capture the profound meaning of Jesus’ action at the Last Supper. The blood that was shed signifies the violent death that Jesus suffered in order to show humankind how much he loved them. To drink the cup means that we accept the death of Jesus and commit ourselves to him and like him, we say that we are willing to lay down our lives for the sake of others. This is the new covenant --- a commandment of love toward others (a love unto death). If Eucharist is not understood in this way, then it remains pure ritual that is in reality useless.

It would be wrong to interpret Jesus words in such a way that the bread becomes identified with the body of Christ, and the wine with the blood of Christ. Such in interpretation leads one to speak of transubstantiation, or the changing of the bread into the body of Christ and the wine into the blood of Christ. This is a way for theologians to understand and explain these mysteries (as if this were the most important aspect of this ritual). These words have a different meaning; during the meal, Jesus offers the bread (take) and goes on to explain the fact that the bread is his body. In the Judaic culture body (in Greek soma) refers to the individual identity, presence and activity of a person. Therefore when Jesus tell us to take the bread/body, he is inviting us to become one with him and to take his person and his activity as a norm for our own life. At the same time, we are strengthened by this bread/food. The effect of the bread on human life is the same as the effect that Jesus produced in the lives of his disciples. The evangelists do not give us any indication that the disciples ate the bread. Indeed, they had not yet come to an understanding of the meaning of this intimate union with the Teacher nor had they allowed Jesus’ way of life to animate and guide their own way of living. When Jesus offers his disciples the cup, he says nothing. He does, however, explicitly affirm the fact that all must drink of this cup. After offering them the cup, Jesus tells the disciples that this is the blood of the covenant that will be shed for all. The blood that is shed points to his own violent death as well as to the death of others who must suffer in the same way. In other words, to drink the cup means to accept Jesus’ death and commit ourselves to participate in his saving activity, even if this means suffering and death. To eat the bread and drink the cup are two inseparable actions. One cannot accept the life of Jesus without accepting his final act of handing his life over to the Father. Indeed, the commitment of all who wish to follow Jesus must include this final act of laying down one’s life. This is the true meaning of the Eucharist. Since it is difficult to understand and explain all of this, it becomes very, very easy to summarize the Eucharist as an action of changing the bread and wine into the body and the blood of Christ.

For personal reflection

— Am I willing to say, “Take and eat, this is my body” and allow myself to be consumed in the service of my sisters and brothers?

— Is my life a real sharing?

— Am I involved in seeking solutions to the problem of hunger in the world?

For group discussion

— Classical theology concerning the Eucharist has been focused on the concept of transubstantiation. What do you understand to be the meaning of this philosophical, ecclesiastical and Aristotelean concept?

— Is it necessary to accept scholastic philosophy to understand the truth of the Church’s teaching about the Eucharist. Explain the relationship between faith in the Eucharist and the philosophical opinions which are used to express official formulations of our faith concerning the Eucharist?

For the Prayer of the Faithful

— For the 200 millions children of the world who are undernourished and for the 11 million children who will die this year of hunger, we pray to the Lord;

— That our coming together around the Eucharistic table be an authentic celebration, an act of thanksgiving and a real feast, we pray to the Lord;

— That our celebration of liturgy embrace the symbols of the people, become inculturated and a true expression of our lives, our problems and our hopes, and expressions of our cultural and spiritual richness, we pray to the Lord;

— For the children who celebrate their first communion this year, that their celebration may mark a new beginning for them and lead them to a fuller participation in the life of the community, we pray to the Lord;

Let Us Pray

Lord Jesus, you who throughout your whole life broke and shared your bread and wine, your body and blood; you, who on the night before your death did this in a highly symbolical manner — strengthen us when we come together “to do this in memory of you”, strengthen us in our decision to imitate you in breaking and sharing our bread and wine, our body and blood. Help us to share all that we are and all that we have. We ask this of you, you who gave us an example so that we might do the same that you did, you who live and reign and dwell with us forever and let the Church say. AMEN.