Pastor’s Corner for The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body & Blood By Rev. Fr. Nobert Munekani SJ
The Feast of Corpus Christi is a Christian solemnity observed holiday. In honour of the Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist. Not just as a mere symbol but in a real way, which is known as transubstantiation.
The very notion of presence is inherently and necessarily relational and somehow embodied. Note that Jesus did not say “Think about this,” “Prove this,” “Look at this,” “Carry this around,” and, surely not, “Argue about this.” He just said, “Eat this . . . and drink all of you” (Matthew 26:26-27). As Augustine (354-430) would preach later, the message is that you are what you eat and drink! [1]
We spent much of our history arguing about the “how” and the “if” and who could do what Catholics called the “transubstantiation” of the bread and wine instead of simply learning how to be present. We made the Eucharist into a magic act to be believed instead of a personal transformation to be experienced. We changed bread more than people, it seems to me. We emphasized the priest as the “transformer” instead of the people as the transformed. We made “Real Presence” into a doctrine (which has its very good meaning!), but we seldom taught people how to be really present (which is contemplation). When you are really present, you will experience the Real Presence for yourself.
The Eucharist is an encounter of the heart, knowing Presence through our available presence. In the Eucharist, we move beyond mere words or rational thought and go to that place where we don’t talk about the Mystery; we begin to chew on it.
We must move our knowing to the bodily, cellular, participative, and unitive level. Then we keep eating and drinking the Mystery until one day it dawns on us, in an undefended moment, “My God, I really am what I eat!” Henceforth we can trust and allow what has been true since the first moment of our existence: We are the very Body of Christ. We have dignity and power flowing through us in our naked existence—and everybody else does too, even though most of us do not know it. This is enough to guide and empower our entire faith journey. If Christians did not already have Eucharist as our central ritual, we would have to create something very similar.
The Eucharist is central to our Christian Worship. It is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. It nourishes our lives. We come together to celebrate Mass and the Eucharistic Celebration gives us His Presence. This Sacred Mystery gives us life, hope, peace, and joy. Embrace it and feel the Presence of Jesus. Know He is eternally close to you always. Let it be your life food. Let us pray for the grace to become what we eat, Christ our true bread. Let us be transformed by Christ we receive and be Christ-like.
May God bless and keep you safe.
Fr. Nobert Munekani SJ