Feast of Corpus Christi 2011

Among the 7 sacraments, we are most familiar with the Holy Communion because we can receive it everyday whereas some sacraments can only be received once: Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Order and some are not received so often: Reconciliation, Anointment and Matrimony. The Holy Communion is very rich in meanings. Therefore, the priests can speak on nearly any topic about it.

For example, this morning at 9:30 a.m., the parish took the opportunity of this Feast to conduct a commission ceremony for the extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.Fr. Lejeune officiated at this ceremony. He stressed the communion dimension of this sacrament.
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation 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).
Through the bread we receive individually,  we are all united in Christ as one body. Fr. Lejeune stressed that the Pauline theology of Mystic Body of Christ is not simply a theory. It is a reality. Christ is our head and we are members of His body. Through us, Christ reaches out into the world. We ourselves bring Christ to the world. In a sense, we ourselves are a sacrament for this world. Fr. Lejeune told the extraordinary ministers that they should always keep this in mind when they visit the aged and the sick. They do not simply visit them as a person, as an individual and as themselves. They are Christ. They are the Church. It is the duty of extraordinary ministers not just to bring the Holy Communion to the old and the sick. They should remind them again of their belief in Christ, to pray with them and encourage them in their weaknesses. When they do these in their visits, they do well and Christ will reward them.

Symphorian, my youngest son, received his first Communion this morning at 11 a.m. Fr. Martin Ip celebrated this mass. He focused more on the attitude of these young people. He began with a TV commercial of rice. The commercial consisted of flashes back of a bridegroom. He always made sure that all the food was eaten. The last flash back was when he was a young boy. When he finished eating his dinner, there were rice grains around his lips and in his bowl. His mother told him that if he ate like this, the face of his future bride would look like his bowl. She would have a scarred face! This kind of warning is understandable in harder time when resources were scarce and nothing should be wasted. Of course, the TV commercial must have a happy ending. It finishes with a close-up of a beautiful bride walking down the aisle, arm in arm with the lucky man. People always say that your attitude determines your altitude. Fr. Martin encouraged these young boys and girls to be humble and pious. Let Christ transform them from within to become children beloved by our Heavenly Father.

As for me, the more I meditate about this Sacrament, the more I find that I don't know it.
And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD (Deuteronomy 8:3).
It is not fair to blame the Jews who found Jesus' teaching difficult to swallow. His teaching is truly difficult. How would any decent and sensible man speak like this, telling people to eat his flesh and drink his blood? In hindsight, after the Last Supper, we know that Jesus was talking about the bread and wine of the Holy Eucharist. Even this is difficult. Some people are not willing to accept that the bread is a real-symbol which is more than a representation of the real thing. It is the real thing. Just like our physical body. It is a real-symbol of our person. My body is not just the outward sign of my person.  It is me! However, some Protestants insist that the bread is a mere symbol to remember Jesus (Luke 22:19). It is not the real body of Jesus.

He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him (John 6:56).
This verse is more readily  understandable nowadays when blood transfusions and organ transplants have become accepted, common medical practices to save life. Just imagine, your liver and kidneys continue to survive inside the body of the recipient or your blood flowing in his blood stream. How wonderful the feeling would be! Greater love has no man than the laying down of your life for a total stranger (John 15:13). Jesus has done just that. We, who call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ, should do likewise.

Dear Lord, there can be no doubt about Your love for us. Let us love our neighbour in return. Amen.