October 17,
2008, a 22ft dinghy with 30 Dominican refugees aboard drifted for 15 days
after getting lost at sea en route to Puerto Rico. What began as a journey to a
better life went horribly wrong. According to the men, they were all told by
the Captain not to take any food and water on board since it was a
one-day trip.
Two days after the boat left on, they complained of hunger and thirst to the Captain who could offer them no solution as he was hopelessly lost. The situation turned even worse when the fuel ran out leaving them stranded and completely helpless.
One week into the trip they were so weak from food deprivation, the first person died and was thrown into the sea. They tried to sustain themselves on rain and seawater as they bobbed for days on the open waters, far off their original course. Famished and dehydrated, the survivors watched migrant after migrant die, each time dutifully waiting 15 to 20 minutes before throwing the body overboard.
By the 13th day
only six out of 30 people remained. It was almost certain that nobody would
complete their journey. The dying men persuaded those who were still
alive, to eat their body to survive - a great act of concern.
In every nook and
corner of the world we see a great symbol that announces the offer
made by a man to sacrifice himself for giving life to the whole of
humanity. The cross reminds us about the great sacrifice of Jesus.
Today, we celebrate
the solemn feast of Corpus Christi. At
the last supper Jesus established the Sacrament of Eucharist and symbolically
shared His body and Blood with His disciples. He also commanded them to do
it till the end of the world, in His memory. Food gives energy for
sustenance. The Spiritual food Jesus offered, gives energy for spiritual
sustenance. The concept of God feeding His children is found throughout the
Sacred Writings.
When the
Israelites, on their journey to the Promised Land, were hungry, God fed them
with Manna. God sent a raven to feed Prophet Elijah. God sent Prophet
Elijah to feed a woman in Zarephath. When Jesus saw the hungry people, he
fed them with bread and fish, and finally Jesus went to the extreme of
offering Himself for the spiritual sustenance of His People.
The second reading
tells of The Corinthian Christians who were apparently ill-mannered and rude in
their celebration of the Lord's Supper.
So Paul was trying to make them behave in a more Christ-like fashion.
Paul was also clearly distinguishing the Eucharist from the ritual meals of
some pagan groups known to the Corinthians. For Paul,
“the Body of Christ” can have two meanings: the Body of Christ that we share in
the Eucharist and the Body of Christ that we form as the community of
believers, united with the risen Christ. Paul extended this union
with Jesus to include union with all believers.
As Paul says, “the cup of blessing
is a sharing in the Blood of Christ, and the bread we break is a sharing in the
Body of Christ.” The language is
mystical, but it carries the meaning of the union of all believers with Jesus
and thus with one another. Our
participation in the Eucharist concretizes and energizes our relationships with
Christ and one another.
Just as numerous grains of wheat are pounded together to make the host,
and many grapes are crushed together to make the wine, so we become unified in
this sacrifice. Our Lord chose these elements in order to show us
that we ought to seek union with one another, to allow
the Holy Spirit to transform us into Our Lord Jesus Christ and to work with Him in the process. Christ is the Head and we are the Body. Together we are
one. Hence, Holy Communion should strengthen our sense of unity and love.
This imposes a
serious obligation on us Christians – to receive the Holy Eucharist only if we
are determined to live in peace with one another. If there is disunity, if
our hearts are filled with malice towards others, if we indulge in injustice,
if we our thoughts are impure, we have no right to partake in the breaking of
the Bread. The sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is the living bread of
eternal life. Therefore, it is meant for those who are pure of heart. Our
outward piety towards the consecrated Bread and Wine cannot coexist with
rudeness, unkindness, slander, cruelty, gossiping or any other breach of
charity toward our brothers and sisters.
Justin the martyr
taught “It is allowed to no one else to participate in that food which we call
Eucharist except the one who is living according to the way Christ handed on to
us.” St Augustine preached, “Before you receive Jesus Christ, you should remove
from your heart all worldly attachments which you know to be displeasing to
Him.
St. Therese of
Lisieux wrote, “Our Lord does not come down from Heaven every day to lie
in a golden ciborium. He comes to find another heaven which is infinitely
dearer to Him - the heaven of our souls”.
Hence, let us receive Holy Communion with fervent love and respect -- not
merely as a matter of routine.
Before the greatness of this mystery, let us exclaim with St. Thomas
Aquinas "O Sacrament most holy! O
Sacrament Divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!"
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