How close Love has and will come

Fr Trenton van Reesch holds up the monstrance during the Eucharistic Procession on the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi draws us to reflect anew. Who is the Eucharist? Not a sign or symbol, nor simply a ‘reminder’, but the actual Body and Blood of Jesus, the Body and Blood of God. How mysterious that the priest’s words at each Mass – in the person of Jesus – bring to bear the same effects of Christ’s words at the Last Supper, here and now.

It is fitting in these days that we celebrate Pope Francis’ recent announcement that Blessed Carlo Acutis’ will soon be universally recognised as a Saint. Blessed Carlo Acutis was an Italian teenager who died of cancer in 2006 and was known for his great devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke words that echo over every altar in the world: “This is my Body, given for you.” Followed by words stranger still: “This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, poured out for you and for all…” Yet, I’ve heard remarked by some: “It’s not literally His Body, only a symbol”, which puzzles me.

Christians easily believe and profess that God created all of the beautiful world we inhabit. We easily profess that for the love of us, God became flesh. This is a truly amazing claim! God died for us and rose triumphantly, destroying death forever. Incredible! And then, walking through a locked door on Pentecost, this same God breathed upon us the Holy Spirit, whose power and potency, here and now, can heal and change us.

Yet… we stumble to believe this same omnipotent, omnipresent and all-loving God – could give us his real Flesh in the Eucharist. That somehow, this last step is just ‘too far’ for this all-powerful God. Or just too generous, perhaps? 

Fr Trenton van Reesch leads the Eucharistic Procession around the Cathedral Precinct.

It seems that if the Christian holds all that precedes, this last conclusion should be the easiest to accept. And sure, it takes an act of faith to profess such a marvellous Mystery. Many say, ‘I struggle!’ So? So, too, did the disciples. Indeed, many walked away when Jesus uttered those words – a ‘hard-teaching’ – (John 6:53-69). And yet, unlike other times when Jesus’ statements confused, and he swiftly proceeded to clarify, this time, speaking about the Eucharist, Jesus doesn’t explain but doubles down on what he has said, ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you’ (John  6:53).

But don’t just take anyone’s word, opinion or commentary on the Real Presence. Just take and listen to Jesus’ word. This is my Body (Luke 22:19). We are not called to be convicted by the words of anyone else… only Jesus.

This Blood that we drink and Body which we eat manifests the greatest bond between creature and Creator. Only by seeing this can we see that the Eucharist is not just some ‘optional extra’, some incidental to the Christian Life, as often treated. The Eucharist is our Identity and reason for being. It is the relationship of the God who comes and remains close.

When the Real Presence is not grasped (as much as can be), no wonder people fall away from the Church and become lukewarm in faith; I would, too! The Church exists for the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Unity. We cannot live on memory and ‘example’ alone, which are never enough for the human heart. What I seek in the Church is not what most people quarrel about; we should focus on the Eucharist, Which then calls us into a joyful communion with our sisters and brothers – the universal Corpus Christi.

Some claim ‘Scripture alone’, yet miss that these divinely inspired pages come from a community gathered to celebrate the Eucharist. The Eucharist IS the New Testament. The Greek word for covenant, διαθήκη, is used by Jesus at the Last Supper, “this is my blood of the covenant‘ (Matt 26:28), and in Luke (22:20), as well as 1 Corinthians 11:25. This word however also translates as Testament – “This is my blood, the Blood of the New Testament“.

In the New Testament of the Eucharist, we encounter One who loves so much as to feed us his flesh that we might have real Life and not remain distant from the God we crave so tenderly.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on the steps of St Christopher’s Cathedral

And so, while profoundly spiritual, what transpires in the Mass is also deeply physical, intimate, fleshly, and necessary. In the Garden, Adam and Eve tried to snatch Life for themselves, but in the Eucharist, God offers Life as a gift that can never be stolen. And He offers it to you, no matter where you’ve been or your burdens. 

Blessed Carlo’s mother recalls him once remarking: ‘There are queues in front of a concert, in front of a football game, but I don’t see these queues in front of the Blessed Sacrament!’

On Corpus Christi, God reminds us of his extraordinary love and how close that love has and will come.

Receive Jesus into your body without fear to be truly amazed. Nothing can keep Him from you. Allow yourself to believe! You hold in your hands the God who made everything, and as a mother feeds her child, so with his own Body and Blood, God feeds you.

Suffice it to say, Jesus promised His disciples He would be with them always, even to the end of the age (Matt 28:20). In the Eucharist, Jesus fulfils this promise, laying vulnerable at the door of the human heart. How astoundingly blessed we are.