The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ [June 23, 2019] Luke 9:11-17

Today the Church is celebrating the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. In many countries like Indonesia, today is the best time for the children who are already prepared to receive their first Holy Communion. I still recall the day I partook of the sacred host and the holy wine. Many of us were around 10 years old, old enough to recognize the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and we were dressed in white. I was wearing long-sleeved white shirt with a tie and black pants. When the priest dipped the white bread into the chalice of wine and said, “the body and blood of Christ”, I said “Amen.” It was my first time to savor the sweetness of wine, and of course, alcoholic beverage!

At that moment, I just knew the reception of sacred host is necessary to complete the Eucharist, and I was aware I was receiving a blessing, but I never truly comprehend the profound meaning of the great mystery. For me, it was just enough that I attend the mass and consume the consecrated host. It has become a routine and tradition, from Sunday to Sunday, to from month to month, from year to year. Till we become parents and we also bring our children for their first communion. And when somebody asks us, “why do you bring your children to the first communion?”, our answer may be like, “Well, we want our kids to be like us. It is just a family tradition.” The answer is simple, but too simple that it draws more questions: why bread and wine? Why Body and Blood of Jesus? Why does it have to be eaten?

We often forget to realize that this sacred host and wine are the entire Jesus Christ Himself, with all humanity and divinity. Thus, God offers Himself to be eaten. Why eating God? The answers lie on the pages of our Old Testament. Firstly, we recall that our first parents fell because of the act of eating. Now, in the Eucharist, God uses the same act of eating to restore men and women into grace. Secondly, in the middle of the garden of Eden, there were two trees, the forbidden tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the tree of life [Gen 2:9]. Unfortunately, our first parents chose to eat the fruits from the forbidden tree. Thus, to restore humanity to grace, now God offers us the fruits from the tree of life, the tree of the cross of Christ. Thirdly, we remember the first Passover was about the story of how God liberated Hebrew people from the slavery of Egypt. The Passover began with the slaughter of the lamb, and its blood was sprinkled on the doors of the Israelite house so that their firstborns would be saved from death. Yet, the slaughter and the sprinkling of blood were not the summit of Passover. The Hebrew people had to consume the lamb as to complete their first Passover [Exo 12:8]. Now, Jesus the Lamb of God, has been sacrificed on the cross, yet it is not the end. Like the Hebrew Passover, we need to consume the Lamb of God to complete our New Passover, the Eucharist.

There are so much themes and aspects we may ponder on the Eucharist, and particularly today, the Church reminds us that the Eucharist, especially the reception of the Holy Communion is not just our Sunday routine, a family tradition. It is of the essential plan of God for our salvation, so that we may have heaven, our Communion with God, the Holy Trinity.

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP