Scripture Reflection

"While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, 'Take it; this is my body.'" Celebrating the Passover meal was nothing new for the disciples. They shared bread and wine with their families and friends at this special ritual meal every year as a part of their Jewish heritage. But when they were making preparations for this particular sacred supper, they did not know how different this meal was going to be.

On this night, Jesus changed the formula. Instead of hearing only the ancient words of the Passover prayers that his followers probably knew by heart, they heard these new, unexpected, and, frankly, quite dramatic words: "This is my body ... This is my blood." Nobody had ever made such an unusual claim before. But this was more than a statement. It was a command. Not only did Jesus enlighten his disciples about the miracle taking place as the bread and wine became his body and blood, but he also ordered them to "take it." Being passive observers was not enough. Jesus wanted his followers to be personally involved in accepting and receiving his body and blood.

The gift of the Eucharist that Jesus instituted for all believers at that Last Supper is not just a sign or a symbol of Jesus' sacrifice. It is something that we are called to participate in. He has given us the instruction to take the eucharistic bread--his body hidden within it--and to make it part of ourselves. Through this great sacrament, which we celebrate on today's feast of Corpus Christi, we are able to be united, in a deeply mystical yet truly physical way, to our Lord and Savior. This union brings about the promise in today's Alleluia from John's Gospel: "Whoever eats this bread will live forever."

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