"We, though many, are one body"

This coming Sunday the Church will celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi. This feast is one that, historically, has been known for processions through the streets of towns and villages with the Blessed Sacrament. And while it is certainly a day in which we remember and give praise to God for the great gift of the Eucharist, it is also one in which we recognize that we also are the Body of Christ.

In the second reading for this Sunday, St. Paul tells the Church in Corinth that: "Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf." This idea, that in the Eucharist we are united to all other Christians who receive it, is also a major theme of Corpus Christi. For, in the Eucharist, while we celebrate it in time and space at different locations with different faith communities, we are all actually participating in the one eternal liturgy of God. And so, when we receive the Eucharist, we are united not only with those present at the actual Mass we attend, but with every Christian who has ever participated in and received the Eucharist, past, present, and future!

So, as we approach Mass this coming weekend, let us pray that our minds and hearts may be opened to this reality that our souls most certainly recognize: that in the Eucharist, there are no enemies, no strangers, no foreigners. When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we are united with the Body that is the Church throughout all time and space! And in recognizing this, may all hatred, discrimination, and prejudice be banished from our hearts, for we are all members of the one Body and citizens of the one Kingdom that will last forever!

Want to prepare your heart and mind for Mass this weekend? Click here to find the readings this Sunday's Mass.