Corpus Christi (Thurs. after Trinity)

Day of Thanksgiving for the Institution of the Holy Communion

Life For Ever

Gen. 14:18–20; Ps. 116:10–end; 1 Cor. 11:23–26; John 6:51–58

‘[Jesus said], “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and l in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and l live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.”’ John 6:56–57

The vital Eucharist

Jesus’ teaching in this sixth chapter of John’s Gospel may have been given at the Last Supper, or it may have been intended as a preparation for the disciples. Or John may have ‘lifted’ it from a post-resurrection appearance teaching of Jesus. We do not know. Since it was so new, so distinctive – and so shocking – it was bound to disturb those who were hearing it, especially those hearing it for the first time.

The Roman world at that time was an amalgam of pagan cults, in which food and wine was offered to the deities at orgies and celebrations. But Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist could not have been more different from these. He is not taking bread and wine from his followers, but giving it to them. He is not asking sacrifice from them; he is giving himself as a sacrifice. He is not demanding human or animal blood to be shed; but is shedding his own blood, offering his own body. Such self-sacrifice had never been seen before. But then, the world had not been saved before.

Hell had not been invaded before. Satan had not been mortally wounded before. The old covenant had not been replaced by the new before; and eternal life in glory with God had not been on universal offer before.

All this hung on Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist. The disciples were mystified then; and only after the resurrection, ascension and the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, did realization dawn that to keep the sacrifice of Calvary operative – to ‘show the Lord’s death till he comes’ – the Eucharist must continue until the End of Time.

A great investment

Ex-fishermen, tax-collectors and the like were invested with the task of explaining this deep theology to people who had either grown up with the animal sacrifices of the temple, or the pagan cults with their meaningless orgies, or a stoic indifference to religion of any kind.

Difficult? About as difficult as it is for Christ’s followers today to explain to non-believers what the Eucharist means. Could Jesus have chosen another way for us to remember? Doubtless he could, but he chose the Eucharist because it was simply the best way.

One of the most beautiful of the ancient eucharistic prayers comes from the Egyptian tradition:

To thee have we offered this bread, the likeness of the Body of the Only-Begotten . . . wherefore we also making the likeness of the death have offered the bread, and beseech thee through this sacrifice to be reconciled to all of us and to be merciful, O God of truth; and as this bread had been scattered on the top of the mountains and gathered together came to be one, so also gather thy Holy Church out of every nation and country and every city and village and house and make one living catholic church . . . (From the Prayer of Oblation of Bp Sarapion)

Suggested Hymns

Author of life divine; Once, only once, and once for all; O thou, who at thy Eucharist did pray; We hail thy presence glorious.