The Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)Preparing to receive the Body and Blood of Christ
Today we celebrate the great feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Our Gospel is from Mark and contains two sets of instructions Jesus gave the disciples. The second set of instructions are very familiar we hear them every time we come to Mass when the Priest follows Jesus instructions by TAKING bread and, giving THANKS, BREAKING it, and GIVING us the People of God not the bread but the Body of Christ so that when we leave Mass and are sent out on our Mission we take Jesus with us.
We are reminded in the words used to bless the wine which becomes for us the Blood of Christ that this is a new covenant, a promise between God and his people. When we receive communion and say Amen, we are agreeing that we believe we are receiving Jesus and promising to fulfil his commandment to love one another.
The first set of instructions relates to preparing the room for the Passover meal which we know as the Last Supper. The disciples didn't know what was going to happen in that meal, but when we come to Mass we know what will happen which is both a mystery and something that is truly amazing. In reflecting on the opening section of the Gospel it struck me that what seemed everyday preparation of getting a room ready was also important.
For each of us coming forward to receive the Body of Christ we need to think about how we are preparing ourselves (our room). As we come forward as the Body of Christ each with our own hopes, fears, joys and sadness with our God given gifts and talents, we receive the Body of Christ who we take out into the world. So perhaps we can be more aware of how we prepare to receive Jesus in Holy Communion. AMH