Corpus Christi—1 Corinthians 10:16-1

On this Solemnity of Corpus Christi, our second reading focuses on receiving the body (corpus) of Christ (Christi) in Holy Communion. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul talks about participating in the body and blood of Jesus, a participation which he claims unities all of us together. It can be difficult to wrap your mind around how what looks like bread can really be Jesus, but Saint Paul indirectly contends that this is so.

If the Eucharist is only a symbol, it’s a weak one. If it’s not a living Person, then Saint Paul’s entire analogy ceases to make any real sense. If he is talking about being united to other people simply by eating the same thing at the same time, many pieces of what used to be one whole, than what happens at Mass is utterly unremarkable and what Jesus did at the Last Supper was truly mundane. It happens at every kitchen table and in every restaurant. We could experience the same kind of unity if you and I ate beef jerky processed in the same facility. If this is what Saint Paul means, then the cup of blessing that we bless and the bread that we break aren’t special at all. If this is what he meant, he never should have wasted his time writing the two verses of this reading.

Think about it. In what sense is drinking a glass of milk a participation in the life or death of a cow? In what sense is eating a steak a participation in the body of the cow? If the milk and the steak contained the living presence of the cow, then we could honestly say that consuming them is a participation in the cow. But if the milk is just milk that reminds us the cow, if the steak merely helps us recall that it came from a living thing, then they have no power in themselves to make us participate in anything or unite us to anyone.

Because the Eucharist is living bread and living wine, we receive a living Person, Jesus Christ. And if you are united to Jesus and I am united to Jesus, then the three of us share the same life. That’s a real unity! No mere symbol could ever produce that effect. And if a mere symbol could actually produce that effect, then it’s utterly unremarkable because it happens every time you eat or drink anything.

This year, Corpus Christi is extra special for the Second Graders of our parish. After months of delay due to the pandemic, our First Communion Masses are being celebrated from June 11 through June 14. For the first time, these children will participate in the body of Christ and thereby will be united to you and to me as well. Though we are many, we are one body because we partake of the one living bread, Jesus Christ.