Contents
Preamble
God loves the entire Created Order that He takes care of the material and spiritual life of his creation, especially of human beings. Jesus recalled the attention of the disciples, when they wanted to bypass this divine dictate (Luke 9:11–17. Cf. also Mark 6:30–44). The dogmatic theology scholars cannot forget the long-heated debates concerning the nature of the consecrated bread and wine – Consubstantiation (also called Impanation) and Transubstantiation. In as much as we appreciate the effort to provide a dogmatic foundation to and for the Sacrament of the Eucharist, we must ensure that such debates do not empty the Eucharist of its essential and scriptural (salvific and communal) effects. The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”
The Eucharist and the Sacrifice of Communion
The Sacrament of the Eucharist could be likened to the Hebrew (Old) Testament sacrifice of communion or fellowship (cf. Lev 7). For the Jews, and according to Exodus 24:3–8, this communion is a sacred banquet. The most vital parts of the animal are offered to God; a special part is attributed to the priests; while the congregation consumes the rest of the animal. During the Ancient Period, this type of sacrifice was more frequent and formed the central rite during feasts, expressing in this way, a communion and community of life, the relationship of alliance and of friendship between the congregations and their God or gods as the case may be. The reference to the wilderness experience of the Israelites as regards the manna (First Reading), is a foretaste of the Christian Testament of the Eucharist. If, as Jesus reminded the Jews, despite eating the manna, their ancestors died, it means something greater and better than that should be sought. And Jesus affirms he is that alternative (the Gospel). Whoever eats the bread from heaven will never die. Naturally, this saying threw the Jews off-balance that they began arguing among themselves (cf. John 6:52). Jesus’ words need not be argued, but believed. Because we partake of the one bread, we must be united (Second Reading).
Conclusion
The feast of Corpus et Sanguis Christi presents us with important theological and ecclesiological concept – koinōnia. Since God is light (Greek: phōs, cf. 1John 1:5), it is not possible for us to have fellowship with him if we are walking and operating in darkness (Greek: scotia, cf. 1John 1:6). It is a logical impossibility. For John, issues of spiritual importance are all black and white. Addressing the Curia, the administrative apparatus of Vatican, during the annual Christmas greetings in 2014, Pope Francis listed what he termed the fifteen ailments of the Vatican Curia. In the fifth sickness tagged Sickness of poor coordination, the Pope notes that this sickness develops when the communion between members is lost, and the body loses its harmonious functionality and its temperance, becoming an orchestra of cacophony (Italian: chiasso) because the members do not collaborate and do not work with a spirit of communion or as a team. We can imagine the countenance of the Curia members at the pronouncement of those words by the pope. But the truth is that such sickness is a cankerworm that has eaten and continues to eat deep into the fabrics of the ecclesiastical communities. How do we diagnose it? What are our own ailments?
FOR DETAILS, GET YOUR OWN COPIES OF THE BOOK “THE WORD OF LIFE:
SUNDAY REFLECTIONS” (vols. I‑II-III)!! The reflection for the feast of Corpus Christi is found in The Word of Life, vol. I, pages 319–332. Happy reading!
For details on how to get it, contact the author on this link: https://m.me/uchennabiblia?fbclid=IwAR2yeg4a6sDGBp9QGkIvKj6FSADumMokN6lshdE0zuo-JHs6qOmlhA7jyHo
or email me at: postmaster@uchennabiblia.com
or simply send an SMS on 08116100926, and I will get back to you.
