Corpus Christi, the incarnated love of God 2014

Corpus Christi, the incarnated love of God

After the Easter season, we have already celebrated the Most Holy Trinity, which we celebrate our Christian God is  a one God in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the incarnated Son of God who have lived in this world for a well, now he went back to Heaven. How other people, such as us, to have a relationship with Jesus in our time? Through the Holy Eucharist, we not only have a relationship with Jesus Christ, but also have his life, his body and blood. This is what celebrate today, the Most Holy body and blood of Christ.

The very beginning of feast was because an Augustinian sister, Juliana, told their bishop about her vision for having a feast of the holy body and blood of Christ.  1264, Pope Urbanus IV started this feast, and asked the famous theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote sequence for this feast.

1. God's incarnational love

In this feast of Corpus Christi we celebrate the continuation of Jesus' incarnational love to all human beings and creatures. The incarnation of Jesus' love does not stop at the Ascension, but continues through the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist and other celebrations in the Church spreading all over the world. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is the presence of God among human beings in a way of mystical and realistic. It is something the disciples could see and experience; it is also beyond their understanding of God's presence. Through Jesus Christ the disciples had a experience about God which they said "we have heard, we have looked upon, we have seen with our eyes and touched with our hands." Through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, God chose to come among humans. God not just gave the privileged gift of being with God to the first disciples of Jesus Christ, but also to every generation of human beings through adoring the most holy body and blood of Jesus Christ, we also live with him in our time. The body and blood of Jesus Christ is the way which Jesus Christ presence in our time which we can touch, we can taste  and we can look upon. And furthermore, through receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ, we have the life of God. Through the body and blood of Jesus Christ, the salvation love not only approaches to us  in our time, but also spreads to all creatures, from the bread and the wine to the wheat and grape.

2. Meeting God in every corner of the world

Through receiving he body and blood of Jesus Christ, we meet Jesus Christ here in our time, and we receive his life and participate in the life of our Trinitarian God. There are three things we need pay attention here.

First, a priest celebrates the holy Eucharist in the person of Christ.

when a priest celebrates the holy Eucharist, he does not celebrate it in his name or in the name of a community, he celebrate the holy Eucharist in persona Christi, in the name of Jesus Christ. This is the Catholic understanding of the holy Eucharist which Jesus Christ celebrates every Mass in a priest. So, no matter how a priest is, handsome or ordinary, good educated or just sufficient educated, it is Jesus Christ who celebrates this Holy Eucharist. This is a reason that no one can become a priest by himself or herself, no community can name a priest by voting.  

Second, this is the same celebration and same body and blood of Jesus Christ in Jesus time and as well as in our time.

Through receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ, we participate in the same celebration of Jesus Christ in the history and beyond history. This is a time of on earth as it is in Heaven. In the life of Jesus Christ past, present and future all becomes here and now. This is a Christian vision in which we have a connection with everybody and every creature in Jesus Christ throughout the history in the world and in Heaven. All creations are with God and in God in Jesus Christ; all things have a connection with us.

Third, the bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  

Through our faith, we know what we receive is the body and blood of Jesus Christ, but from our eyes and mouth, we see and taste the bread and wine. Through the consecration, the bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. It is amazing and surprising that bread and wine could become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. It is a reality, just as God creates everything through words by saying "let there be..." in the Genesis, Jesus chooses to make the bread and wine as his body and blood. Through giving his body and blood to all human beings and creatures, God invites us to have a life with God, in God and for God.

3. Becoming holy is the purpose of life

Through Jesus Christ and with him in his body and blood, we recognize the holiness of everybody and every creature. Everybody and every creature comes from God, and the purpose of all creation is becoming holy. Through adoration and receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ, we are sanctifying by God. Holiness is to live a life of God, with God and in God in fulfilling our responsibilities in our daily life. Receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ is the best way to live a life of holiness.

The main stream of our culture is to live a better life. This better life means having new and more material things to decorate our life. The worse thing in our culture is we force the voice of faith to stay at the corner of life. Without seeking holiness of life, without seeking God, human beings will never be satisfied. Holiness is the purpose of human life. The bread and wine can become the body and blood of Jesus Christ, so, everyone can become holy in following Jesus Christ.

The incarnated Son Jesus Christ was in this world in the history, he is here and now through his body and blood in the Sacrament of holy Eucharist. May we choose to meet Jesus Christ through adoration and participation of the Holy Eucharist. In Jesus Christ, we live a life of holiness with God and in God.