This past Sunday the Catholic Church celebrated the Solemnity of the Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, also known as the feast of Corpus Christi. The sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, where we receive the true body of Jesus Christ in the form of bread and consume it, is not only sacred, but sets the Catholic Church apart from other denominations of Christianity. Many Christians take communion, but it is generally considered that they are eating bread and drinking wine in a more symbolic way than actually ingesting Christ. Some denominations go as far as to say that communion is receiving the body of Christ “in, with, and under” the forms of bread and wine. However, the Catholic Church is the only one where its members can come and adore the body of Christ in an adoration chapel or in church, sometimes 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week.
I attended one of the largest Catholic parishes in the nation on the feast of Corpus Christi this year, and unfortunately it was not the most uplifting experience. A large congregation is often not as welcoming to visitors as a smaller parish might be. This is understandable, but I still left Mass feeling somewhat irritated and resisting the feeling that going to Mass might have been a waste of time. It was not until I brought my unsettled spirit to the Lord that I was able to discover the gift I received from this experience. Believe it or not, having such a negative experience only heightened the beauty of the meaning of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. During the homily, the priest referred to a parishioner who came to adore Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist every day. She once approached the priest and remarked, “I don’t know how many people realize what a gift it is to be able to visit Christ in the flesh.”
That parishioner is right; I had not grasped the significance of having the physical presence of Christ in the church constantly. I asked myself why I went to church. Not because of the priest, or his homily, or even the opportunity to commune with fellow daughters and sons of our Lord. As wonderful as those elements are, they are not the reasons that draw me back to Mass every Sunday. The reason I come is to receive Jesus Christ into my soul. When I finally recognized this, I understood it will not matter how negative an experience I might have. Going to church is never a waste of time because I will always encounter Christ.
This realization was verified as I went to receive communion that Sunday. Right before I was to receive the Eucharist, the extraordinary minister suddenly looked alarmed and without any explanation, he left his post and rushed off to the priest who was also administering Holy Communion. It quickly became apparent that they were running low on the consecrated hosts distributed during communion. The priest started attending to every line except mine and for awhile it appeared that my line had been forgotten and we might have to go without. But God never forgets; I was one of the last to receive the Eucharist, and by that time the consecrated hosts were being broken into pieces in order to accommodate all the parishioners. Of course, the size or amount of the Eucharist does not matter. The small sliver of a wafer that I received may have been more treasured in my soul than the normal, full-sized wafer I usually do.
The Church is always in danger of succumbing to human error. This was never more obvious than during that Mass, but God remained in charge. He allows error, but brings greater good out of it. Instead of getting upset that I was seemingly forgotten at the most important time in the Mass, I saw this as a blessing. Jesus physically came to me in that church, and just as He did on the cross, He gave up His body for me. In that broken bread, I received the brokenness Jesus endured through His sacrifice on the cross.
No matter what happens in this world, no matter what happens in the Church, no matter what happens in our daily lives, God will never abandon us. Jesus Christ is now and will forever be with us. This is the promise the Solemnity of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ holds for us.
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Originally published at Kitty in the City
Photo: Annie Theby, Unsplash / PD-US
