THIS IS MY BODY GIVEN FOR YOU

The faith we profess to have and which we celebrate in all the sacraments but especially the Eucharist is a “fleshy” faith. It is anchored in our bodily selves. We are human beings, men, women, boys and girls – we are flesh and blood. Our faith is anchored in this reality. Yes, there is the spirit that we cannot see or touch and we are spirit but we are more than that.

Why our faith is so “fleshy” is because of Jesus himself. He breathed a new spirit into the world but at the cost of his life. The body on the cross, his flesh, showed all the signs of the torture he had been subjected to – thorn marks on his head, whip lash marks on his body and spear wounds.

The words that upset the people in today’s gospel passage about his being the bread of life and the bread he would give is his flesh for the life of the world are the words we live by.

St Paul coined the phrase that the church is the body of Christ. With this in mind then we as people of faith are Christ’s flesh for the life of the world.

What does he want us to do? What he did. Give our life so others can give. Jesus says: this is my body (flesh) given for you. When we come to holy communion we take into ourselves the body of Christ given for us. We receive Him. We receive and welcome the communion with Him that is holy. We profess with our “Amen” “Yes, I believe” that we are empowered by this food to be Christ in our world. Go and do likewise.

Father Adrian Farrelly