Sunday, June 14, 2009

Reflections on Corpus Christi Sunday

.
To be your bread now,
Be your wine now,
God, come and change us
To be a sign of your love.

Blest and broken,
Poured and flowing,
Gift that you gave us,
To be your body once again.

David Haas
“To Be Your Body” (1992)



I think . . . of the tragedy of hunger which plagues hundreds of millions of human beings, the diseases which afflict developing countries, the loneliness of the elderly, the hardships faced by the unemployed, the struggles of immigrants. These are evils which are present – albeit to a different degree – even in areas of immense wealth. We cannot delude ourselves: by our mutual love and, in particular, by our concern for those in need we will be recognized as true followers of Christ. This is the criterion by which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations will be judged.

– Pope John Paul II


As wheat becomes one loaf
and grapes become one cup,
we too are gathered and pressed
into the one body of Christ,
prepared to eat and drink as Jesus taught us,
inviting the stranger to our table
and welcoming those who are poor.
May their absence serve to remind us
of the division each Eucharist seeks to heal.
May their presence help transform us
into the Body of Christ we share.

– Excerpted from the Didache.


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Celebrating and Embodying Divine Hospitality
Trusting God’s Generous Invitation
“Take, All of You, and Eat”: Communion and the Rainbow Sash
“Receive What You Are, the Body of Christ”
Corpus Christi

4 comments:

Frank Partisan said...

Greetings:

What is harder, reforming the Catholic Church or socialism in America?

Liam said...

Michael

What version of the Didache is that excerpted from?

Michael J. Bayly said...

Hi Liam,

I'm don't know. It was reprinted in the form above in our Sunday bulletin at church. I'll endeavor to find out for you.

Peace,

Michael

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your post. Just a note though. The quote you have if not from the Didache - in fact, not even close. It is a lovely prayer and should be kept in mind. This is perhaps the closest context from the Didache: Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let your church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom.