The Eucharist is at the very heart of the life of the Church.  It is through the Eucharist that the life of the Church flows.  The Second Vatican Council taught us that the Eucharist is the “summit and source” of our life as Christians.  When we reflect upon the Eucharist we realise we are touching the immense depth of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ, a very deep mystery that we can never fully grasp.  The Church teaches that Christ is present to us in the celebration of the Eucharist in four different ways; in the people gathered, in the Word proclaimed, in the consecrated bread and wine and in the celebrant, who acts in “Persona Christi” (in the person of Christ).

Jesus gave us the gift of the Eucharist to assure us of his love and presence with us always.  In the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), we hear the account of how Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it and shared it among his disciples saying; “This is my body, given up for you…”  He did the same with the cup filled with wine, as he shared it he said; “This is my blood poured out for you… Do this in memory of me…”  Interestingly, John’s Gospel does not mention this, instead John’s Gospel gives us the account of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet (it is the Gospel chosen by the Church for Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper).

The message rooted in the Gospels and in Church teaching is that Jesus is truly and really present to us in the Eucharist.  Jesus is present in the people gathered, the Word of God, the celebrant and in a special way in the consecrated bread and wine which we believe is the body and blood of Christ.  However the challenge of the Eucharist doesn’t stop there, it must flow out into our daily lives.  The Gospels and the Church also teach that we must live the Eucharist in the way we treat others, this is the significance of Jesus’ gesture of service, symbolised in the washing of feet, emphasised in John’s Gospel.

On this Feast of Corpus Christi, may the Lord increase our faith in the Eucharist and may he help us live it in the way we treat others.