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The enduring presence of Jesus in our midst in the Eucharistic

bienncarlo
May 28, 2016
2 min read

CORPUS CHRISTI

Fr. Anscar J. Chupungco, OSB

1. On Holy Thursday we solemnly commemorated the event of the Last Supper when Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist. From then on throughout the centuries the Church never failed to re-enact the event, thus allowing us to sit at the Lord’s table, listen to his word, and share in the broken bread.

2. Today we celebrate a particular aspect of the Lord’s Supper, namely the enduring presence of Jesus in our midst in the Eucharistic sign of consecrated bread that we reserve in the tabernacle. This form of his presence is commonly named Blessed Sacrament. Jesus allows his body to be kept in the tabernacle for viaticum or communion of the dying, for communion outside Mass, and for our personal adoration.

3. The solemnity we hold today is intimately linked with the mystery of the Incarnation. By becoming a human being, Jesus submitted himself to the helplessness of a child. Think of the manger; think of the flight to Egypt; think of him growing under the authority of his parents.

By becoming incarnate, Jesus subjected himself to the humiliation of being materially poor and the necessity of human labor. He was born into a poor family, and early in life he learned the trade of a carpenter. Think of what it means for God to be poor and to engage in manual work in order to earn his daily bread.

By becoming man, Jesus underwent the shame and agony of the crucifixion and was brought down to the deepest recesses of human mortality by being buried and descending among the dead.

4. Incarnation and the Blessed Sacrament: two mysteries, one of which took place in history, while the other continues to be an actuality. The Blessed Sacrament becomes the present expression of the helplessness, humiliation, and agony of the Incarnate Word.

Indeed, what could be a more convincing sign of his helplessness than being a piece of bread to be eaten by saints and sinners alike, to be kept locked up in the tabernacle, and to be ignored and subjected to blasphemous acts. The Blessed Sacrament proves that the passion of Jesus is not over. The passion that took place in his incarnate body now takes place in his sacramental body. He suffers no more in his risen body, but he still endures the helplessness and humility of a sacrament.

5. What does the solemnity teach us? It teaches us to imitate the attitude of Jesus in the face of his helplessness and humiliation. What is our attitude toward being helpless? When we realize our dependence on others, do we value their service to us? Do we show our gratitude? Or do we think people owe it to us to serve us and be at our beck and call? What is our attitude toward humiliations and necessity? Do we embrace poverty as a way of life? Do we gladly accept occasional deprivation of material goods and convenience?

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