Humble Presence

A Reflection on the Second Reading for June 23rd, 2019:
​The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

1 Corinthians 11.23-26

Brothers and sisters: I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

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A few years ago I had the pleasure of visiting Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was taking place and I was able to spend some quiet time in prayer before moving on. As I sat in silence, I was taken by the grandeur of the worship area with its beautiful stonework reaching high toward the heavens and the monstrance that directed my eye toward the consecrated host, the body of our Lord and saviour. What struck me was the simplicity of the host — the idea that Jesus, our King, would humble Himself to be present to us in the most basic of foods.

I heard it said in a homily at mass last weekend, God invites us to the table. He invites us to be in communion with Him. He is not a distant ruler waiting for us to screw up, but rather we can sit at the table with Him where He is present to us.

"He is not a distant ruler waiting for us to screw up, but rather we can sit at the table with Him where He is present to us."

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“This is my Body that is for you”.

​Every time we attend mass, we are blessed to be able to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. Just as He offered Himself up on the cross for us when He walked the earth, He offers Himself up again and again for us. By consuming Jesus’ body and blood, He says we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. We are not bystanders in the mass. We are called to fully participate and to be in communion with all the saints and with one another.

When I receive Jesus in the Eucharist, and I stand back and watch others come forth to receive Him, there is a sense of unity that I have never experienced elsewhere in life. It’s an admittance to the fact that we need Him, and without Him we are nothing. We are all stepping forward in faith together, acknowledging we are all His servants and the humility of that act is beautiful.

Let us Pray:
Father, may we never take for granted the privilege we have to consume You and to become consumed by You. We thank You, that despite our unworthiness, You continue to offer Yourself up to us in the form of a simple piece of bread for us to consume. Lord I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. ​

Tammy LeBlanc

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