A Few Words On "The Word"

June 18, 2006
The Body and Blood of Christ

Mark 14: 12-16, 22-26

You Are What You Eat (and Drink)

Doctors still debate it, but whether or not you think chocolate or potato chips or Mountain Dew does or doesn't give you zits, you know something about eating right. (Even if you slept through health class, bet you still stare at the pyramid on the back of the Cheerios box!) Hate to admit it, but Mom was right when she ordered us to eat our vegetables. In a very real way, we are what we eat and drink

Change class now from biology to social studies. This is true, too: We are who we eat and drink with. The Gaelic word for "family" literally means "those who eat and drink together." The word "companion" comes from two Latin words. "Pan" means bread (en espanol tambien). The Latin prefix "cum" (spelled "com" in modern English) means "with." A companion is someone with whom you share and eat bread.

Have you ever had to eat lunch alone in the school cafeteria cuz all your friends were on a different lunch schedule? Ever sit a table of kids you didn't know well or hang with, but they all knew each other? These can be uncomfortable experiences. Why? Food is more than fuel. It's not uncomfortable to fill up the car standing next to strangers at the gas station. Eating with people means talking with them, telling and listening to stories, passing the potatoes, nourishing souls as well as bodies.

Ever notice how Jesus is always eating in the gospels? Lots of lunches, many meals. Some religious people accused him of being a glutton (we'd say "pig"). Even worse to these folks was the kind of people he ate with. One of the accusations that the priests made as they sought the death penalty for Jesus was: "This one eats and drinks with sinners!" He hangs out with the wrong crowd.

So it's no surprise as his life on earth comes to its climax, Jesus sits down for another meal with his friends, the Last Supper. As he looks at the bread on the table, the wine in the cup, Jesus sees the signs under which he will be with us always, nourishing our souls as well as our bodies. "Take and eat, this bread is my body given for you. Take and drink, this is the cup of my blood poured out for you." The very next morning, his body is broken and his blood poured out on the cross.

The eucharist is the ultimate soul food. Life and love, faith and hope are nourished by this sacred meal, by this holy sacrifice that Jesus makes. ("No greater love can one have than to lay down one's life for one's friends.") The body of Christ. The blood of Christ. You are what you eat.

We also call the eucharist "holy communion," because it unites us, creates the ultimate community, between us and God. And it opens our eyes so that we take a look at who's at the table and who's missing. The eucharist opens our hearts to ask, "Who is filled and who is hungry?" And even more importantly, "Why are they hungry?" and "What can we do about it?" The body of Christ. The blood of Christ. Amen.

Reflection Question

Why does the eucharist require and enable us to end hunger in our world?

Join us in our Forum to discuss these questions!