JESUS, THE HOLY COMMUNION WE SHARE

Though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread and drinking from one cup, showing that we are one body. We are united by drinking and eating the sacrifices at the altar. “To Share” translates the Greek word koinonia, which comes to us from Latin as “communion.” Similarly, the bread we break and eat, and drinking from the Chalice is “sharing in the body and blood of Christ.” So it is surely true that the Eucharist we celebrate is a time for us to experience deep fellowship with Christ.

Our sharing in the body and blood of Christ through the Eucharist is also an experience of our deep unity as Christ’s disciples. Communion forges a new community of disciples, one that Jesus himself prayed would be profoundly one, even as he is one with the Father. So, when we celebrate, we celebrate our communion with Jesus and with each other through him.

The Eucharist we share is our life. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch (CCC 1324).

For the early Christians, continuing to share this meal together was a reminder of Jesus’ covenant of love and closeness; a reminder that they would share this meal together again. Remembering what Jesus had done for them and how much He loved them was the reason they did not grow weary and lose heart. They faced immense persecution, were imprisoned, tortured, rejected, exiled, and eventually put to death.

Sharing this meal is a reminder of the suffering of Christ and the covenant of His selfless love. When we share in communion together, we, too, remember His selfless love poured out on the cross for our sin and shame. We remember the depths He plummeted in dying on the cross. We remember His triumphant victory over death! We remember we, too, are victorious through Him, no matter what we face in life.

When we share in communion, we remember God’s immense love for us and His vast love for the whole body of Christ. Christ dwells within us, and He will never leave us.

The moment after which we receive the body and blood of Christ should be a treasured moment in which each soul is invited to be consumed by Christ whom we received. In other words, the act of receiving Holy Communion is not just the physical act we do, it must also become something God does in us. We must choose to not only consume our Lord, we must also allow Him to consume us with His Mercy. There is no better time to do this than the moments after receiving this priceless Gift. This is accomplished by making our lives an oblation to God.

Let us ponder these questions and commit ourselves to this depth of offering. What was that experience like? Did we have a complete focus on what we are doing? Did we offer ourselves to our Lord as an oblation of love? Did we place ourselves into the hands of our Lord in a sacrificial way? Did we allow our Lord to consume us with His merciful love? If we do, The Holy Communion we share will become the greatest act of Mercy in our lives.

This weekend some of our sisters and brothers will celebrate the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA); they will be baptised, confirmed and will be joining us sharing at the table of the Lord. We welcome them, we congratulate them, and we pray that the good Lord will continue to keep them in His Love.

Happy Corpus Christi,

 Fr Ejikeme