The Body and Blood of Christ

Why has God given us the body and blood of Christ to eat and drink of? How can we as human beings digest such a thought of having the body and blood of a human being? Isn't this cannibalism?

Eating and drinking:   is an ordinary daily exercise. We generally eat at least three meals a day. We eat in order to live and not live in order to eat. Yet the latter may be true with many of us, and thus many have to bear the various complications that result thereof. 

Once sitting with a friend in a restaurant and as we were served the meal, my friend seeing the pieces of green chilies remarked; “My doctor has advised me to avoid green chilies at any cost as it reduces your life span. I said under my breath; “Who wants to live long?”  Yet I cannot ask him this question because the reality is different; we are in the rat race for survival and only the fittest will survive.

So we have the diet regimen, the exercise regimen, the health foods and vitamins.

A doctor was once sharing with me about a patient who would regularly frequent his dispensary even in good health. He believed that only a regular consumption of tablets which the doctor gave him kept him healthy.  Though we had a hearty laugh over the whole issue yet the reality is, more or less, the same with most of us.  Flavonoids, Polyphenolic compounds and anti-oxidants and vitamins are the in thing, in the race for health and survival. Modern science spends billions on research into longevity and survival on Anti aging molecules and age defiers.

There are also, seekers after divinity and spiritual well-being, who go to any extent to deify themselves.  From basic hunger for power to rule over people and subjugate them according to their own goals and vision for life, to seeking to enter into divine bliss. This seeking has often entered a metaphysical world in which humans have even sought to dominate the dark spiritual world, by seeking prowess through the pseudo-science of Astrology, black magic, witchcraft and other esoteric practices. They have an element of power which is often used for wicked purposes, and even if they are deemed well, in the human sense of the term, they lead the seeker away from the one true living God, to the god of their own making.

Human effort to become supreme and divine is an age old desire. This desire is steeped in his ability to know and learn. It is the desire that spurs the mind to seek after an entity, that is higher than his present reasoning; a knowledge that will free him, from the bondages of pain and suffering and death. Since death is the inevitable suffering, humans seek to prolong this life. They have found success in the modern medicines to a large extent. We have people who live long to a grand old age on account of the developments in modern science and nutrition. Yet, ultimately they have to ultimately submit to death, because God has submitted us to its power.

Yet in the midst of this we have the age old medicinal systems that offer a solution to the immediate and particular suffering of humanity. There are many who are carried away by modern Gnosticism of Yoga, Vippassana, Zen and its various branches of philosophies. The focus of this philosophies and practices are based on irrational logic and immediate gratification and gain.  They either make you feel that you are god or cut you off from the reality of the one true God as revealed by Jesus.  These are philosophies which are based on human efforts and negate the great merciful and free gift of God offered in the sacrifice of his Jesus on the cross.

The innate desire to conquer, survive, achieve, dominate and rise above one’s present ability is something unique to humans.  This desire, in almost every human being, reaches, stretches unto eternity and the ultimate desire - to be gods. Every human being with a capacity to think has it. One either seeks to achieve it through renunciation, or through such accumulation which shows power and strength. Since this is intrinsic and innate to us, either at a micro or macro level, and if not accomplished we seek unjust, illegal and illicit way to achieve these goals. Those who make themselves God apart from the offer of God, ultimately want to put themselves on a higher position then God himself. They may even use the langauge or the concept of going beyond oneself and going beyond images and symbols. According to the Christian faith, satan wanted to go beyond and ascend even higher than God. Even, we could be doing this unwittingly under his deception.

God has created us with such innate capacity to seek excellence and the highest good, but minus the evil designs. We are still human raised to the level of God. In the incarnation of his Son Jesus, God meets us at this intensity in order to raise us to his level; the highest level beyond which there is nothing but eternity; a level where creature and creator meet on almost equal footing. 

His level means participation into the very life of God - beginning here.  It begins first with the faith and confidence in the providence of God and his presence with us; Emmanuel; God with us. It starts with a firm belief in the saving action of God, who justifies us through the saving action of Jesus on the cross. This justification once accomplished on the cross and in those who believe and are baptized continues to exert in our lives, a sanctification, until it is brought to completion on the day of Christ. It requires our constant yes; the yes that we once said at baptism has to be renewed at every baptism of fire the faithful may undergo.

The feeding on the Body and blood of Christ is both a symbolic and an existential reality to help us in this pilgrim walk.  So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed”. Jn. 6:53-55

God in Christ Jesus has given himself to us: So that we may share in his very life, a life which is eternal and everlasting; life abundant (Jn. 10:10). This life will enable us to face the death threats of daily life as we begin to believe in the invincibility of ourselves in Christ Jesus. More so, we shall not be afraid to be like the grain that falls into the soil and dies. We too will die likewise to the many sinful tendencies and desires including the desire to be like god though the wickedness of human philosophies and ideologies and strivings.

Those who ignore this reality of Christ presence with us as soul and divinity ignores God’s offer to deify us and instead opts to feed his own innate desire with his own goals and agenda.  “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13

We are quickened in the process of divinization by the Body and Blood of Christ through faith. The process is based on justice and truth. This justice is the accomplishment of God’s righteousness offered at the holy exchange of the cross. There are no shortcuts. Through faith one repents of one’s sinfulness and recalls one’s unworthiness and the blood of Christ cleanses them from all dead works and produces life.  One cannot attain God even with a superlative mantra or mind training or beating the body to submission apart from reconciliation to the will of God.

Long life achieved through practice of holistic spiritualities and rigour in no way is a guarantee of eternal life. It may lead to long life but not eternal life. This can well be compared to black money economy, in which the person who hoards can live an abundant life (in the material sense of the term) but when the law catches up with such a one, they end up condemned.  Similarly we may live a long healthy life through holistic spiritualities or is it a make believe world of good health, whatever, but the consequence is this; when the Day of Judgment catches up then they shall stand condemned for their actions.

Prayer:  Father in heaven, we thank you for the gift of life you offer us through Jesus. We thank you for his great sacrifice and offering of his Body and Blood which brings eternal life to all who receive him. May we value the Eucharist as your great gift to sanctify us and lead us to eternity. 

                                                              ::::::::Fr. Conrad Saldanha