Do This in My Memory!

Sunday, June 2, 2024

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ/Corpus Christi

Ex 24:3-8; Heb 9:11-15; Mk 14:12-16,22-26

The celebration of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ calls for remembrance. 

It is interesting to note that when Jesus was at the point of his death, all he could think of leaving behind was his body and blood as a memory. 

Because Jesus has said, ‘Do this in my memory,’ we are called to reflect on the role of memory in human life. How relevant is memory in human life? What are the ways in which we can remember Jesus? If so, what is the content of our memory? 

This is why the German theologian Johann Baptist Metz said, remembering Christ becomes a ‘Dangerous Memory.’ By consuming Christ’s body and blood, we become a countersign, just as Jesus himself was. Faithfulness to Christ is antagonizing the world. Our love for Christ makes us enemies of the world. 

St. Augustine also highlighted that our soul possesses three faculties: the intellect, the will, and the memory, the greatest of these being memory. If not for the role of memory, we would cease to be ourselves. Without exercising memory, how can we make a phone call to a loved one? In the absence of memory, how do we remember our parents, siblings, and friends? In this sense, memory is also the soul of our relationships. 

Essentially, we need memory to be ourselves, to love others, and to follow the Lord by remembering him in love and truthfulness. 

If such is the role of memory, what exactly does Jesus want us to remember when he said, ‘Do this in my memory.’ 

His Sacrifice: We remember Jesus’ life-giving sacrifice. When Jesus offered his very self, he only reminded the disciples of what he preached on love and friendship: ‘There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’ (Jn 15:13). Jesus gave life to his words when he died on the cross. The crucifixion was the visible form of Jesus’ love for us. The cross became the shape of Christ’s love for us. 

His Indwelling: We welcome Jesus into the dwelling of our hearts, whenever we consume the body and blood of Jesus. In that sense, we become the extended selves of Christ. The Word that became flesh becomes part of us. Hence, when we participate in the Eucharist, Jesus is embodied in us. We are one with Christ, never to be separated from him. In sum, we are Christians because we bear the presence of Christ within ourselves. 

His Being: The presence of Jesus in us is highly transformative. Yes, Christ, who is in us, transforms us from the inside. Just like the healing waters of the temple make the Dead Sea alive again with fish and vegetation (Ez 47), by eating and drinking his body and blood, we become like Jesus himself. This is how the Eucharist sanctifies us. Though we have been created in God’s image and likeness, we retain it and enhance it with Jesus’ presence within us. 

His Command: If the Eucharist helps us to become like Jesus, we also replicate Jesus’ life and mission. We faithfully represent Jesus when we imitate his life of love, forgiveness, compassion, inclusion, and liberation. Hence, it would be a lie if a Christian were a divider. It is totally incompatible for a Christian to be discriminatory. It would be hypocrisy if a Christian did not engage in charity. In this sense, eating and drinking the body and blood of Jesus come with the practical implication of living Jesus in our lives. 

The very nature of the Eucharist is profoundly transformative. Just as ordinary bread and wine turn into the most holy body and blood of Christ, a person who consumes them is expected to be as extraordinary as Christ himself was. 

Hence, participation in the Eucharist is not merely a ceremonial activity with no bearing on the practical life of a Christian. 

Remembering Jesus is not paying lip service but to radiate him in our very lives. 

We remember so that Jesus continues to live in us, and we also live like him. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar