The Two Bodies of Christ

Gospel Commentary for Corpus Christi

By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

ROME, MAY 23, 2008 (Zenit.org).- In the second reading St. Paul presents the Eucharist as a mystery of communion: “Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”

Communion means exchange, sharing. Now, this is the fundamental rule of sharing: that which is mine is yours and what is yours is mine. Let’s try to apply this rule to Eucharistic communion. In doing so we will see its greatness.

What do I have that is truly “mine”? Misery, sin: This alone belongs to me exclusively. What does Jesus have that is “his” if not holiness, the perfection of all the virtues? So, communion consists in the fact that I give Jesus my sin and my poverty, and he gives me holiness. In this the “admirabile commercium,” or “wonderful exchange,” as the liturgy defines it, is realized.

We know about different kinds of communion. One very intimate type of communion is that between us and the food we eat -- it becomes flesh of our flesh and bone of my bone. I have heard mothers say to their children as they hugged and kissed them: “I love you so much I could gobble you up!”

It is true that food is not a living and intelligent person with whom we can share thoughts and affection, but let’s suppose for a moment that food is itself living and intelligent: Would we not have perfect communion in that case? But this is precisely what happens in the communion of the Eucharist. Jesus says in the Gospel: “I am the living bread come down from heaven. [...] My flesh is true food. [...] Whoever eats my flesh will have eternal life.” Here food is not a simple thing, but a living person. This is the most intimate of communions, even if the most mysterious.

Look at what happens in the natural world in regard to nourishment. The stronger vital principle assimilates the weaker one. The vegetable assimilates the mineral; the animal assimilates the vegetable. Even in the relationship between Christ and man this law is at work. It is Christ who assimilates us to himself; we are transformed into him, he is not transformed into us. A famous atheist materialist said: “Man is what he eats.” Without knowing it, he gave a perfect definition of the Eucharist. Thanks to the Eucharist, man truly becomes what he eats: the body of Christ!

Let us read the rest of the text from St. Paul: “Because there is one bread, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” It is clear that in this second case the word “body” no longer refers to the body of Christ born of Mary but refers to “all of us,” it refers to that greater body of Christ that is the Church. This means that Eucharistic communion is always communion among us. Eating the one bread we become one body.

What follows from this? We cannot be in communion with Christ if we are divided among ourselves, if we hate (don't hate, appreciate) each other, if we are not ready to be reconciled. If you have offended your brother, St. Augustine said, if you have committed an injustice against him, and go and receive communion as if nothing had happened, perhaps full of fervor before Christ, then you are like a person who sees a friend coming toward him whom he has not seen for some time. He runs to meet him, he throws his arms around his neck and goes to kiss him. But in doing this he does not see that he is kicking him with spikes.

Our brothers, especially the poor ones and the derelicts, are members of Christ, they are his feet that are still on earth. In offering us the host the priest says, “The Body of Christ.” We answer, “Amen!”

We now know to whom we are saying “Amen,” “Yes.” It is not only to Jesus, the Son of God, but to our neighbor.

On the feast of Corpus Christi I cannot hide a certain sadness. There are certain forms of mental illness that prevent people from being able to recognize persons who are close to them. They continue to call out for hours: “Where is my son? Where is my wife? Why don’t they come?” And maybe the son and wife are there holding their hand and saying: “I’m here. Don’t you see me? I’m with you!”

This also happens with God. Our contemporaries look for God in the cosmos or in the atom; they debate over whether there is a God who created the world. They continue to ask: “Where is God?” They do not realize that he is with us and in fact that he became food and drink to be united to us even more intimately.

Sadly, John the Baptist had to repeat: “There is one among you whom you do not know.” The feast of Corpus Christi was born precisely to help Christians be aware of this presence of Christ among us, to keep alive what John Paul II called “Eucharistic wonder.”

[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

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Father Raniero Cantalamessa is the Pontifical Household preacher. The readings for this Sunday are Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14b-16a; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58.

Today, we celebrate the solemn feast of Corpus Christi. It is a doctrinal feast established for three purposes: 1) to honor Christ who is present in the Holy Eucharist, 2) to instruct the people in the mystery, faith and devotion surrounding the Eucharist. 3) to appreciate and make use of the great gift of the Holy Eucharist, both as a sacrament and as a sacrifice.

The Council of Trent (1545 to 1563) declared that we must honor Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist publicly so that those who observe the faith of Catholics in the Most Holy Eucharist might be attracted to the Eucharistic Lord and believe in the Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ present in this great Sacrament. "The Catholic Church teaches that in the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of the God-man are really, truly, substantially, and abidingly present together with His Soul and Divinity by reason of the Transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. This takes place in the unbloody sacrifice of the the Mass." This Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is proved from the literal interpretation of the promise of Christ to give his Body and Blood as our spiritual food and drink , as found in St. John's Gospel, Chapter 6, and also in the four independent accounts of the fulfillment of the promise at the last Supper (Mt. 26; Mk. 14; Lk. 22; 1 Cor. 11)." From the same accounts it follows that Christ is present by “transubstantiation,” namely, the entire substance of bread and wine is changed into the Body and Blood of Christ, retaining only the “accidents” (taste, color, shape) of bread and wine. God does not believe that He is humiliating Himself in coming to us and giving Himself to us in His Flesh and Blood.

Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist during the Last Supper as a sacramental banquet and a sacrificial offering. As a sacrament, it is a visible sign that gives grace. During this mystery, the substance of bread and wine are converted into Jesus' body, while their appearances (or ’accidents’) remain. We believe in this transformation of bread and wine because Jesus unequivocally taught it and authorized his apostles to repeat it. As a sacrament, the Holy Eucharist imparts to us Jesus’ presence in our souls. We share in His divine life In this sacrament, Jesus gives his own Body, broken for us on the cross and his Blood poured out for us in order that our sins might be forgiven. Thus, the Holy Eucharist is a sacrifice as well as a sacrament. By means of signs, symbols and prayers, it is a reenactment of His sacrifice on the cross, and a memorial repeated at every Mass. It assures us of Jesus' love for us, and His forgiveness of our sins. It is the sacrament of our union with Him. Through this sacrifice, the risen Jesus becomes present on the altar, offering himself to the Father through the ministry of the priest.

Vatican II states that, as a sacrifice "the holy Eucharist is the center and culmination of Christian life." 1) Because it enables us to participate in Christ’s sacrifice as a present reality and to merit from its fruits in our own lives. 2) Because it helps us to worship the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the most perfect way. 3) Because, it strengthens our charity and unity in a joint offering of His body and blood. 4) Because it gives us a lasting memorial of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection, reminding us of our obligation to make loving sacrifices for others. It is the mystery of faith, mystery of our hope, mystery of charity.


The Eucharist, (the body and blood of Christ) teaches us the importance of community, the bond that results from this sacrifice. Just as numerous grains of wheat are pounded together to make the host, and many grapes are crushed together to make the wine, so we become unified in this sacrifice. Our Lord chose these elements in order to show us that we ought to be united with one another and to transform ourselves into Our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the head and we are the body. Together we are one. “That which unites us is our willingness to sacrifice our time and talents for our fellow members in Christ’s mystical body." This is symbolized by our sharing in the same bread and the same cup. Hence, Holy Communion strengthens our sense of unity and love

Remember the warning given by St. Paul: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves." [1 Cor. 11:27-9]. Hence, let us receive Holy Communion with fervent love and respect--not merely as a matter of routine. If we are struggling with sins--let us ask Jesus to strengthen us through this sacrament

Before the greatness of this mystery, let us exclaim with St. Augustine, "O sacrament of devotion! O sign of unity! O bond of charity!" Let us also repeat St. Thomas Aquinas' prayer of devotion in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament: "O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine!