Jesus’ claim in the Gospel would have been very shocking at the time. They are still shocking
today! It would have been deeply offensive to some of his hearers when he spoke of eating his flesh and drinking his blood. However, this is the language of the Eucharist. We cannot deny that. We, who gather around the table of the Lord, consume Christ. We eat his body and drink his blood intimately to make him part of ourselves. By doing this, we boldly say: “I accept all that he stands for, all that he wants of me, and am willing to imitate his love.” On Wednesday, we reflected on the personal
and practical implications of partaking in the eating and drinking of the body and blood of Christ.
The Eucharist is
not just personal. It is a gathering of people, a community, who are individually united with the Lord. As much as there are implications for us individually, there are also implications for us communally. How do we, as a community and as a body, witness to the Christ we eat?
Just as the Eucharist transforms us individually, it should change us as a community.
What are the characteristics of a Eucharistic community? First, the Eucharist should compel us to a closer sense of community and unity. It should help us understand our need for each other and the essential role others play in our pathway to God. We cannot walk alone. Second,
the Eucharist should urge us to be a place where people can find healing. Third, the Eucharist should sensitise us to those in our community and beyond who suffer. Fourth, the Eucharist challenges us together to confront the structures of sin in our community and society. Fifth, the Eucharist drives us to respond to the needs of others today and sixth, the Eucharist urges us to transform our world together.
A Eucharistic community is one in which people see the importance (and urgency!) of going out into the world together. This can take on many forms: feeding the hungry, visiting prisoners,
welcoming strangers, looking after the elderly, caring for the sick etc.
Today, the 16 June, we might also reflect on
how we as a community should respond to the needs of many marginalised and suffering young people in our society.
In what ways do
you participate in the mission of your Eucharistic community? Can you see how partaking in the Eucharist has personal and communal implications for us? What is God inviting you to consider today?
Reflections by Russell Pollitt SJ
