Sin Is a Rejection of God’s Gift
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
“You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.”Ps. 110
Sin is a “no” to God; it is a rebellion that springs from the ignorance of the human ego. It is a rejection of the vocation and mission God gives us, of His gifts and His commandments—which are the best means to enrich us and grant us the fullness of divine life. Among these gifts is the most special one: the gift of His Body and Blood.
From the beginning, with Adam—who was given the whole paradise, life, the woman, flesh of his flesh, as the perfect companion—he still chose to disobey the One who had given him everything. He even blamed God for the gift: “The woman You gave me, she gave me the fruit to eat.” Ambition took over; they had received everything and more than they needed to be fulfilled, but they allowed the serpent’s seed of deceit to enter, desiring more: to be like God, to know everything…
The same happened with the chosen people. They received the gift of having a God who chose them not because they were the best—indeed, they were the least—but solely out of love. He sent them a leader to free them from slavery and lead them to the land flowing with milk and honey. Yet, as soon as they left, they showed contempt for the liberation they had received, longing for the onions of Egypt and complaining to Moses for bringing them out.
The same is true with the covenant at Sinai. God calls Moses to give him His Word, which shows the path to life and fullness, but the people reject the gift and prefer to follow their golden calf and later other idols and false gods.
God sent prophets, holy men to enlighten His people and guide them to salvation, and the people despised and killed them.
Then He sent His own Son, with extreme love for us, to give us His unparalleled declaration of love—a new and eternal covenant, the way of truth that leads to Life. He showed His divinity and His love through words and deeds. Yet the people condemned Him to death and hung Him on a cross-even those who thought themselves religious and faithful, but refused to listen to Him or to know His message.
Today, He continues to give us His Church, the sacraments, His mercy, His forgiveness, His Body and Blood-and many still reject this gift of God. Not only those who do not receive Him physically, but also many who receive Him physically yet not spiritually, for their lives do not reflect what Jesus is and what He wants us to be: a gift of love for others.
WE ARE CALLED TO BE EUCHARIST—a sacred gift, a holy offering. We have received it in order to give it, to offer ourselves to God, for everything we are and have is a gift from Him, to give Him glory, to offer ourselves to Him as a pleasing sacrifice, out of love and as a gift. But God willed that we offer ourselves to Him by offering and giving ourselves to others. He wanted to be loved in our brothers and sisters, to make the offering of our lives easier for us. To be Eucharist is to be the charity of God.
Recognize God in your Ordinary Moments
By Colleen Jurkiewicz Dorman
This Is My body
A friend in high school once asked me why I wore a Crucifix around my neck. She was a Christian and very devout, so I was surprised at her confusion. “To remember Jesus’ sacrifice,” I said.
Her upper lip curled in disgust. “The cross is a sign of Jesus’ sacrifice,” she said. “He’s not on the cross anymore. It’s really weird that you wear his dead body.”
As someone raised Catholic, the Corpus was an image I knew intimately. We had Crucifixes all over our home, everyone in my family did. And for reasons I couldn’t quite explain, I actually preferred them over the plain crosses I saw elsewhere. The crosses seemed more elegant, more refined – but the Crucifixes felt more complete. More to-the-point.
My friend’s disgust compelled me to reflect, in a way I never had before, on the image of Christ’s body, wounded and twisted and tortured. Why was this a visual that compelled me? It didn’t make a lot of sense for someone who abhorred dead bodies so much that I found it difficult to look into a casket at a wake. So, what was different about this?
My friend wasn’t wrong: Christ is no longer on the cross. The sacrifice has been made. But does that mean it is over? We re-present it every single Mass. It’s the point of everything that we do. Jesus did not sacrifice his spirit; he sacrificed his body. He bought us with every tear of the flesh, with every drop of blood.
The cross is crucial, yes. But that wood didn’t bleed for us. If the body wasn’t the point, Jesus would not have become human at all. Jesus needed the body.
We need it, too.
“While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take it; this is my body.'”Matthew 26:26
Weekly Readings
Sunday: Gn 14:18-20/Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4 (4b)/1 Cor 11:23-26/Lk 9:11b-17
Monday: Gn 12:1-9/Ps 33:12-13, 18-19, 20 and 22/Mt 7:1-5
Tuesday:
Vigil: Jer 1:4-10/Ps 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab and 17/1 Pt 1:8-12/Lk 1:5-17
Day: Is 49:1-6/Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15/Acts 13:22-26/Lk 1:57-66, 80
Wednesday: Gn 15:1-12, 17-18/Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9/Mt 7:15-20
Thursday: Gn 16:1-12, 15-16 or 16:6b-12, 15-16/Ps 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b5/Mt 7:21-29
Friday: Ez 34:11-16/Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 (1)/Rom 5:5b-11/ Lk 15:3-7
Saturday: Gn 18:1-15/Lk 1:46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55/ Mt 8:5-17
Next Sunday:
Vigil: Acts 3:1-10/Ps 19:2-3, 4-5/Gal 1:11-20/Jn 21:15-19
Day: Acts 12:1-11/Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9/2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18/Mt 16:13-19
Observances for the Week
Sunday: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Tuesday: Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Friday: Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Next Sunday: Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
