Take and eat!
  

In the tradition of Jesus, sharing a meal holds great significance, which is not unusual in ancient culture: the stories of Jesus tell of meals with strangers and with friends (Luke 5:29). His disciples are not to take bread with them on their missionary journey, because they may hope for hospitality (Mark 6:6–8). Bread is an important motif in many parables that speak of the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Mt 16:5–12). And to this day, food plays a central role in liturgical practice, namely in the Eucharist. On Corpus Christi, the faithful celebrate a feast that is most closely linked to the motif of bread. It dates back to the Last Supper that Jesus celebrated with his disciples and is very closely linked to the person of Jesus and the understanding of his life. It goes back to a saying of Jesus, which, however, is highly contextual: “During the meal, Jesus took the bread and gave thanks; then he broke the bread, gave it to the disciples and said: ‘Take and eat; this is my body’” (Mt 26:26).
 

These words are situated within the context of Jesus’ final days with his disciples, at the end of his earthly ministry. It is the last evening with his disciples. It is the evening of the Passover, a very important festival in Judaism, commemorating the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. As a Jew, Jesus celebrated this festival himself.

Then he says something very significant: ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ What does that mean?

During a Catholic Mass, people receive a ‘host’. This is a round piece of white, edible ‘bread’. People believe that at the moment of transubstantiation, that is, during the liturgical rite, the bread and wine become the flesh and blood of Christ. You are then given this ‘flesh’ as a sign in your hand. In the sign of the bread, you thus receive Jesus Christ himself. What is special is that it has a real significance, for it is the symbolic language of Jesus himself. As described in Matthew 26, Jesus took bread and wine and gave them to his disciples. They are basic foods and signs of the joy of life. Bread and wine are signs of our connection with God, through Jesus. Because bread and wine held such great significance for Jesus, they also hold this significance for people who believe in God and in Jesus – even today. Jesus is the central figure because his life is encapsulated in these words and gestures: his entire life is part of the great story of hope, that God seeks people and that people should be made aware of this search. Just as Jesus acted, so too should people act as his followers.

Jesus’ ministry to people shows that life takes on a special quality when it is lived with God and for God. Jesus can help with this because he has shown the way. However, his special ministry is unique; those who follow him may rely on and trust in his miraculous deeds. There is only one Jesus. The bread is the embodiment of Jesus Christ and a sign that he accompanies people on their journey towards God.

Worship thrives on symbolic language and rituals. They change – just as people themselves do. But what is important remains: the bread is Jesus Christ. It cannot be paid for with all the money in the world, as the miracle of the loaves and fishes tells us: although the disciples have enough money with them, what people need cannot be paid for with the money available, however much there may be (Mk 6:37). Jesus’ bread derives its special flavour from God’s history with the world. And people may trust that it is good (cf. Mt 6:11).

The feast of Corpus Christi celebrates this bread in a special way within the church year. It is linked to Jesus himself, to the sign he offered to people who follow him.

Aleksandra Brand