By Fr. Andrew Kelly
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST, JUNE 7, 2015
In Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 14:12-16, 22-26), it is the mystical transcendent Christ who proclaims: “Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” That was then. This is now.
Christ has died and risen. Through Christ “the kingdom of God” is now mysteriously present. The important word is “now.” Through Christ, Sunday’s Gospel is present. Among and with believers, Christ is drinking the fruit of the vine “new in the kingdom of God.”
“While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.’”
Communities sometimes forget about Christ’s powerful, mystical, transcendent presence. But when remembered, the community becomes mystically transcendent as Christ is mystically transcendent. Not only is bread and wine transformed, the whole community is transformed into Christ’s body and blood.
(Father Andrew Kelly is a retired priest of the Diocese of Davenport.)
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