It’s in the believing

On Sundays we Catholics go for Mass. At mass we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, transformed from bread and wine. Today is the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, celebrating that Christ is truly present in the bread and wine. For many of us, going for mass has been handed on by tradition, and we also go out of obligation. Over time some of us have simply accepted, without depth in understanding. We have the belief without the believing.

We were all not present at Calvary to witness at first hand the bloody death of Jesus. But at every mass we get to be truly present at Calvary because the bread and wine truly becomes his body and blood offered. Hidden in the gruesome scene is the true meaning of the bloody death of Christ: he gave his life, true flesh and true blood so that we can have life. Christ wants us to know that the flow of his blood is given once for the flow of his love to be given eternally.

People can continue to debate our belief but I choose to believe because when he died 2000 years ago for all mankind, I was not yet in existence. Today I am a serial sinner although I try my hardest not to be. When I receive Holy Communion believing that it is truly his body and his blood, I experience him giving his flesh and blood just for me, just so that I can have life. Calvary becomes very personal for me. After all, didn’t he die just for me?

I can fall every day. But the God I know is real, humble and generous. Why else will mass be celebrated every day at every hour around the world? If the bread and wine is only a symbol of his body and blood why do we need an hourly reminder? When I sometimes go for a mass and there are less than 10 people, I am struck by his humility and generosity. He continue to make himself easily available for you and me: to give his body and blood even if there is just one person in the whole of mankind present.

At the end of each mass, we are sent into the world to preach the Good News with the life we live. During mass and at Communion we eat his real flesh and drink his real blood so that he comes into our life in a most unique way, only God can. We draw strength from his presence in us and go to live the Mass in our daily life. In the receiving of the True Presence into our self, we become more like him. In his Presence, we draw strength to preach through our actions.

Believing is living out our belief. It is in the believing that our life will transform. It is in the believing that we will experience the presence of God in our daily life. When that happens tradition is no longer hollow and obligation become opportunity. Otherwise the body and blood will only be bread and wine in us. Our humble God stays ready to illuminate our life with his True Presence when we start believing.