Fr. Erik Tjeunfin, sx
One of the greetings of Sierra Leoneans is “aw dae bodi” (lit: how is your body), it means how are you. For me, it is interesting and exceptional greeting because it refers first of all to the condition of our body (and soul). Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Body and Blood of Christ. The holy readings explained to us on how this celebration becomes part of our faith. Jesus Christ who is the most high priest and righteous and peaceful king offered his body and blood as a new covenant to save his people. The Eucharistic celebration where we celebrate the body and blood of Christ is a memorial action of remembering his sacrifice and at the same time makes Him real presence among us. That is why this celebration is very important in our faith and life because it was instituted not by us but God himself in Jesus Christ. By receiving the body and blood of Christ in faith, we allow ourselves to be in communion not only spiritually but physically with Jesus. As God took flesh and blood in Jesus Christ so, in consuming it, we make, by the grace of God, ourselves to be vessel of God; to embody it. As Jesus says “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them (Jn 6:56). In the history of our Church and even in our experience, we noticed that because of receiving or honoring the body and blood of Christ, many people changed their lives and even bring salvation and social changes around the world. They became Christ-like. Saint Agustine says if we receive the eucharist worthily, we become what we eat. We embody Christ by receiving holy communion and live like Jesus.
In today’s gospel we see how Jesus ‘celebrated’ the Eucharist with the people in a lonely place (a quit and solemn place). He was welcoming the people (introduction rite), proclamation of the Kingdom of God (liturgy of the Word) and the distribution of the bread (liturgy of the Eucharist) and concluding rite. There is active participation from the disciples and the people. The disciples looked and offered the loaves and the fish while the people listening to the word of God and following the instruction. The celebration was well done that the people were well fed spiritually and physically. They looked for God, and God answered them. They experienced God’s presence. Through the reading’s today we also are invited to reflect on our faith in God who is really present through our Eucharistic celebration especially the body and blood of Jesus. By receiving the holy communion, we are united with God and experience his love, mercy and salvation in our lives. Thus, we should give more attention and respect to our Eucharistic celebration. We recognized that because of some situations, some of us are not able to receive the body of Christ during our celebration. Maybe they did not want or they were sent away or etc. Some of them are really good people, faithful in attending mass, pious, kind, persevere in their faith but because of their marital status, preparation, other rules or conditions, they are not allowed to receive holy communion. It is a pastoral issue and we should approach it like Jesus did; He ate with the tax collectors and he catechized and prayed with the people before they ate the consecrated bread.
Finally, as we celebrate the body and blood of Christ and receiving it, we also should respect the body of others because it is the temple of God; created in the image and likeness of God. In our society, some people feel alienated from their body or the body of others because they have different shape, color, etc. We see also how human’s body and the body of the earth are misused and manipulated; prostitution, war, bad mining and deforestation, ‘poverty’ etc. As God cares and loves our body, so we should respect others also. We greet each other here in Sierra Leone by saying “aw dae bodi”, we should remember also how we treat the bodies. By celebrating today’s feast, we are invited to honor with faith the body of Christ, to respect and protect our body and the body of our common home (earth) as God’s temple. Amen
Fr. Erik Tjeunfin, SX
One of the greetings of Sierra Leoneans is “aw dae bodi” (lit: how is your body), it means how are you. For me, it is interesting and exceptional greeting because it refers first of all to the condition of our body (and soul). Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Body and Blood of Christ. The holy readings explained to us on how this celebration becomes part of our faith. Jesus Christ who is the most high priest and righteous and peaceful king offered his body and blood as a new covenant to save his people. The Eucharistic celebration where we celebrate the body and blood of Christ is a memorial action of remembering his sacrifice and at the same time makes Him real presence among us. That is why this celebration is very important in our faith and life because it was instituted not by us but God himself in Jesus Christ. By receiving the body and blood of Christ in faith, we allow ourselves to be in communion not only spiritually but physically with Jesus. As God took flesh and blood in Jesus Christ so, in consuming it, we make, by the grace of God, ourselves to be vessel of God; to embody it. As Jesus says “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them (Jn 6:56). In the history of our Church and even in our experience, we noticed that because of receiving or honoring the body and blood of Christ, many people changed their lives and even bring salvation and social changes around the world. They became Christ-like. Saint Agustine says if we receive the eucharist worthily, we become what we eat. We embody Christ by receiving holy communion and live like Jesus.
In today’s gospel we see how Jesus ‘celebrated’ the Eucharist with the people in a lonely place (a quit and solemn place). He was welcoming the people (introduction rite), proclamation of the Kingdom of God (liturgy of the Word) and the distribution of the bread (liturgy of the Eucharist) and concluding rite. There is active participation from the disciples and the people. The disciples looked and offered the loaves and the fish while the people listening to the word of God and following the instruction. The celebration was well done that the people were well fed spiritually and physically. They looked for God, and God answered them. They experienced God’s presence. Through the reading’s today we also are invited to reflect on our faith in God who is really present through our Eucharistic celebration especially the body and blood of Jesus. By receiving the holy communion, we are united with God and experience his love, mercy and salvation in our lives. Thus, we should give more attention and respect to our Eucharistic celebration. We recognized that because of some situations, some of us are not able to receive the body of Christ during our celebration. Maybe they did not want or they were sent away or etc. Some of them are really good people, faithful in attending mass, pious, kind, persevere in their faith but because of their marital status, preparation, other rules or conditions, they are not allowed to receive holy communion. It is a pastoral issue and we should approach it like Jesus did; He ate with the tax collectors and he catechized and prayed with the people before they ate the consecrated bread.
Finally, as we celebrate the body and blood of Christ and receiving it, we also should respect the body of others because it is the temple of God; created in the image and likeness of God. In our society, some people feel alienated from their body or the body of others because they have different shape, color, etc. We see also how human’s body and the body of the earth are misused and manipulated; prostitution, war, bad mining and deforestation, ‘poverty’ etc. As God cares and loves our body, so we should respect others also. We greet each other here in Sierra Leone by saying “aw dae bodi”, we should remember also how we treat the bodies. By celebrating today’s feast, we are invited to honor with faith the body of Christ, to respect and protect our body and the body of our common home (earth) as God’s temple. Amen
Fr. Erik Tjeunfin, SX