Fr Vincent Hobbs and Fr James Hynes were pastoral associates with Fr Raymond Lyons, as parish priest of St Mary Magdelene’s Parish, in Bardon, Brisbane, in 1972. In the early 1970s Archbishop Patrick O’Donnell appointed Fr Hobbs to leadership of Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Brisbane archdiocese and Fr Hynes as spiritual director of the Brisbane Cursillo Movement. On the occasion of Fr Hobbs’ golden jubilee of priesthood in 2009 they again met together to give expression to their personal understanding of the Lord’s words, “This is my Body … This is the cup of my Blood.” This reflection came in prayer, and is relevant for today’s celebration of the solemnity of The Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). The imaginative setting is like the Risen Lord Jesus speaking to a member of His Terrestrial Body, the Church.
THIS is my living risen person, body, blood, soul and divinity – fully divine and fully human.
I give myself to you in my divine risen humanity – not in the glory I enjoy at the Father’s side (which you couldn’t abide yet) but in the humble signs of nourishment, of eating and drinking, for your spiritual growth and life – bread and wine, “bread of life” and “spiritual drink” for your soul.
This is not my dead body and blood (that would be worse than cannibalism) but my living risen person, your Lord and Saviour. It is the sacramental signs that you eat and drink – not my dead body or living person.
I give my very self to you in an extraordinary, surprising, unique and wonderful intimacy. When you eat and drink ordinary food, that food becomes you; when you eat and drink this food from heaven you grow more into union with me.
We already share a communion of life and love which you call “sanctifying grace”. When you receive me this way, the communion of life and love that we already share is nourished.
We both confirm our “new and everlasting covenant” like spouses, who in expressing their marital union, confirm their “marriage covenant”, are nourished in their love and grow in their communion of intimacy.
Or, like a mother breastfeeding her baby who can say “darling, this is me for you, my whole living person, body and soul for you; we are covenanted to each other forever”.
Or, like two people who enjoy a deep bond of friendship can say to each other “I have grown into you, I draw love and life from you in the trust and closeness of our relationship. Our communion of love is very precious to me.”
I have made a pledge to you so that our present intimate communion of life and love that is expressed by your faith and nourished with Eucharist, will one day blossom to become a communion of life, love, happiness and glory, as your own risen humanity shares in the glory which is already mine, as the risen Christ, in the family of the Holy Trinity.
Thus, in the Holy Eucharist:
– the love I offered on earth in total fidelity to my Father and in solidarity with humankind,
– this same love that I offered throughout my whole life, climaxing in loving acceptance of even a dreadful death,
– the very love by which you are reconciled to God to become God’s sons and daughters,
– the very same love I offer eternally as your High Priest
This same saving love is made present under sacramental signs as both sacrifice and meal.
As Sacrifice: My work of your redemption which I accomplished through my life, death and resurrection, which I now offer eternally to the Father as your High Priest, is made present sacramentally (which means “really”).
So, when you celebrate Eucharist, you join me in my offering and offer your life to God in union with me.
This is absolutely the supreme act of worship you can give to your Creator. You actually join yourself to myself, to my self-offering, and become part of my great reconciliation between the human race and God.
As meal: You receive me in Holy Communion where I give myself to you in a wondrous communion of life and love as your intimate friend.
As I draw life from the Father, so you draw life from me.
You abide in me and receive nourishment for your spiritual growth; food for your life’s journey to eternal fulfilment, glory, and happiness, and a pledge now of your own resurrection on the last day.
So, all I have and am, is yours. All I have done for you, is yours.
All I am, and all my love – past, present and future – is yours.
I give you me, in order to give you, you. I give you the gift of myself in order to give you the gift of yourself, everything you are called to become in my Father’s eternal plan of love for you.
