“You are what you eat” is not just an old bit of folk wisdom. It is actually well documented by the studies of modern dietitians. Nourishment is an essential need, and the kind of nourishment we receive can significantly affect our lives. A good balanced diet provides energy, helps prevent disease, and improves our disposition. If we eat junk food on a consistent basis, we tire easily, our immune system breaks down, and we are much more prone to illness and irritability.
This weekend we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi, the body of Christ sacramentally given to us as food. Jesus offers his body and blood as nourishment so that we truly become what we eat. Admittedly, the very idea that we partake of the body of Christ in communion sounds unimaginable. However, do we understand Jesus correctly when he offers his body as food? Our Gospel reading is actually quite clear: “For my flesh is true food indeed and my blood is true drink.” But how is this possible?
The question is answered when we understand something of the nature of love. Simply, God is love. Love seeks to communicate itself; it seeks communion. Jesus gives - shares - himself with us in love. “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” It can take more than a lifetime for us to really learn just how much God really loves us, how much God wants to be a part of us, share our life, and have us share his life with us. Just as the food we eat literally becomes a part of us, the Lord wishes to become intimately connected with us in our body, our soul, our very being.
“God became human so that humans could become God.” When we really appreciate God’s love and the fact that “we are what we eat,” communion, partaking of the body and blood of the Lord, makes complete sense! God wants that to flourish in us. And so, come to the table of the Lord! This is the only place that the food served does not become a part of us since we become a part of it! When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim that we are the body of Christ alive in this world. The body of Christ - we become what we eat!! Think about it!