Picture the scene in today’s Gospel. It is Holy Thursday and Jesus is celebrating his last supper with the apostles. Often gatherings over a meal close with parting words. That is what we just heard. Washing the apostles’ feet, Jesus had done the unthinkable. When he was done, he admonished them, “I have set for you an example, that you also should do as I have done for you.” At the end of their meal, he told them, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
We think of Jesus as the epitome of love. He loves us unconditionally and for good reason he gives us a new commandment, one not written among the ten given to Moses. “Love one another.”
The Eucharist is also the epitome of love. Jesus loved us so much that he died on the cross, a cruel and painful death at the hands of unloving men, so that we could forever experience his presence in the Eucharist. For nearly two thousand years, Catholics have gathered to listen to what St. Justin called the memoirs of the apostles and to partake of the Eucharist. What we believe today was believed early on in the shadow of Jesus’ earthly life.
At the Last Supper with his parting words Jesus made a connection between the Eucharist and love. The Eucharist cannot have much meaning unless we are filled with love and receive the Eucharist with love.
To non-believers, the host is simply a flat tasteless piece of wheat mixed with flour but to the believer, the consecrated host is Jesus Christ himself. How does that host become what we call the real presence of Jesus Christ?
During the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples, “This is my body.” Those words have been spoken repeatedly to this day at every Mass. A skeptic might dismiss that claim since the host doesn’t change its appearance or taste. I am not a theologian but I invite you to consider the world around us. If out of nothing, God created all that exists from the ants in your yard to the furthest galaxies, who are we to limit what God can do?
Here we are in the midst of the Easter season, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Unlike Lazarus, he wasn’t resuscitated from the dead. In his risen glory, Jesus became a new being. He wasn’t a ghost yet he could come and go, passing through locked doors and appearing to many believers at the same time.
In his divine being, Jesus becomes present to us in the bread and wine that is consecrated; hence we call this the real presence. Some view the Eucharist only as a symbol, yet Jesus told his apostles, “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” That is the epitome of sacrifice.
The apostles and early believers understood this upfront. They took Jesus literally. Paul often reiterates that belief in the Eucharist in his letters and so did early Church Fathers like St. Justin. They could see that Jesus, transformed on Easter, continues to transform our gifts of bread and wine into his very being, his flesh and blood.
A change in the substance is what occurs. This is an act of faith on our part, fueled by love. Not romantic love, but love of compassion, what the Greeks called agape, a self-giving love. Jesus focused on the needs of his followers, giving his life for their sake and ours. He invites us to view love in the same way. This love is freely given without counting the cost and without expecting anything in return.
The Eucharist is often called Holy Communion for good reason. Communion denotes community. As a community of believers we share a common belief in Jesus and a concern for one another. Being a follower of Christ isn’t a solitary journey between you and Christ. Rather together we journey toward Christ, endeavoring to make real the kingdom of God in this lifetime out of love for others. We know from our experiences what love enables us to do.
Just as the Eucharist is deeply rooted in our liturgical tradition, love is deeply rooted in our relationship with God. Without love, God would not exist, nor would we. The opposite of agape, the love Jesus speaks of, is selfishness, which creates barriers between others and us and between God and us. What frees us from this captivity is having deep affection and concern for others. Being friends, being caring, being civil, being thoughtful, being considerate frees us from the prison of selfishness. No one can be a friend of Jesus who does not love his neighbor.
Love demands the best of us and brings out the best in us. Being loved gives us the courage and energy to love. Consider the lives of the saints. They knew Christ loved them. They felt that love whenever they received the Eucharist, which in turn empowered them to make a difference in making the kingdom of God real. Love is what enables God to dwell with us. Jesus makes that real, telling us, “Behold, I make all things new.”
Elizabeth Kubler Ross once said, “Love is the flame that warms our soul, energizes our spirit and supplies passion to our lives. It is our contract with God and to one another.”