This is My Body, This is My Blood (Corpus Christi B)

Once upon a time, in the heart of the Western Kingdom lay a beautiful garden where a gracious and noble Bamboo Tree was the centre of attraction and was the delight of the Master’s heart.  But one day the Master approached the beautiful bamboo tree:

Master: “Bamboo, Bamboo, I would use you.”

Bamboo answered with delight: “Master, I am ready.  Use me as you wish.”   

Master: (With a grave voice)”I need to take you, and cut you down!”

A trembling of great horror shook Bamboo:  “Cut me down?  Me?  Did you not make me the most beautiful in your entire garden? Why cut me down?  Use me for joy, oh!  Master, But cut not me down!”

The voice of the Master was graver still: “Beloved Bamboo, if I do not cut you down, I cannot use you.” Bamboo slowly bent his glorious head and whispered with pain:   “Master, if you cannot use me without cutting me down, then, do your will and cut me down.”

The Master said:  “Bamboo, beloved Bamboo, I would cut your leaves and your branches also.” Bamboo pleaded: “Master, Master, spare me.  Cut me down and lay my beauty in the dust, but do not take away from me my leaves and my branches also!”  

The master whispered: “Bamboo, alas! If I cut not them away, I cannot use you!”  Bamboo shivered in terrible expectancy, and then whispering low, said:  “Master, cut them away!”  The Master added with a crying voice:  “Bamboo, beloved Bamboo, I would yet cleave you in two halves and cut out your heart; for, if I cut you not, I cannot use you!”  Then, Bamboo bowed to the ground and softly whispered:  “Master, Master, then cut and cleave. I’m yours!”

So did the Master of the Garden take Bamboo and cut him down and hack off his branches and strip off his leaves, and cleave him in two and cut his heart.  And lifting him gently carried him to where there was a spring of fresh, sparkling water in the midst of his dry fields. Then, putting one end of the Broken Bamboo in the spring and the other end into the water channel in his field, the Master laid down gently his beloved Bamboo.

 And the clear sparkling waters of the spring raced joyously down the channel of Bamboo’s torn body into the waiting thirsty fields. Then the rice was planted and the days went by and the shoots grew and the harvest came and hungry mouths had their fill.

In that day, Bamboo, once so glorious in his stately beauty, was yet more glorious in his brokenness and humility. In his beauty he was life abundant, but in his brokenness he became a channel of abundant life to his Master's world.  (Adapted from a story from the Book of Songs of Waley).

This bitter-sweet allegory of sacrifice reminds us of Jesus’ own poignant act of perfect self-offering.  The Lord laid down his life on the cross in order for us to have the abundance of eternal life.   And in order for us to participate in the same salvific event  of his sacrifice, He memorialized his act at the last supper as He pronounced the bread his body and the cup of wine his blood.

Today is the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.  This celebration gives us the opportunity to appreciate the great gift of his Body and Blood or the Eucharist.  One way to appreciate this gift is to see it as today’s readings would have us do:  To see the celebration of the Eucharist as sacrificial.

The first reading (Ex 24:3-8) recounts the ratification of the covenant between God and His people Israel by the offering of holocausts and animal sacrifices whose blood Moses splashed on the altar and sprinkled on the people as “the blood of the covenant.” In the old covenant, animals were used as sacrifice for peace offering.

In the second reading (Heb 9:11-15), Christ is now the high priest who achieved eternal redemption not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood. “For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself up unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God!” (v. 13). In the new covenant, Jesus becomes the sacrifice himself offering his own blood once and for all for eternal redemption.

The Gospel of Mark (Mk 14: 12-16, 22-26) portrays Jesus in the upper room celebrating the final Passover meal with his disciples.  This event of the last supper memorialized his sacrifice on the cross by offering his body and blood: “Take this,” he said, “this is my body.” He likewise took a cup, gave thanks and passed it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them: “This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, to be poured out on behalf of many” (vv. 23-24).

Hence, our celebration of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ allows us to reflect on the sacrificial character of the Eucharist. And every time we participate in the celebration of the Eucharist, we participate in the same sacrificial and saving act of Jesus.  Our participation invites us to be like Christ himself who offered himself up in perfect obedience to the Father and in total self-giving love.

Many times we do not heed the will of the Father and we refuse to give of ourselves for the sake of others because we give in to our natural orientation for self-preservation.  We tend to protect ourselves; hence, we don’t find the act of sacrifice appealing.  May our devotion to the Eucharist give us the grace to transcend our egoistic tendencies.

Like the noble Bamboo in the story, we cannot be used by God if we don’t allow him to cut us down, hack off our branches, strip off our leaves, and cleave us in two and cut our heart.  Like Jesus, we can only bring life to others when we are willing to give up ourselves.  Jesus gave up all for us: “Take this... this is my body... this is my blood.”