Tasting Heaven on Earth
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi
The mystery of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ being made substantially present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist is incomprehensible to us; yet, to those of us who approach with the eyes of faith, it becomes not only the nourishment of our salvation but also the one, true, covenantal worship that is pleasing to the Father.
The roots of the Eucharistic sacrifice are found in the Old Covenant (Testament). Perhaps one of the clearest allusions to Christ’s Passover Sacrifice is the Mosaic consecration of the people of Israel at the foot of Mt. Sinai. In Exodus 24, we see how Moses “took the blood and splashed it on the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.’” (Exodus 24:8). This event became the inauguration of the people of Israel into the covenant with YHWH.
The Passover Sacrifice that the Israelites celebrated annually in remembrance of YHWH’s saving grace for the entire nation of Israel was the reminder of His covenant fidelity to them. During the Passover Liturgy, the Hebrew people drank 5 cups of wine as part of the celebration. These cups were staggered throughout the liturgy and one of them, the Cup of Blessing, was also called the Cup of Salvation/Redemption. Incidentally, Paul, in his Epistle to the Corinthians informs us that this was the cup that Jesus consecrated as His blood in the New Covenant Passover Liturgy. So, with the Psalmist, we are able to say together, “I will raise the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the LORD” (Psalm 116:13), except we are able to say this with the understanding of Christ’s fulfillment of the Old Covenant Passover liturgy. That same Psalm also proclaims, “I will offer a sacrifice of praise (thanksgiving) and call on the name of the LORD” (Psalm 117:17). This Thanksgiving sacrifice, called the תּוֹדָה (Todah) in Hebrew, is the Old Testament type for the New Testament Eucharist, from the Greek, ευχαριστία (Eucharistia), meaning “thanksgiving” as well.
Christ our Lord “…is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15). Christ’s death was the event wherein He offered Himself up for our sins. In that act, He became the High Priest and the offering, the Sacrifice, and the Mediator. Because He is God, He, now eternally seated on high, continues to offer the one Sacrifice of His Eucharistic self to the Father in eternal atonement for our sins.
This great eternal act of Christ in the Heavenlies is why we on earth can celebrate, as the Corpus Christi sequence sings, “Bread and wine we hallow, making Thus our sacrifice of peace” (Sequence: Lauda Sion). Because Christ truly is the living bread that came down from heaven; and whoever eats this bread will indeed live forever (cf. John 6:51). So when we come together to that Eucharistic banquet of the Mass, let us remember that we are participating alongside Christ in the eternal, heavenly Eucharistic Liturgy. And from Heaven, through the person of the priest, Christ echoes the same words He uttered to His Apostles“This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many…” (Mark 14:24-25). In other words, EVERY Eucharistic Liturgy is literally our foretaste of Heavenly delight in earthly veil!
Let us run to the Eucharist of Christ which culminates in His Cross, and let us run to the Cross that is the New Testament tree of life which gives us the great fruit of life of the New Testament: the Eucharistic Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Deus Benedicat