We are all aware of the term “lifeblood.” It can be used in this way: “Parishioners who serve the poor and those in need are the lifeblood of the Church.” Through our actions involving support and charity – such as the Catholic Charities Appeal – we are the lifeblood people-in-need receive. In a very mystical way, we might say they receive and then drink our blood that flows from our generosity and kindness.
Blood provides nourishment and has great spiritual meaning. I suspect many of us have seen the Maasai people of Kenya drink cattle blood mixed with milk. They believe their cattle provide a direct link to God. So, they drink blood to nourish the sick and to celebrate special times in their lives.
Blood protects us through white blood cells and detects foreign material by antibodies. It transports hormones, signals tissue damage, and regulates our body core temperature. In other words, blood is the miracle of God-given life made obvious when we give that life through blood donations in places such as Cape Cod Hospital.
Therefore, when Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever drinks my blood has eternal life; my blood is true drink; and whoever drinks my blood remains in me and I in him,” he spoke of giving life to them and all who believed in him. That blood or life that he gave and they drank was care, compassion, understanding, and forgiveness – it was love.
He told his disciples and tells us today to give that same blood for others to drink. That blood – our love – will nourish and protect.
Next, let’s talk about flesh. John tells us that Jesus said: “…Whoever eats my flesh has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food. Whoever eats my flesh remains in me and I in him.”
To understand the meaning of this passage, we must remember that Jesus is the Word made flesh. According to John: “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” Because he is the Word made flesh, every time we hear his word and we take it inside of us, take it to heart – be moved by it – we eat his flesh. Jesus nourishes us.
Once upon a time, a miser hid his gold at the foot of a tree in his garden. Every week he would dig it up and look at it for hours.
One day a thief dug up the gold and stole it. When the miser next came to gaze upon his treasure, all he found was an empty hole.
The man began to howl with grief so his neighbors came running to find out what the trouble was. When they found out, one of them asked, “Did you use any of the gold?"
“No,” said the miser. “I only looked at it every week.”
“Well then,” said the neighbor, “for all the good the gold did you, you might just as well now come every week and gaze upon the hole.”
What gold, what treasure, do we look at every week? It’s the Body and Blood of Christ, although we do more than look at it. We hold it in our hands and reverently eat it. It is our food that gives us spiritual nourishment.
But, the more important question is: are we like the miser who just gazed upon it without using that gold each day and throughout the year? Does the Body and Blood of Christ – the Eucharist – really and truly give us nourishment? Because, if it doesn’t transform us to love and serve the Lord and our neighbors every day, then we might as well be gazing upon an empty hole.
We are all the Body of Christ – his living flesh and blood capable of giving life and love. Therefore, when we receive the Eucharist and we hear, “The Body of Christ,” each one of us might simply respond, “I am the Body of Christ, Amen!”
Deacon David Pierce
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