‘While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” ‘(Mark 14:22)

God has loved mankind in every meticulous way. At times of the Old Testament, the Israel was accompanied by the Ark of the Covenant when they were combating their journey across the wilderness. During the years of the New Testament, God sent His begotten son Jesus to sacrifice on the cross so that the door to the heavenly kingdom could be opened to mankind. Jesus had shed His own precious blood to be our daily food so He can be close to us while we walk this long weary journey of the cross. By telling us to “Take His body”, Jesus has implied that He is willing to live within us. He is willing for us to become another Christ. St. Peter once said: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Jesus is not only staying with us, but He and we have become one. Our sufferings have become His sufferings; our joy has become His joy. If we ever neglect Jesus’ deepest love for us, we will surely break His heart. If we are living in grace, after taking the Holy Communion, Jesus’ life has become our lives.

Jesus not only wishes Himself to be united with mankind as one, He also wants us to be united with each other as one. As bread is made from grinding the wheat, similarly, the unifying of Christians is through our grinding and mixing with each other. Then the sentence in the prayer “Our Father ….” would have true meaning. The greatest obstacle against promoting Christians Unity is a lack of competence towards the recognition of the sacrament of Holy Communion.

St. Thomas made a remark that after we received the Eucharist, we would have shared a part of Divinity. This is the difference between mankind and the angels ---- mankind is so blessed to be able to share a part of God’s life. A recent theologian has equated a human’s body as the Eucharist of the earth. Since these human bodies have carried a part of Christ in them through receiving the Eucharist, as they returned to the earth, these bodies will give nourishment to the earth with Christ in them. Then the verse “A new heaven and a new earth” from the book of Revelation will entail its meaning.

When Jesus said: “Take this”, He is extending an invitation, a sure hope. Do we ever have this anxiety of looking forward to receive and adore the Eucharist?

When Jesus said: “This is my body.” Do we believe that each one of us Christian is a body part of Christ?