Corpus Christi

Below is something I posted to my parishioners today on our parish elist. As I am still recovering from surgery I thought I would still get a bit of preaching in so they won't forget me. (How could they?).

Corpus Christi

In many parts of the Church Catholic, the Sunday after Trinity Sunday (today) is set aside as Corpus Christi – “The Body of Christ.”

During Holy Week we commemorate the institution of the Holy Eucharist – the giving of this special meal to the faithful.

On Corpus Christi we commemorate the centrality of this meal to the Christian experience. The key word here is experience.

As Anglicans, in particular, heavily influenced by Benedictine monasticism, we are much more a Church of Orthopraxis (right practice/worship) than a Church of Orthodoxy (right belief). To be a bit more accurate, what we believe is acted out in our worship and by extension carried out into the world as we live our day to day lives.

 Simply put, believing is not the end game for us. We can believe a lot of things: Jesus is God, he was resurrected, he came to reconcile the world to God – those kinds of things. But simply believing these things advances the kingdom not even a little bit.

Jesus spent most of his time telling us what to do – beginning with the Holy Eucharist.  At supper he tells his disciples, DO this in remembrance of me. Let your doing and re-doing of this meal be the sign and symbol of what you believe. MAKE me present with you. DO unto others; Whenever you do this for the least of my brothers and sisters you do it to me; GO Forth and make disciples. Heal the sick; preach the good news; We are to be doers of the word, not simply hearers.

 Ours is  - or should be an active faith. Our doing of our faith, enlivens our belief, which in turn can call us to new heights and depths of ministry.

The centrality of the Holy Eucharist – the importance of the command to “do this in remembrance of me” calls us to be at Christ’s table as often as possible. It is not an appetizer to whet our faith upon occasion. Nor is it “comfort food,” when we need a lift.  It is a call to action. A call to do, make, go, heal, preach, reconcile and love fiercely. “Be doers of the Word.” Show your belief in the king of kings, by doing those salvific acts of love, charity, and mercy that arise from taking, breaking and consuming Corpus Christi’ The Body of Christ.