Feast of the body and blood of Christ

Last week I discovered the word: “Perichoresis: The dance of love.” New to me, but very ancient; our Church Fathers used it in explaining the relationship of the Three Persons in God: a relationship, a communion of persons, “a harmonious set of relationship in which there is mutual giving and receiving. This relationship is called LOVE, and it’s what the Trinity is all about, the perichoresis, the Dance of Love”. (Jonathan Marlowe) The Greeks do this dance on special occasions such as weddings. This dance must include at least three persons. God is LOVE and cannot BE, without love; the Mystery of the Blessed Trinity is central to all the Mysteries of Human Life, of all Creation.

This Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. In this Sacrament, Christ lives in His Flesh, the most radical Gift one can give for those He loves – His Life.  In conquering death, He entered into God’s Glory: dying, He destroyed our death, rising, he restored our life … At the Last Supper, as he was facing his Passion and Death, Christ prayed that, as He is One in the Father, we also may be ONE in HIM and through Him.

Not only did he give His Life, but he also chose to ask humans to participate in this mystery of Redemption.  Baptized we become new creatures, entering into this mystery by dying and rising again in Christ. Just as Christ entered into the Glory of God, He invites us: “Come, pick up your cross and follow me.” This is reminiscent of Creation when God said, “Let us make humankind in our image…and in the image of God they were created.” We are called to continue building the “kin-dom” of God on earth. We are one in Christ Jesus and he wants us to be like Him, Sons, and Daughter of the Father.

As we celebrate the Eucharist, as the Body of Christ, we carry the world and all that is in it with us, many as ONE. “Take and eat, take and drink” … “Be not afraid, I will send you my Spirit: in us resides the FIRE of God’s Love.

As the First Christian Communities broke the Bread and drank the Wine, they remembered that like Christ they were invited to continue Christ’s mission of love. They knew that their missionary discipleship could well cost them their life and even lead them to martyrdom.

Today, we are cast into grief for these children whose remains were discovered in Kamloop’s Residential Schools cemetery, and for their families, we groan under the weight of COVID, we feel helpless before the anger, the greed, and the hunger for power within our society. The load is heavy, but we are still called to witness LOVE, HOPE, and JOY. We can do it because we are not loners; we are the Body of Christ – We are never alone.

Let us, in the brokenness of our relationships, enter into the “Dance of Love”, gradually getting in sync with the melody, the movement of our giving, receiving, reconciling, and embracing… because the dance is bigger than us. In Christ, with Christ, we continue as pilgrims of eternity.

By Margot Lavoie – Oblate Associate