"Do This in Remembrance of Me" - Corpus Christi Year C

St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians provides us with the earliest recounting of the Last Supper and the words of institution of the holy Eucharist. The words Paul relates here are also found in the Gospel of Luke. It is these words that the Church has selected to be the words of consecration and anamnesis in the Eucharistic Prayer of holy Mass. We hear these words every time we participate in the sacred Liturgy, and yet have we stopped to consider what Jesus meant when he said the words "Do this in remembrance of me"?

Traditionally, the Church has consistently taught that in these six words Jesus instituted a new ritual - the celebration of the Eucharist, the memorial of Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. Certainly this understanding has great validity because the Church has always and everywhere offered the sacred Liturgy in obedience to this command of Christ. However, the Church has also taught that the liturgy is not an end in itself but rather is a means to an end. Christ gave us the sacraments so that we might be transformed into his own likeness, i.e so that we might become Christ. St. John Chrysostom, in preaching on this very passage from St. Paul, stated, "Paul reminds us that the Master gave up everything, including himself, for us, whereas we are reluctant even to share a little food with our fellow believers. But if you come for a sacrifice of thanksgiving, do not do anything unworthy of the sacrifice. Do not dishonor your brothers or neglect them in their hunger, do not get drunk, do not insult the church. When you come, give thanks for what you have enjoyed, and do not cut yourself off from your neighbors." (Homilies on the Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, 27: 5)

The words of Jesus, then, are also an ethical command: "Do this in remembrance of me" also means to become Christ in all of our actions, to live and die for others. The ritual of the liturgy is designed for us to fulfull the ethical demands of the commandment. St. Thomas Aquinas pointed out that the virtue of this sacrament is to transform a person into Christ through love (Commentary on Book 4 of the Sentences, D 12, q. 2, a. 2, ad 1). The command of the ritual is designed to help us fulfill the ethical command in the words of Christ,

The gospel for today's Mass also highlights the ethical dimensions of the Eucharist. The multiplication of the loaves and fishes has always been seen as a Eucharistic event, and Jesus gives the disciples a command: "Give them some food yourselves." What the disciples are able to offer - five loaves and two fish - cannot possibly feed the entire multitude, but that is not the point. Jesus asks us to give him all that we have and he provides for all until we have had our fill. Similarly, by itself, our living and dying for others in obedience to the command and example of Christ cannot redeem the world, but by offering our life and death to that of Christ's we can be co-redeemers with him and transform the world.

The ritual command, then, can have no meaning if we do not intend to fulfill the ethical demand the Eucharist requires of us. The real presence of Christ in the Sacraments is diminished if Christ is not present in our life and actions. If the Sacraments are a visible sign of an invisible reality, should not we who receive the Sacraments make visilbe in our lives the invisible reality that is God dwelling within us?

Both Melchizedek and Abraham fulfilled an ethical duty of hospitality to one's neighbor and offering to God a worthy gift. However, their offering was but a foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice. It brought them salvation only when the Lord Jesus fulfilled the promise of their ritual action. Their prayer now is that of the Church triumphant as they join us in our worship: "Lord Jesus Christ, we worship you living among us in the sacrament of your body and blood. May we offer to our Father in heaven a solemn pledge of undivided love. May we offer to our brothers and sisters a life poured out in loving service of that kingdom where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen. (Opening prayer)