[Sundaycommunity] Corpus Christi: the Underlying Unity of the Human Family

[Arthur Blomme]

Hello All

I know this reflection is being published in Peoples Progress.  I do  
want to get this message out to a larger audience so I am republishing 
the reflection in case you don't get a chance to read Peoples Progress.

Art


  Corpus Christi: the Underlying Unity of the Human Family

Arthur Blomme, May 30 2024

This Sunday, we gather to reflect on a profound metaphor that is 
presented to us in the Epistles of Paul, the Gospels and contemporary 
mystics like Teilard de Chardin: the Body of Christ.

The apostle Paul uses the analogy of the body of Christ extensively in 
his Epistles to teach that the church is not confined to walls or 
borders. It is universal, encompassing all of humanity. In 1 Corinthians 
12:13, Paul writes, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to 
form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all 
given the one Spirit to drink.” This passage calls us to a radical 
inclusivity, where no one is excluded from the love of Christ.

Later in Corinthians Paul reminds us that just as the eye cannot say to 
the hand, “I don’t need you,” we cannot dismiss the value of others who 
are members in the same body.

Inclusivity is not merely a suggestion; it is a mandate. In Galatians 
3:28, we read, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor 
free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ 
Jesus.” Our unity in Christ transcends all earthly divisions, calling us 
to embrace every person as a cherished member of the Body of Christ.

This theme of radical inclusivity also permeates all four Gospels.We are 
taught to love our enemies and esteem the lowly and downtrodden.

In the Gospel reading this Sunday from Mark, we find Jesus instituting 
the sacrament of Communion during the Last Supper. He took bread, and 
after blessing it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “Take; this is 
my body” (Mark 14:22). Jesus does this in the context of inviting the 
lepers and the outcasts to his table.

In one of his most striking pieces of mystical literature, Teilhard de 
Chardin wrote “The hymn of the universe,” where he expressed the idea of 
the Eucharist extending beyond the church walls into the cosmos. He saw 
every element of nature as part of a grand Eucharistic celebration, with 
the world itself serving as an altar.

Teilhard insisted on viewing the human population as one global family, 
recognizing the need for global solidarity.He believed that the act of 
seeing, or growing in consciousness of the reality we live in to be 
essential to that unity.

 From my earliest memories, the metaphor—or more accurately, the 
sacrament—of communion has held a special place in my spirituality. It 
serves as a profound reminder of our interconnectedness and shared 
humanity. Just as the bread and wine symbolize Christ’s body and blood, 
they also represent the underlying unity of all people. By participating 
remotely in this online ceremony we join with Pope Francis’s exhortation 
to pray for the unity of the human family, transcending divisions and 
embracing the evolution of consciousness towards a more interconnected 
and harmonious world.
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