Body and Blood of Christ

(1 Cor 11:23-26)

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread

1 Corinthians 11:24 and, having given thanks, broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Paul hands down to us the ancient account of the institution of the Eucharist. "I received... I handed on" is the technical formula for speaking of things handed down: it is the tradition that is handed on. Paul did not receive it from men. He clearly states that his source is the Lord himself. Jesus himself taught him what happened at the Last Supper. An important detail is specified in this transmission. Jesus instituted the Eucharist on the night he was betrayed. There is an opposition between Christ and Judas. Judas betrays the Lord and hands him over to the high priest who wanted to kill him. Jesus, on the other hand, hands himself over to the whole world so that through him it may receive life.

In the Eucharist, read in the context of Judas' betrayal, we understand the greatness of the gesture that Jesus made. It is a handing over, both that of Judas and that of Christ. Judas hands him over to evil, to those who wanted to kill him; Jesus, on the other hand, hands himself over to humanity under the species of bread and wine. Jesus' gesture of giving himself begins with taking the bread in his hands. What happens does not happen accidentally; it happens by will. Jesus wanted to institute the Eucharist and he did so by taking the bread in his hands and raising it from the table.

Jesus gives thanks for the bread he holds in his hands. This is important because one can take it without giving thanks, saying, 'It is mine'—that is, stealing it, not recognising that it is a gift from the Father. 'Gave thanks' is the Greek word 'eucharistēsas', from which we get 'Eucharist'. Together with giving thanks, Jesus performs another rite on the bread: he breaks it. Breaking bread is the first great sign of communion. Everyone eats from a single loaf.

Not only does Jesus take the bread, give thanks, and break it, but he also says something unheard of. No one had ever said such a thing before: that bread is his body, and this body is for them. Jesus gives himself as nourishment for his disciples under the appearance of bread. The eye sees bread, the touch feels bread, the taste tastes bread, but the soul eats the body of Christ, true, real, substantial.

"Do this in memory of me." Not only are the disciples invited to take the bread that is the body of Christ and eat it. From this moment on, they themselves must do what Christ has done. They too must take the bread, give thanks, break it and say the same words as Jesus Christ, they must say them in his name, with his authority. Jesus' command to the apostles is a true act of handing over authority to do what he did. When the priest gathers the community and takes the bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and pronounces the same words spoken by Jesus, he does exactly what Jesus did in the Upper Room: he transforms that piece of bread into the body of Christ. This is the miracle that takes place in the Eucharist.

Outwardly, everything seems the same as before. But the senses deceive us. They cannot see beyond; we need a spirit formed in the true faith to grasp the truth of that gesture and lead us to a profound act of faith in the mystery that Christ accomplished in the Upper Room, and above all in the other mystery, namely, the power he gave his apostles to do the same in his memory, acting in the name and person of Christ.

What Jesus did for the bread, he also does for the chalice, symbol of the blood that inaugurates the new covenant. He performs the same gestures on the chalice as he did on the bread. Every sacrifice in the old Law involved the violent death of the animal being sacrificed. By making his body a sacrifice, Jesus anticipates his death on the cross. The next day, he is made a 'sacrifice of atonement' for humanity.

The Eucharist is the new covenant, because God gives his life for man while man kills him. Therefore, this covenant can no longer be broken. If you kill me, I give my life for you, so you can no longer break this covenant, and it is in this covenant that we know who God is: infinite love. In the old Law, blood was sprinkled. God was symbolised by the altar on which the blood was poured, while the people were sprinkled with it. Thus, God and the people were united by a blood covenant.With Christ, blood is shed for the new covenant, but unlike the blood of calves and goats, which united God and the people, this time it is the blood of God that unites the people to God, but not by sprinkling, but by ingestion—it is drunk. Jesus' disciple is invited to drink the blood of Christ, which is the blood of God. He is invited to drink it in order to make a covenant with God. According to the Law, blood was life, and it is the life of Christ that the disciple drinks in order to become what Christ is: divine and eternal life, holy and true life.

We must understand the enormous value that all this has in the Church. It is not a ritual: it is life. Then there are people who go to Mass because they like the priest, because he celebrates a beautiful Mass: they go to Mass for something else, not because they like the priest!

Twice Jesus says, 'Do this'. It is an imperative: this is to be done!

 Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books 

- Apocalypse – exegetical commentary 

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers – Law or Gospel?

Jesus Christ, true God and true Man in the mystery of the Trinity

The Prophetic Discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24-25)

All generations will call me blessed

 Catholics and Protestants in comparison – In defence of the faith

 The Church and Israel according to St. Paul – Romans 9-11

(Available on Amazon)