I went to my wife's small group this evening. What a nice meeting. Every now and then I guess I need to be reminded that the Truth in whom I believe is bigger than my failings.
This weekend we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi. While literally translated "The Body of Christ," this is celebrated in the Church in America as "The Body and Blood of Christ." The selected Scripture readings for this Sunday clearly indicate that the blood is an important element of the feast, as the first two readings have to do with the sprinkling of the Hebrews of the Old Testament with the sacrificial blood, and then the letter to the Hebrews comparing and contrasting the effect of Christ's blood.
While the feast is certainly about the Eucharist, as indicated by the Last Supper reading from St. Mark's gospel, it seems to me that it is impossible to discuss the Eucharistic presence of Christ without also considering his mystical presence in his Body, the Church. The reason that the bread and wine are transformed into Jesus' body and blood is so that the Church may be likewise transformed, which happens as individuals are increasingly transformed. And the reason for the institution of Old Testament sacrifice was to presage Jesus' sacrifice, so that we would recognize it and subsequently be transformed in him.
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