This bread shared…
The other day at mass, I was zapped! I heard the words “This cup, this bread SHARED is the Body of Christ…” The emphasis is what I heard. And, I heard it a couple of other times. Zing!
I look at the Bread and Wine, the Body and Blood of Christ at mass. I am a part of the Body and Blood of Christ not only at mass but as I move through my days and nights. But, in those instances I see a glimmer through the dark. This Body, this Blood, this bread, this wine becomes a living creature when it is shared. The action of sharing gives it an even more animated life.
In that past week or two, Krista Tippet interviewed a woman who is a chaplain working with rescue workers. It is her task to be with not only the workers, but with those who are waiting and praying for someone to be found. And she is with those who get the bad news. There was a story told as a part of this interview. During a time of grief the doorbell rings. There stands a nicely dressed gentleman with religious tracts – “Have you heard the Gospel?” This earned a door slammed in his face. The next time the doorbell rang, it was a neighbor with a plate of brownies. “I thought you might be able to use these just now.” The storyteller is overwhelmed by the presence of Christ in the action of giving in time of need. The sharing at a very human level.
In my own life this weekend I watched in awe as some of my dear friends not only joined us to celebrate my son’s marriage, but openly shared their time and energy with my mother. They took part in the festivities — but they spent time visiting with Mama, who isn’t as mobile as she would like to be. They traveled from out of town, and helped in so many ways — handling a video camera, getting chairs for people, being family alongside those of us who are related by blood and marriage. They don’t even know, it seems, that to me, they were that active, shared Body of Christ.
And so, I seek to share this body, I seek to be a part of the sharing. I pray that I can see what needs doing and act on it to bring this Love into a concrete reality.