On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we use this occasion to consider how important the Eucharist is to us. It serves as a reminder of our faith and how important it should be to each and every Catholic. We celebrate this marvelous gift Jesus has given us as we celebrate His covenant with us.
As Blessed Teresa of Calcutta told us, "We cannot separate our lives from the Eucharist." Some talk about a personal relationship with our Lord. We are able to receive Him into our bodies as we participate in Mass.
We are fortunate to be able to share in this mystery on a regular basis. Countless Masses are offered daily, at many different hours, around our communities and around the world. This freedom which we enjoy may allow us to forget how important it is and what the Body and Blood of Jesus mean to us as Catholics.
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His Eminence, Francis-Xavier Nguyên Van Thuán |
During the Vietnam War, in the early 1970s, a man named Francis-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận was on his way to Saigon to become its new Coadjutor Archbishop when he was arrested by the Communist government. They considered him a threat. It was August 15, 1975, the feast of the Assumption of Mary. He was arrested and sent to prison in North Vietnam without the benefit of trial. During the 13 years he was held there, he was in solitary confinement for nine years.
During his imprisonment, he was not permitted to celebrate Mass, or even receive the Eucharist. But his faith sustained him.
He continually repeated to himself: "Jesus, You in me and I in You.”
He wrote to friends back home, asking for “his medicine”. They knew what to send. They sent him small cough medicine bottles, filled with wine, and bits of bread. Some of the guards who sympathized with him, gave him some wood and wire, and he made a small cross, which he hid in a bar of soap.
He kept all this in a box, which he used for his altar. He would place drops of wine in the palm of his hand with water, to celebrate Mass. He did it every day at 3:00 p.m., the hour of Christ’s death. Each day he glorified God, and celebrated the Mass.
He was finally freed on November 21, 1988, the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lady. Nguyễn Văn Thuận went into exile, finally settling in Rome. He was later named a cardinal. Officials have begun a formal investigation to have him beatified.
On this feast of Corpus Christi, we celebrate our personal relationship with Jesus as we receive him in Holy Eucharist. We also celebrate the freedom we have to receive the Lord Jesus Christ in forms of bread and wine.
