In today's Gospel, Jesus gives His body and blood to His disciples at the Passover meal. Like anyone who serves as a Eucharistic Minister, I find myself deeply connecting with today's solemnity because I think of this every time I proclaim, "The Body of Christ" and raise the host in front of someone, looking them in the eyes, and entering into this moment, which is not even seconds long, but that forever binds the two of us in the Eucharist. It is powerful and something I take very seriously.

Today is a reminder to us all of the importance of not only the entirety of Jesus' Passion, Death, and Resurrection, but of all of those things being given to us in every moment that we receive the Eucharist and our belief in it as we respond "Amen." 

The Eucharist, like any sacrament, is a living presence. I was blown away once when a priest, before receiving himself after saying "Behold the Lamb of God..." kept the host and cup raised and added, "See what you believe. Become what you receive." It struck me so much that when the priest offered me the Body of Christ, I was almost not able to fully realize what I was doing. I was simply "thrown off." I will forever remember that moment and will forever say those words in my head and in my heart when I see the Body of Christ raised. "See what you believe. Become what you receive." 

Every time we receive the Eucharist, we see what we believe in the host and in the wine. We realize in seeing how precious this gift is that is given to us by Jesus. So, we are left with the question of how we become what we receive. How do we become the Body of Christ? Aren't we intrinsically the Body of Christ as part of the faithful? Yes, but the question is deeper. Just being is not always enough. How do we become the Body of Christ for others: for the marginalized, the poor, our enemy, our loved ones? We must think of this in terms of being a living presence of the Body of Christ and not just a passive part of it. We must enter into the Mystery, into the joy and the sacrifice. 

My friends, as we receive the Eucharist this weekend, let us ask ourselves: how do you want to become the Body of Christ for others? 

UCYM takes pride in its roots, which are in the Gospel and the two Great Commandments of Jesus Christ, which are to love God and love our neighbor. During PRIDE Month, UCYM affirms the dignity of each human person who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ Community. You are always welcome in our community and we celebrate you and who you are, which is, first, a person made in the likeness and image of our God, who is love. Happy PRIDE Month!