Today we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the most
Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Before the Gospel is a sequence. It is an
ancient hymn of the Church. It is beautiful. It is poetic. It tells the
universal truth of the Body and Blood of Christ.
What he did at supper
seated, Christ ordained to be repeated, His memorial ne’er to cease:
I am different: because, I think of
another song. The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ brings to mind that old
gospel song “There is Power in the Blood.”
I am particularly fond of Alan Jackson’s
version found here: There is Power in the Blood
As Catholics we know this to be true
more than so many of our Christian brothers and sisters. Amen! However, as
Catholics, we will sing, “There is Power in the Body and the Blood of
Christ.”
We think this feast is about the Holy
Eucharist, the sacrament of Holy Communion and it is. However, the body and
blood of Christ is the reason for all the sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist,
Confirmation, Penance-Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Matrimony and
Holy Orders.
All the sacraments are established by
the body and blood of Christ. Each are a promise to God for the promise made in
the blood of the new covenant. And Covenants with God are forever, and even
though we as imperfect humans fail to realize it, the sacraments we make are
covenants with God and are forever.
These
sacraments are the power of the Body and Blood of Christ. Friends all the Sacraments are important.
These are the power of the blood of the
new covenant. These are the power in the Blood of Christ. How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from
dead works to worship the living God.
Would you be free from the burden of
sin? There's power in the blood, power in the blood…, Would you o'er evil a
victory win? There's wonderful power in the blood
Christ is mediator of a
new covenant: his death has taken place for deliverance from our transgressions
so those we may receive the promised eternal life. This
is the power in the Blood of Christ.
Would you be free from your passion and
pride…, There’s power in the blood, power in the blood… Come for a cleansing to
Calvary’s tide There's wonderful power in the blood
Jesus said, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed
for many.”
There is power, power, wonder-working
power in the precious blood of the Lamb.
There is power in the body and the blood
that is the life and the Spirit of Christ. By
the new covenant and in the Eucharist, we are united with Christ through the wonder-working
power of his body and blood.
We come to the power of
the Body and Blood of Christ through the Sacraments, our promise to God. By the
power of the blood of the new covenant and in the Eucharist the blood of Christ comes into us. Then, Christ’s
life comes into us, too. By his life, we are made into one body with him, one
living body that is His Church. That is a body alive with the living Spirit of
Christ.
From that ancient hymn:
What he did at supper
seated, Christ ordained to be repeated, His memorial ne’er to cease
There is power, power
wonder working power in the body and blood of Christ; but know that power we
must be like Jesus, break the bread, share the body of Christ. Pass the cup of
the blood of the new covenant and drink from it fully.
Then we bring the power
of the body and blood of Christ to the world.
Be good, be holy, and
preach the gospel, the power of the body and blood of Christ, by the way you
live and love. Amen.
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