This is My Body Which is Given for You

Greetings from Bethlehem!

I know you probably all have a million questions in regards to the current situation and my plans. I first thank God for keeping us all safe and I pray that this ceasefire will not only hold but be the first step in ending the wars in the region. On a personal note, we are currently trying to convert my visa so that I may stay longer, otherwise I am headed back to the States in October. Whatever happens I trust in His divine plan.

    This month the Catholic Celebrates the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This month we also celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi or the Body of Christ. In mass in the Holy Sepulcher the words of the consecration of the Eucharist hit me in the gut. I could not get the phrase "This is my body, which is given for you" out of my head or out of my prayer.

Calvary

Procession in the
Holy Sepulcher on
Corpus Christi

     In American society today, we constantly hear “my body, my choice” as the battle cry of the pro-choice movement. I do agree with body autonomy, but like any free act of will, there is morally wrong and there is morally right. I do not want to argue politics but rather show you that when in purest form “my body my choice”, brings about the greatest good.  God knows all things, so I believe his words “this is my body, given for you” were not merely for the past, but the present as well. As a Catholic we hear these words during the source and summit of our faith, the celebration of the Eucharist. Maybe we are so used to these words they don’t pierce our hearts like they should. Maybe they just stay in the mass but do not transpose into our daily life. 

      “This is my body which is given for you” is not only the vow of Christ, the bridegroom of the Church but also our wedding vow to him. This vow perfects the cry of present day society. Instead of being a call of selfishness it's a call of offering. It was not only at the institution of the Eucharist that he offered his body, nor solely on the cross but through his life. He took on human form so that he could redeem humanity. He was God incarnate and chose poverty over riches, servitude over lordship, suffering over health, and finally death over life.  He chose death so that WE may have life and life to the fullest. It  is easy to see that Jesus could choose that life because he is God, but there are many ways the Catholic Church reciprocates this vow. 

    These past two years in Bethlehem while living among nuns, priests and other consecrated religious I see their lives as a proclamation of the same vow. The priests and nuns all give up their “autonomy” for the good of the church. They freely take vows of obedience, poverty and chastity in order to live a life like Jesus. I know the priests in Gaza and they choose to stay there so that they can minister to the people. They show that the sacraments of the church are more important than the sacrifice of their life: that bringing people to Jesus and to the heavenly kingdom is more important than escaping the hell they are living here on Earth. They have the free choice to leave but they are following in the footsteps of their Lord and are telling the people “this is my body which is given for you.”  The sisters do the same at Hogar Nino Dios. They gave up the comforts of a worldly life to take care of the disabled and abandoned. They chose to live simply and eat simply so that the children get the best of what they have. They are like mothers to these children so even in the middle of the night they are “on call” if anything were to happen. There are many missions around the world that have it easier, but they chose to give up their lives so that these children can have one. 

Graduation 

Renewing religious vows

My 29th Birthday Party

Easter Sunday

               

20th Anniversary of Hogar Nino Dios

Then there are us lay people of the church that aren’t called to give up our lives drastically like they did. That does not mean the vow is not for us.The vocation of marriage is also a mutual self sacrifice. With the consummation of the marriage you are freely offering your body to another. Two flesh become one, for the duration of their lives. There are compromises made on both sides so that the marriage is a living testament of giving to the other. When a couple welcomes children they are giving up the lives that they know for their child. Pregnancy is literally a mother giving up her body for the creation of life. For nine months her body proclaims the truth that “this is my body, which is given for you”. As a woman, I find it a privilege that one day I can offer my body for the creation of life. 

Even if you haven’t entered religious life or found your vocation in marriage, Jesus made this vow specifically for you. He is the bridegroom of your soul and being such,we are freely called to reciprocate the vow of total self giving. It does not have to be grand like giving up everything to volunteer in a foreign country (although I highly recommend it), it is emptying yourself of all desires and letting God fill you with his desires. Look to him for guidance because his way, though sometimes through suffering, will bring about the greatest good. Give of your time and talents without expecting anything in return. Whatever you do, do for the other. Every smile, every conversation, and with every breath bring life and light into the world. Love with a heart like Jesus, fully human but emptied out so that God’s love fills and overflows into the world. At the end of the day and especially at the end of your life, let your soul cry to the Lord “This is my body which is given for you”.

Agape.

Elizabeth