So Be It ...

Teresa of Avila left us with this beautiful prayer:

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours.

Every time that we receive the Eucharist, we accept Christ into our bodies. Accepting the challenge of St Teresa’s words is difficult. And as we are bombarded with messages every day reminding us to live for ourselves instead of others, it is easy to lose sight of this call. Maybe we can remind ourselves, every time we accept Christ in the Eucharist, that we are not only receiving a wonderful gift – this wonderful promise of salvation - but we also accept a responsibility to let Christ live through us, to act through us, to love, and forgive, and heal, and comfort – through us. I don’t think we can ask for the promise of salvation without trying to keep this promise ourselves.

When we receive the Eucharist, a Eucharistic minister will hold Christ out to you and announce, “The Body of Christ”. We extend our hands to receive him and say “Amen”. While the word amen has many subtle meanings, when uttered at the end of a prayer, it means “so be it”. So Christ is presented to us, and we say “so be it”. Let that be a reminder of our promise -- the promise that we make to “be it” -- to be the hands, the feet, the mouth, the eyes – the body of Christ.

The very last thing Christ said personally to his disciples was this, “in the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

It may often be a challenge to let Christ truly live in us, to be his hands and feet and body, and it will require our faith, humility and courage. But remember Christ’s last words – even at your most difficult moment, be of good cheer, for he has overcome the world. Accept him in the sacrament of the Eucharist and strive to let him live through and in you.

Amen.
So be it.