Truly honouring the Body of Christ

By Andrea Tornielli

In a speech delivered at the opening of the US Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis on the evening of July 17, the Apostolic Nuncio Christophe Pierre posed a question: what does "Eucharistic revival" really mean? And, he asked, how might we determine whether we are experiencing a true Eucharistic awakening?

According to Cardinal Pierre, a genuine Eucharistic revival, though always accompanied by sacramental devotion—such as adoration, processions, and catechesis—must extend beyond devotional practices. A true Eucharistic awakening, Cardinal Pierre explained, means seeing Christ in others, not only in our own families, friends, and communities, but also in those we feel distant from due to their ethnicity, social status, or differing opinions. These words are particularly significant given the polarization that characterizes American society, which the Church in that great country is not immune to.

The Nuncio's reflections bring to mind a homily by the great Church Father, St. John Chrysostom, who said: "Do you wish to honor the body of Christ? Do not allow it to be scorned in its members, that is, in the poor who lack clothing to cover themselves. Do not honor him here in church with silk fabrics while neglecting him outside where he suffers from cold and nakedness ... What benefit is it to Christ if the table for the sacrifice is laden with golden vessels while he dies of hunger in the person of the poor?" Chrysostom added, "Think the same way about Christ when he wanders as a pilgrim needing shelter. You refuse to welcome him in the stranger, yet adorn the floor, walls, columns, and walls of the sacred building... While you adorn the place for worship, do not close your heart to your suffering brother. This is the living temple more precious than the other."

Another great bishop, Don Tonino Bello, observed: "Unfortunately, the ostentatious opulence of our cities makes us easily recognize the body of Christ in the Eucharist of our altars but prevents us from seeing the body of Christ in the uncomfortable tabernacles of misery, need, suffering, and loneliness. That is why our Eucharists are eccentric..."

Considering the situation in the United States, we can only hope that the Eucharistic revival will lead to greater attention to the body of Christ in the "uncomfortable tabernacles" of poverty and marginalization. We can also hope that this revival fosters renewed attention to human life and dignity, particularly the weak and defenseless: the unborn, the homeless, migrants, and others. A renewed focus is needed for those whose lives are threatened daily by violence and the uncontrolled spread of firearms, which are sold with alarming ease—a blight that particularly afflicts this great country. Christians—followers of he who, in Gethsemane, instructed Peter to sheath his sword, drawn in defence, and then healed the ear of the High Priest's servant—must never cease to combat this scourge.