This is My Body

1 Cor. 10:16-17 (The Message)
When we drink the cup of blessing, aren't we taking into ourselves the blood, the very life, of Christ? And isn't it the same with the loaf of bread we break and eat? Don't we take into ourselves the body, the very life, of Christ? Because there is one loaf, our many-ness becomes one-ness—Christ doesn't become fragmented in us. Rather, we become unified in him. We don't reduce Christ to what we are; he raises us to what he is.

There is something profoundly selfless about giving birth to a baby. There is something profoundly sacrificial about giving up nine months of your life to allow this to happen. Women get this. Being a guy, I am not sure I can come anywhere close to giving this the emphasis it deserves. Women know at a very deep level that their child is part of their body. They understand totally that breastfeeding is a selfless act of unconditional love — you are giving the very essence of your body to another human being. A part of you becomes bone and muscle of your child. A part of you is living, abiding, in your children in a very literal sense for the rest of their lives.

In contrast, the only part of me (other than genetics) which lives on in my daughters are some dumb jokes and a couple recipes for chicken.

Men, including me, are pretty much clueless about how this all feels and I am having an exceptionally hard time conveying this in words. I mean, really, the only things I have ever given birth to are home improvements. And although I might treat them as if they were parts of my body, and that they were a huge sacrifice, I generally don't get it. Because I love to cook, I might sorta kinda get it more than other men. I understand the significance of creating something delicious to eat and having it become embodied in my loved ones. But even that falls way short of unconditional sacrifice, of the unconditional love a mother has for her child.

And ladies, help me out here. If this is striking a chord, play the whole song back to me. I really want to get this. I want to see and understand this the way you see it.

With this child-bearing/nursing image as a backdrop, I am seeing all the Jesus-as-bread passages in an entirely new light. Jesus broke his body so that it could become part of ours. He sacrificed his body for us. He shed his blood so that we might be nourished by Him. He lives on in us.

I exist because my mother sacrificed her time, freedom, and a large part of her body for me. Her milk lives within me as the very framework of my body and the muscles which move me through life. Christ sacrificed himself to become the very center of my soul and the core of my heart. His blood lives within me providing me with purpose. Am I starting to get this? Am I even coming close to understanding the Eucharist as Christ meant it to be understood?

THIS IS MY BODY! THIS IS MY BLOOD! These are not just words. This is not just a metaphor. It is not figurative language. This is real. He is alive! He is inside me!

What else can I say? Oh My God, thank you for that!