How can we call ourselves God’s family?
When I give Baptismal Preparation classes I often ask the men in the room, “How many of you thought you were marrying just one person, and then come to find that you actually married an entire family?” The heads of the men almost unanimously nod in agreement. That is the covenant of marriage. A covenant creates family.
Do you remember these words?
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed;
he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
This is the first time God promises us a savior who will come to heal our relationship with God that was damaged by our first parents. It is a promise of a new covenant.
A covenant is much more than a contract. A contract involves an exchange of goods and services; a covenant involves an exchange of persons and a shedding of blood. A covenant creates family.
The history of our relationship with God is a history of covenants. Time after time God reaches out to us to affirm His promises. And with each succeeding covenant, Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, Abraham, David, His family is enlarged, from a single couple to a great nation and kingdom.
On the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we celebrate the fulfillment of the promise God made way back in Genesis. Jesus Christ establishes the new covenant, the new family of God, with His body and blood. Jesus gives His body and blood as true food and true drink. This food and drink unites us with God and restores our familial relationship with Him. The very nature of our being is elevated and we become creatures of both flesh and spirit.
The Sacrament of the Eucharist is the center of our faith. It is the source of our salvation. It is the center of our family life.
Pax Vobiscum