Today’s Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ honors Jesus Christ and celebrates the gift of the Eucharist. As we are bound together through bread and wine in the Eucharist, we are then sent out to be Eucharist for others.
Bread is a great connector. For humans, bread (in every culture and form) has an almost sacred, binding quality. Jesus was aware of this when he chose such a powerful symbol of life and “…said to the Jewish crowds: ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.’”
Growing up as the oldest of eight, my parents, when heading out for an evening, would put me in charge of my younger siblings. To keep an eye on everyone, I would cook or bake and ask for their assistance to add ingredients and stir. They loved it. Their favorite choice was popovers. A delectable, tantalizing quick bread that when opened, exploded with a puff of steam providing a hot pocket for them to ladle in butter, jelly, apple butter, or honey. Once they had one on their plate, I would help them open it. As the steam burst out, they clapped and cheered. These many years later, they still remember the joy.
When I taught second grade, I had the privilege of preparing my students for First Eucharist. I wanted them to understand the significance of bread. Popovers were too daunting to make for 25 to 30 children, so we baked cornbread. I mixed it up under the watchful eyes of the cafeteria staff who allowed us to bake it in their oven. During the forty-minute wait, as their excitement built and the aroma wafted around us, we talked about Jesus coming to us in the form of bread during Mass. Once the cornbread was baked, everyone received a warm piece drenched in butter. It was a sacred, communal moment inviting them to begin to understand why Jesus chose bread as they prepared to someday receive him, the bread of life, in the Eucharist.
My siblings and young students experienced the connective aspect of breaking bread together. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians today beautifully defines its role in the Eucharist: The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
The next time you share bread in any form with another, reflect on the symbol and the communal moment. May we always remember that Jesus chose that form of loving connection to come to us each time we participate in the Eucharist so that we too, as members of the Body of Christ, will become life-giving bread for others.
Susan Naatz
I retired from Creighton University in the spring of 2024, from my position as the senior director of the department of Ignatian Formation and Ministry for Faculty and Staff.
Before Creighton, I worked and served in three Catholic parishes as an educator, director of religious formation, pastoral minister, and counselor.
As a founder of an Omaha Archdiocesan Guatemala mission group called Ixim (Ee-Sheem): Spirit of Solidarity, I continue to help organize and prepare people for mission trips to Guatemala.
My husband John is retired from Creighton Prep High School after serving there for 39 years as teacher, principal, and president. Our beautiful family includes three sons, three daughters-in-law and seven grandchildren.
It has been a deeply spiritual experience to write daily reflections for Creighton’s Online Ministries. Writing about scripture has helped my own personal faith formation journey. But it is when I hear from our readers from all over the world that I receive a tremendous sense of peace and solidarity. I am grateful to all who read our reflections. I experience God through you. Bless you!
