Food for body and soul

In a previous blog, A second-century ceebration of the Mass, I considered the writings and witness of a very early Christian martyr, St Justin Martyr (c. AD 100–165) whose feast day we celebrate today.  St Justin gives one of the earliest and clearest accounts of the Eucharist in which we receive not common bread and drink but the actual flesh and blood of Jesus. This transformation occurs in the Eucharist in the prayer of thanksgiving.  It is a gift to all baptised Christians who stand in unity with the core beliefs and teachings of the Christian community.  His descriptions place the Eucharist at the centre of the week on the Day of Resurrection. 

A Sunday without the Eucharist, in my view, makes no sense;  none.

Justin also links the Eucharist with the sharing of goods especially with the poor and the stranger.  The Eucharist has a personal, communal and societal aspect. A key part of St Justin’s teaching relates to the nourishment of the body and soul given by this Eucharist food. In his First Apology, 65–67, he explains that:

For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. 

We feed our bodies and should take care about what we eat as well as how best to exercise and stay fit as best as possible.  Part of our weekly regime to maintain good spiritual and physical health is to receive the Eucharist.  We should not overlook the physical benefits of the Eucharist for those with faith.