Cannibalism and Sherlock Holmes

Tomorrow’s gospel reading is a favourite of mine. It is one of those readings that have caused non-Christians throughout history, reason to be very suspicious of Christians. John 6:51-58.

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53 So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."

No, I’m not going to talk about transubstantiation, or transignification for that matter. In celebrating the Eucharist, Christians through history have not been physically nibbling away at the physical body of Christ - This is also not the place where we can decide what happened to the physical body of Jesus at the empty tomb or at the assention – or is it? What does it really mean when the priest hands us the bread and says “This is the body of Christ, broken and given for you” and the same with the wine, “This is the blood of Christ shed for you.”

No bloody wonder (pardon the pun) that outsiders may upon first glance think we’re a bunch of nutters - or worse... cannibals! This is one of those questions that my non-Christian friends have been mystified by. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked, “so what really is the bread and the wine?”, or “Is it really flesh and blood that you eat and drink at church?” Talk about loaded questions! Physically, bread and wine is just that, bread and wine, local customs may differ, they may be wafers, or fresh bread, wine or grape juice, but the initial physical substance is not what is important. It’s not going to be the best burgundy you’ve ever tasted, nor is it to be gulped down like the kid on a Welch’s commercial. The Bread and Wine of Holy Communion are transformed by the community gathered, by the priest present and by the prayers and worship of the liturgy – by your life and by mine. It is transformed from stale pieces of bread and bad tasting wine into the most life changing substance on earth. It becomes Christ. It becomes our host at the table of life. As the response to one BAS fraction sentence says “God here among us, light in the midst of us, bring us to light and life.”

I can honestly say that I don’t understand it. I don’t know the intricacies of what happens between people and God when they receive this bread of life. I know some of the emotions that I have felt. I know some of the worries and concerns and hurts and fears that I have left at the communion rail. I know that I have felt the power of a change of perspective in this sacrament. But I can’t tell you what it means… and personally, I think that you should wonder about anyone who can claim to give you the answer as to what the Eucharist means. It is a mystery – not something that can be solved by great detective work (or Sherlock Holmes), but something that transcends both time and space. I’ve read books about what others think, I’ve talked to priests, and parishioners, but do I “know”? Nope. Do I understand? Maybe. Does it change me? Absolutely.

There now - not something you typically think about as a conversation at the photocopier, but that’s where I’ve had some of the most interesting ones!