We have been meditating on the theme of “the bread of life” for several Sundays. How can Jesus distribute his “Body and his Blood? ” The answer is hidden in the way we understand God’s great love for us. When we receive the body and blood of Christ, we encounter Christ, who comes to reside in us. We can only wonder how our great God can make himself so small for us! This painful breaking of Jesus’ body is also a sign of his great love. What is hidden in the Eucharist is the love of God for us. Through this Eucharist, we are joined into the life of Christ. Our Christian community has become one, since the same Christ is present in each one of us. “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” (v. 60) was the reaction of some people to Jesus. It is true even today that many people do not understand the meaning of the Eucharist. But Jesus did not make a compromise with them so that he might be better understood.
St. Tarcisius is the patron saint of altar servers and all those who receive the first Holy Communion. He lived in Rome in the third century during the reign of Emperor Valerian. In A.D. 257, Valerian decreed that Christians who refused to perform sacrifices to the Roman gods should be publicly executed. So, the Christians secretly gathered in the Catacombs and offered the Holy Mass there. Tarcisius was a young altar server who came regularly to the underground Catacombs of St. Calixtus and took his Christian duties seriously. One day, some of the Christian prisoners requested the priests to send them Holy Communion before they were executed. The Christian community prayed together to decide who could be entrusted with this great task. The young altar server Tarcisius convinced them that he would protect the Eucharist at any cost. They also believed that since he is a young boy, Tarcisius would not be suspected of doing this.
Tarcisius took the Eucharist wrapped in a linen cloth which was stitched to his tunic over his heart. His face radiated the joy of carrying the heavenly treasure of Jesus in the Eucharist. On his way, he repeatedly recited: “Oh, dear Jesus, you know how much I love you.” But while he was traveling, some of his pagan friends who suspected of him becoming a Christian attacked him and tried to desecrate the Eucharist. He was saved by a Christian soldier who had seen Tarcisius in the catacombs while he secretly attended the Eucharistic celebration there. “I am dying,” Tarcisius said, “but I have kept my God safe from them.” And he handed over the Eucharist to the soldier, who placed it reverently inside his tunic. As Tarcisius died in his arms, he made sure that the Eucharist he carried was safe in the hands of that Christian soldier.
My dear sisters and brothers: The flame of faith handed over to us is the result of the sacrifices of a lot of people who walked ahead of us. Still, we may be thinking that following the path of Jesus is difficult and some of his teachings are hard for us to practice. Today, many reject Christ because his teaching stands in their way of living. Just like Jesus asked his disciples, he also asks a disturbing question to us: “Do you also want to leave?” But our answer should be like that of Peter: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (vv. 68-69). Let us try to respond to Jesus by recommitting ourselves to witness his love, like the little Tarcisius. The noble task of making known Jesus to our friends and families is handed over to us. Let us faithfully carry out this mission through our words and deeds in today’s world.
Rev. Dr. Mathew Charthakuzhiyil