A Reflection on the Prayer ‘O Sacred Banquet’
O sacred banquet in which Christ is received:
the remembrance of his passion is renewed;
the soul is filled with grace,
and a pledge of future glory is given to us!
The consecrated Host doesn’t look like anything special, just bread on a plate or a wafer in the middle of a gold sun burst. But when viewed through the lens of faith, we can recognize that what is in the monstrance or in the priest’s hands is greater than it appears. It is not just bread, but the Lord’s own flesh, offered for us to consume. The prayer “O Sacred Banquet,” first written by St. Thomas Aquinas as a Divine Office antiphon for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and now recited by Dominican nuns every time we gather as a community in front of the Blessed Sacrament to pray, speaks of this hidden reality in the Eucharist. The Blessed Sacrament is a sacred banquet providing us an anchor to truth, an outpouring of love, and renewed hope, among so many other things. By repeating this prayer several times each day as a community, we get a continual reminder of the incredible gifts received in the Eucharist. Further, by reflecting on these words, we can all more clearly recognize how these gifts are offered to us and appreciate the banquet which exists in every consecrated host.
One great gift of the Eucharist is that it serves as a reminder of the Lord’s Passion which allows us to see the truth about the world around us. We are constantly inundated with lies which can leave us anxiously adrift. These lies go so much deeper than biased talking points or skewed data. The world, often subtly, asserts foundation-shaking lies, such as that suffering is useless and should be eradicated at any cost, and that true greatness means domination, and, worst of all, that God, if He even exists, doesn’t care about us. But when we look at the Eucharist and are reminded of the Lord’s Passion, truth becomes visible. We can see that suffering, though evil in itself, can be offered for the salvation of ourselves and others. God can bring the best possible thing, the salvation of humanity, out of the worst possible thing, the murder of Goodness Himself. And through the Passion we also recognize what true greatness is. Jesus was glorified as He surrendered in obedience, humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross. For God’s power is made perfect in weakness. And finally, above all, through Christ’s Passion, we know that we are loved. God loved us so much that He sent His only Son into the world to die for us, and He left a reminder of this love in the Eucharist. This sacrament is our anchor to reality. Through it we see the truth that the world denies, and with it we can walk through life more steadily.
However, with this vision of the truth also comes a challenge. We are invited to join Jesus on His path, to take up our cross and follow after Him. This challenge can only be met with God’s own strength poured into us, which is why Jesus did not leave us His body just to look at. He invites us to eat Him, to receive Him into ourselves. By this unfathomable act of eating God’s body, grace fills our souls to enable us to take on the difficulties that life brings our way. God pours His love into us directly, refreshing us, increasing our virtue, and purging us of vice. Further, through the grace of God received in this sacrament, our souls are set ablaze with charity. The love within us actually increases, and we are able to face life’s daily trials, with all of the people we encounter and the situations we are thrown into, as we ought. Or, more accurately, we can face them as God would. By tapping into His Charity which is poured into us, we find strength to love as He loves, giving ourselves for the good of those around us.
Also in the Eucharist, a pledge of future glory is given to us, and this pledge is not reflected just in words or partial commitments. The Lord did not commend Himself with a handshake or a pinky promise. He did not just cross his heart and hope to die. Rather, He mounted a cross and did die in order to proclaim that He fully intends to have us with Him in Heaven. He surrendered every bit of flesh that He had taken up to show how serious He was about our salvation, and He left that flesh for us in the Eucharist as a concrete, ever-present pledge of His intention. This gives us hope. Because of the Eucharist, we know that God will stop at nothing to bring us to Heaven. If we let Him, He will complete His purpose in us, and future glory awaits. This, too, gives us strength to face the challenges of daily life.
With all of these beautiful gifts available to us in the Eucharist, how do we go about claiming them? According to Thomas Aquinas, “The teeth of the body may break this food, but only an unfaltering faith can savor it.” So we must take steps in faith to claim the gifts God wants to give through this sacrament. Perhaps add a Mass to your week, or spend time in Adoration. While you’re there, pour out to Him all that is on your mind, and also thank Him for His Presence. In the Eucharist, God offers us a sure anchor amidst the wobbles of life and a source of strength to help us make it through. He gives Himself in a Sacred Banquet. Let us not pass up the invitation to this feast.