Cum Panis

Each of us who belong to the Church needs to leave the closed world of his individuality and accept the "companionship" of others who "break bread" with us. We must think not in terms of "me" but "we". That's why every day we pray "our" Father, "our" daily bread. Breaking down the barriers between us and our neighbours is the first prerequisite for entering the divine life to which we are called. We need to be liberated from all that imprisons us and isolates us: fear and mistrust towards others, greed and selfishness, unwillingness to run the risk of vulnerability to which we expose ourselves when we are open to love. ~Pope Benedict XVI, Homily of Corpus Christi, June 6, 2010

Our Holy Father makes it clear that the Eucharist cannot be lived in isolation. The refrain of one the popular songs in our church today begins with "We are companions on the journey." Companions are not just friends or buddies. The word companion comes from the Latin noun "panis", which means "bread", and the Latin preposition "com", which means "with". First and foremost, we are companions with Jesus Christ, who calls us His friends (Jn 15:14-15). The bread that we share with each other is His Body, which He gives us for the life of the world (Jn 6:51). In the Eucharist, through the power of the Holy Spirit, our friendship with Christ and our companionship with each other are united into one glorious whole, a sacrifice of love to the praise and glory of the Father, a living icon of the Holy Trinity. Alleluia!