A reflection on 1 Corinthians 10:17
Solemnity of Corpus Christi
©️2025 Gloria M. Chang
Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
1 Corinthians 10:17
St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on 1 Corinthians, 24.4
For what is the bread? The Body of Christ. And what do they become who partake of it? The Body of Christ: not many bodies, but one body. For as the bread consisting of many grains is made one, so that the grains no where appear; they exist indeed, but their difference is not seen by reason of their conjunction; so are we conjoined both with each other and with Christ: there not being one body for thee, and another for thy neighbor to be nourished by, but the very same for all.
Nourishing a Fractured World: The Power of the Eucharist
“This is my body, given for you,” Jesus declares at the Last Supper, offering himself as the divine bread that unites heaven and earth (1 Corinthians 11:24). In the Eucharist, Christ bridges divinity and humanity, spirit and matter, nourishing a fractured world with the peace and wholeness (shalom) of God’s love. From the smallest particle to the entire host, Christ is fully present, uniting all who share in this sacred banquet.
God invisible,
Wholly indivisible,
Becomes, in Christ, edible,
Partible, digestible,
Forming the Church visible!
Traditional Chinese Translation
《神聖的麵包，為所有人打破》
神是不可見的，
完全不可分割，
在基督裡成為可食用的，
可分的，可消化的，
形成可見的教會！
Creator of all life, you gave us Christ who bridges divinity and humanity, spirit and matter.
Nourish our fractured world with the peace and wholeness (shalom) of God’s love.
From the smallest molecule to the entire human race,
may Christ be fully present.
Unite all creation, bring us to the sacred banquet.
May we sing the psalmody of praise:
It is good for us to gather together.
Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.
On Corpus Christi Sunday, we celebrate Christ’s sacrificial gift of himself as food for the world. In a war-torn world, Christ’s “disarmed and disarming” love (Pope Leo XIV’s phrase) invites us to surrender ourselves to the Father at the foot of the cross. Thank you for your reflection, Ellen.