Body of Christ, save me
Anima Christi: Body of Christ, save me
The second of seven meditations on the Anima Christi from Unconditionally, Finding Jesus in the Eucharist
by Greg Wasinski
Our goal as Catholic Christians is to live a life centered on faith so we might spend eternity with the One who created us. He gave us the gift of His Son who sacrificed His body for us so we could be saved. The words Christ spoke to the disciples gives us a full understanding of how to live forever with him in Paradise: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51). By partaking in His body during Holy Communion, we are connecting ourselves unconditionally with His promise. There was nothing else that He could give us as a human being that could have showed us not only the love He has for us, but how far He was willing to go in order to save us. This is our invitation to be saved. Christ’s human body was sacrificed so He could defeat death and save us from the sins we commit.
Saving us on the cross, we pray, “Jesus may the body you once walked this Earth, which you offered back to the Father for me on the cross, be fulfilled in me. I know you gave it all for me that I may have the strength to give it all for you. Save me from my own human desires.”
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
There is something special that comes with the request in this line of the prayer. We are not coming up to receive the blood of Christ in order to just get a chance to drink wine in church. It’s Christ’s most precious blood present, which has a chance to pour into all the places we have not allowed Him into in our lives. (Note: We receive both the body and blood of Christ whether we receive only bread, only wine or both; He is fully present under both “species” Or forms of the Eucharist.)
The word “inebriate” literally means to be “drunk.” Wait a second, are we asking Jesus to make us intoxicated with His blood? Yes, in a way, but not the way we normally think of it. We are asking to be consumed in His blood, which produces a euphoric glimpse of the love He has for us. So drunk physically? No. Drunk with love? Yes! Webster’s Dictionary would use an alternate phrase: “to exhilarate.”
By praying this, we are removing ourselves from the physical aspects and related properties of the wine in the chalice, and inviting God to make His love so powerfully evident through His blood that it produces a feeling that transforms us through the sensations only a real relationship with the Lord can provide.
We pray, “Lord, allow this drink of your blood to place me into a one-on-one relationship with you. An intimacy nothing else on Earth can give me. May I be made whole once again to share in the amazing jubilation of ecstasy, which only You can provide.”
Copyright © 2015 by Greg Wasinski & LMBM, Inc. All rights reserved.
Greg Wasinski was successful, career driven, business executive searching for lifelong fulfillment when he heard a direct calling from God to move his talents into full-time ministry. Greg is an internationally recognized, Catholic Christian inspirational speaker and author from Cleveland, OH. He also offers his radio talents as a daily contributor to SiriusXM Radio’s The Catholic Channel with his “Faith & Real Life Moments.”
