The divine pelican

There exists an ancient tradition that the pelican, a beautiful bird dressed in black and white to be found in very cold areas, gives its own blood and its own flesh to its little ones in times when no other food is available for them. This bird sacrifices its own life to become food and drink for its own progeny, who would otherwise die of hunger.

This tradition has from time immemorial influenced Christian art as well as liturgical symbolism. Jesus Christ is represented as the 'divine pelican' who in the Eucharist gives his life for the spiritual nourishment of Christians who receive Him in Holy Communion and preserves them from eternal death.

We read these words in today's Gospel: "If anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever. And now, what is this bread which I am to give? It is my flesh, given for the life of the world". No other instinct in man is stronger than that of life preservation. We are prepared to do anything, even to give up all our possessions or to go through the most delicate surgery in the hope that we may save our life and even prolong it as much as possible.

We are certainly grateful to scientists who have made such astounding inventions in the field of medicine and surgery. Sometimes we read or hear about the most hopeless cases when persons on the verge of death have been almost miraculously saved, thanks to todays medicine and the ability of our surgeons. Life expectancy today, as we all know, has almost doubled from what it used to be one hundred years ago.

One thing, however, remains certain: while we know that our bodily life will continue to be prolonged further in years to come, there has never been any doubt about the fact that death is still there round the corner and that sooner or later it will be our turn to pack up and go.

But then Jesus comes along and tells us that we have got it all wrong. He has the secret of immortality, and this secret is being made available to us for the asking. Our life as human persons will not just be indefinitely prolonged, but will go on forever. He has made available for us a divine 'medicine': his own Body and Blood in the Eucharist. "I am the resurrection and the life", said Jesus to Martha just before he brought her brother Lazarus back to life.

Jesus, whom we receive in Holy Communion, becomes for us Christians the "seed of immortality", as Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church and this seed will spring forth to a new life with God in heaven.

It is the Risen Christ that we eat and assimilate in the Eucharist. Just as He arose from the dead to die no more, so we, if we receive him in the Eucharist, shall also share in that same reality forever. All of which may be hard to believe, but we have God's word for it.

There is a strange legend that the Almighty God had finished the creation of his beautiful world, he called his angels together and asked them if they could think of anything further that was needed to complete it.

Perhaps He had left something out. "There is nothing", said the angels, "but that a remedy should be available so that man himself, the apex and masterpiece of your creation, would be able to overcome death and continue to live forever". Such a 'suggestion' was in fact accepted. He gave us the Eucharist as the seed of immortality.