Feeding The Body of Christ

Stories from Transforming Love, Hope for the World.

After leaving high school, I became involved with other adults in an organisation called ‘Rosies: Friends on the Street’. Each night between 10pm and 4am, we would go out onto the streets of the Gold Coast to spend time with those who were homeless. Often this was an overwhelming experience as I sat and listened to the stories of those as young as twelve, about how they came to be on the streets and how they struggled to survive.

Each night before we headed out, we celebrated Eucharist together. These celebrations were powerful and life-changing experiences. On a daily basis I encountered Christ inspiring and challenging me in the community with whom I lived and worked, in the stories of Jesus which called me to be more, and in the Eucharist which drew me into communion with my God, my community and all those whose lives touched mine.

Eucharist was a daily reminder of St Paul’s words, ‘You are the body of Christ’. We sought to make that real, to bring the presence of Christ to all those we encountered. We committed ourselves to allowing the Eucharist to transform our lives so that when people encountered us on the streets, they encountered the openness, compassion and generosity of Jesus who walked alongside the wounded people of his time.

To this day Eucharist remains for me an invitation to continue the mission of Jesus. Each time we gather, I am reminded that God aches for our world to be transformed into a place where all people experience justice and compassion, and that ours are the hands with which God intends to make this happen.