How often does God’s take something small and turns it into something extraordinary. A manger becomes the birthplace of God. Grains of Wheat become signs of the kingdom. Water becomes wine. In today’s Gospel, Jesus takes an ordinary picnic lunch and turns it into a meal for thousands.

What an appropriate theme for celebrating the Body and Blood of Christ—for what is the Eucharist, if not turning the ordinary into the extraordinary? Bread and wine are common elements of daily life. And yet, in the Eucharist, these same ordinary things are transformed into something most extra-ordinary: the very Body and Blood of Christ.

Amazingly, the miracle does not end there. In the Eucharist, it’s not only the bread and the wine that become the Body and Blood of Christ; so do you and I. Our participation in the Eucharist transforms each one of us into the Body of Christ, alive in our world today.

As we go forth to love and serve the Lord, let us recall who we have become: the Body of Christ for all whom we encounter. Our celebration of Eucharist does not end when we leave the church: it’s just beginning!