In the novel "Bright Lights, Big City," a young man smells freshly baked bread while wandering the streets of New York after another night of drinking and drugging. The smell awakens his humanity, and indicates to the reader that the moment marks a decision by the character to end his self-destructive ways.

Bread is a powerful symbol in Western culture. The smell, the feel, the shape and the taste represent wholeness. It is one of the basic foods of our civilization, and as such has come to signify both physical and material sustenance. We talk about bread as money and as the ability to provide for a family.

Today's celebration focuses on the body and blood of Christ, and calls attention to our Eucharistic celebrations where bread and wine become the presence of Christ in our lives and our communities. For Catholics, perhaps, bread is an even richer symbol of life --- spiritual, physical and material.

When we share the body and blood of Christ together, we not only nourish our souls. We are transformed as a community into Christ's body, and are empowered to carry out Christ's ministry in the world. When we share Christ's body and blood, we become his body and blood.

It is important to remember that we are Christ's body as a community. Our individual piety may be rich and rewarding, but we extend the reach of Jesus into the world through our communal life. It is together that we have the gifts and resources to serve the neediest among us. It is together that we reflect the fullness of Jesus' presence in this world.

It is easy for me to lose sight of this truth, and to live as though my personal devotional life is what matters most. I try and spend time in prayer and reflection, and keep my mind focused on positive priorities. But I don't always feel a requirement to share my life with others. Much of the time, it seems like all I can do is work, take care of may family, and put my own share of "bread" on the table.

How we live in relationships, however, is a critical aspect of a life of faith. We cannot separate love of God from love of neighbor. And we cannot love our neighbor if we isolate ourselves from other people. The bread of the Eucharist, the bread of life, is meant to be shared. The celebration of the Eucharist is, as the church fathers have declared, the source and summit of our lives. We are also called to share ourselves with others.

It is all well and good to be reawakened to our humanity by the smell of bread. If anything can call us back to core values of love, compassion and joy, it is the body of Christ --- broken and shared that we might become whole. But part of becoming whole means allowing ourselves to be converted into the body and blood of Christ as a community, and to allow ourselves to be broken and shared for others.

Bill Peatman writes from Napa. He may be reached at bptidings@yahoo.com.