Year A 6 The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ 6/14/2020
Dear friends in Jesus Christ,
“The Eucharist is our living memorial. In the Eucharist, as the Council recalls, containing the whole Spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself our Pasch and the living bread which gives life to men through his flesh- the flesh which is given life and gives life through the Holy Spirit. Thus men are invited and led to offer themselves, their works and all creation with Christ ..”(Presbyterorum Ordinis # 5)
Today we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi. This is a calling to mind of that great act of love when at the Last Supper Christ left us the very gift of himself.
In the first reading we hear that God gave manna to Israel for forty years during the desert journey. The gift of manna was especially remembered as the sign of God’s miraculous care for the people. Manna became the chief symbol of God’s life-giving love for a faithful Israel.
In the gospel we hear Jesus saying, “I am living bread whoever eats this bread, will live forever”. This bread is referred to Jesus’ Body. The reception of Eucharist is nourishing, re-enkindling the life of baptism and pledging eternal life as well. The Eucharist unites us intimately with Christ.
As we are drawn more closely to Christ, we are also united with one another. This is the message of St. Paul to the Corinthians in the second reading. As the single loaf was broken into pieces to provide for believers at the Eucharist, one Christ shares his body with many people. This bonds us with Christ and with one another, as we partake of the one Bread and one Body.
The feast of Corpus Christ offers us pause to remember the goodness of God and our responsibility to share it with others.
God bless and have a blessed Sunday,
Fr. Lou