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Fr. Joseph’s Weekly Missive for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Year C
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June 16, 2022“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25)
The major theme for this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as the feast of Corpus Christi, focuses on the importance of the Holy Eucharist in our Christian life that sustains us on our spiritual journey, daily pilgrimage toward God, following the footsteps of our Good Shepherd Lord Jesus Christ. Today’s celebration is established by the Church and promulgated by Pope Urban IV in 1264 for three purposes: (1) to give God collective thanks for Christ’s abiding presence with us in the Eucharist, and to honor Christ in that special way, (2) to instruct and catechize the people in the mystery, faith and devotion on the Eucharist, (3) to teach us the importance of appreciating and making use of the great gift of the Holy Eucharist as a sacrament and as a sacrifice.
We commemorate it today because the Eucharist is the most precious gift of our Lord. It is the source and summit of our life of faith together as the Church. The Council of Trent declared that we must honor publicly our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, so that those who observed the Catholic faith in the Most Holy Eucharist might be attracted to the Eucharistic Lord and believe in the Divinity of Our Lord present in this great Sacrament.
The New Testament affirms the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. St. Thomas Aquinas explains the real presence of Christ by the process of “transubstantiation,” which means that the “substance” of bread and wine is changed during Mass into the risen and glorified Body and Blood of Christ, even though, the “accidents” like taste, color, shape… of bread and wine remain the same. This is one of the ways that Our Lord remains with us until the end of time. Other ways are when we open our heart to him or when we gather together and pray in His name.
God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topic invites us to appreciate and believe in the real presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist to glorify God.
How can we appreciate, have greater faith in Christ’s real presence in the Holy Eucharist?
Wishing everyone a blessed week in the Lord.
