The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
The Most Holy Trinity
The famous theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar (the most important Roman Catholic theologian of the 20th century) says it this way: "When receiving the Eucharist each person must remember that he is falling into the arms of God like someone dying of hunger in the wilderness of this life."
Today we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ! Corpus Christi Sunday! This feast is the heart of our church and the heart of the lives of each one of us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 1322 says the Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." Most of the Sacraments take place in the Sacrament of Eucharist.
The first reading Moses reminds the Israelites that God did care for them. Moses warned against forgetting that it is the Lord who provides prosperity to the Land. The manna from heaven which sustained them in the desert forty years and reminded them that they had to live and be nourished by the Word of God.
The second reading St. Paul says, “The loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” (I Corinthians 10:17). Here we see the great expression of the need to belong – communion with Christ – bound to the Son close to each other. Jesus gives us his flesh and blood, his very life, sacrifices everything for us.
In the Gospel Jesus says, “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (John 6:55-56).
In the United States we are in Eucharistic Revival years. It is an opportunity to study and get deeper and deeper in love for Eucharist. We can read throughout the Bible connecting passages to Eucharist and priesthood. In the book of Genesis 14:18-20, Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem blesses Abraham and offers bread and wine. He prefigures Jesus, the Eternal High Priest and King, who is going to offer body and blood, the sacrifice on the Cross.
All the stories of the Old Testament led to the sacrifices of the Calvary. It is the high point of salvation. We read in the book of Exodus God’s rescue mission (Chapter 7-12) . Israelites were slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years. Despite all the plagues Pharaoh refuses to deliver the people. After the announcement of the final plague the Lord instructed Moses concerning the celebration of the Passover: sacrifice of the unblemished lamb and a meal. The blood of the lamb needs to be put on the doorposts, so the angel of the death will Passover their homes. The second part is the meal: consume the lamb with a meal. This is the way they are protected from death and delivered from slavery. Every year at the Passover the father of the family tells the story of the exodus and tells the family that God delivered us. Every year they celebrated with an expectation of God’s ultimate saving work.
At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to his disciples and said, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this, is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins." And he commanded them and said, “Do this in memory of me” (Mt 26:26-28; cf. Mk 14:22-24, Lk 22:17-20, 1 Cor 11:23-25). Then he completed the sacrifice on the Cross.
As a Catholic we follow his command: “Do this in memory of me.” We gather as a community to celebrate the Eucharist. It is not just us who celebrate the Mass. Catechism of the Catholic Church 1136 says, “Liturgy is an action of the whole Christ (Christus totus).” The entire Mass celebration used signs and symbols. CCC 1146 says, “Signs of the human world. In human life, signs and symbols occupy an important place. As a being at once body and spirit, man expresses and perceives spiritual realities through physical signs and symbols. As a social being, man needs signs and symbols to communicate with others, through language, gestures, and actions. The same holds true for his relationship with God.”
Mass begins at home, the moment you decide to go for the Mass. When you decided to fast for an hour for the celebration of the Mass, you made another step, we started to prepare ourselves for this great celebration. Priest prepares further, when he comes to the sacristy in silence of heart, he prays for the grace to celebrate Mass, and when he wears vestments there is a prayer for each piece of garment. Then we start Mass with a procession and the first part of the Mass is the liturgy of the Word of God and the second part of the liturgy of the Eucharist. What takes place in a good visit with a good friend – good conversation and good meal. In the liturgy we are refreshed and nourished and sent out to live the Eucharist in our daily lives.