THEME: THE REAL PRESENCE OF CHRIST IN BREAD AND WINE


We celebrate this Sunday, the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). The celebration is about the Holy Eucharist, which is the source and summit of the life of the Church. It is the centre of our worship. Every other act of the church revolves around the Holy Eucharist. The church continues to proclaim that in the Eucharist, we receive Jesus the living bread. He is the source of life. The body of Jesus, broken as bread, is the source of hope. Christ sacrificed himself for us giving us his body to eat, satisfying our spiritual hunger and thirst by drinking his blood.

The body of Jesus is a model of unity for Christians, bringing us together as one family around the table of the Lord; the Eucharistic table. Today as we celebrate this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we are reminded that whenever we approach the altar to receive the Holy Communion, that we are receiving Christ himself who is real, complete and present in the broken bread. We need to remind ourselves of the proper reverence expected of us towards the body and blood of Christ.

The Gospel reflects the generosity of God in the feeding of the five thousand. This goes to show that the generosity of God knows no bounds. It is needed at all times and by all people. God has the power to feed us and to quench our thirst. As we celebrate the Body and blood of Christ today, we are called upon to listen to Jesus as he invites us to partner with him in the act of generosity. When God gives, he gives abundantly. We are challenged to feed the hungry as well, having been fed with the spiritual food, the Body and Blood of Christ, may will be strengthened to offer bread and water to those you hunger.

The apostles were afraid of sharing what they had. They wanted Jesus to dismiss the crowd. But Jesus invited them to trust in the providence of God by being generous. He said to them, GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT YOURSELVES. When they responded to the command of Jesus, the result was a great miracle. They had 12 baskets left over; which is the same with the number of the apostles. The miracle is in the sharing of what we have, and the Eucharist is about sharing.

Jesus gave himself for our good. It is only through him that we can have life. He has the power to feed the world. He extends an invitation to us to be part of the production and not just the consumption. Do not send the poor away. Do not refer them to the super rich and influential members of the society. You can do something. Identify with the generosity of the divine.  It is through our generous acts that we get positive surprises. GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT YOUSELVES.

Happy Sunday!