Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ(Cycle B, Year I)
Community Word:God’s great mercy keeps us in communion with Christ
Theme:We are in communion with Christ when we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice.
Promise: “…those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance” (Heb 9:15b).
Reflection:
The Feast of Corpus Christi is a time when Catholics show their love for Christ in His Real Presence. We honor Him by sharing the gospel and bringing our Lord closer to our neighbors as we show our love for them.
The Eucharist in the mass is very special because it is the celebration of Jesus Himself. At every mass, Jesus joins us and offers Himself to us. It is not only a fellowship, but it is the eternal sacrifice of Jesus that He offers to our heavenly Father in atonement for our sins. The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist assures us that God walks with us in all circumstances of our life. Thus our community word for the month expresses that: God’s mercy keeps us in communion with Christ. The Eucharist is heaven on earth and as Catholics we should take advantage of this great gift.
When the mass celebrant or priest elevates the bread and wine while repeating the words of the Lord – “This is my body…this is my blood,” Jesus becomes truly present in this sacrament of love. Ordinary bread and wine are transformed by the Holy Spirit into Christ Himself. Thus, it is essential that we prepare our hearts before receiving Jesus with great joy and reverence. Jesus is truly, substantially and really present in the most unlikely elements and appearance of bread and wine. The continued presence of Jesus in the transubstantiation of bread and wine intoHis Most Holy Body and Blood is the greatest gift of God to man and the treasure of the Church.
The theme for this week is – We are in communion with Christ when we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. The Eucharist is not reserved for the perfect but it is given to help us all for our life’s journey. Pope Francis reminds us: “The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.” This is all of us. Thus, when we partake of the body of Jesus thru Holy Communion, we share this gift through our compassion and generosity with those in need. Pope Francis also says: “How many Christians, as responsible citizens, have broken their own lives to defend the dignity of all, especially the poorest, the marginalized and those discriminated! Where do they find the strength to do this? It is in the Eucharist: in the power of the Risen Lord’s love, who today breaks bread for us and repeats: ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’”Jesus was broken, and today He is broken for us. He asks us to give ourselves and to break ourselves for others.
When we reverently receive Jesus through Holy Communion, we remember that we are the body of Christ, the Church. St. Paul reminds us – “Now Christ’s body is yourselves, and each of you with a part to play in the whole,” (1Cor 12.27). Today’s Feast reminds us that we are the living Church whose head is Jesus Himself. Through our communion with Jesus and with each other, we are called to be “living stones making a spiritual house.”
St. Augustine said “you become what you receive.” If we celebrate the Eucharist with each other and receive Jesus in the form of bread, then we become the body of Christ and are called to be a missionary church. At the end of every Eucharistic celebration we are sent out with this great prayer of mission – Go now to love and serve the Lord! Those who honor and partake Jesus in the Eucharist as frequently as possible awaits the fulfillment of a beautiful promise: “…those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance,” (Heb 9:15b).
Today, on this awesome Feast of Corpus Christi, may each of us be fed, nourished and healed by the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
Prayer:
Lord, may Your will prevail that every community of disciples eat the body and drink the blood of Your incarnate Word. We pray that we may live the experience of the Last Supper – that just as Jesus offered Himself as the living sacrifice for men, we too may become a community where members give of themselves in the service of one another. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1.Do I value receiving Holy Communion as often as possible? Share your personal experience on how your life has been nourished and ministered to by Holy Communion.
2.In what way can I demonstrate the Eucharist as a source of unity and love in my family and in my community?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
June 3,2018 (Sun) – Ex 24:3-8/Ps 116:12, 13, 15-18/Heb 9:11-15/Mk 14:12-16, 22-24
June 4, 2018 (Mon) – 2Pt 1:2-7/Ps 91:1, 2, 14-16/Mk 12:1-12
June 5, 2018 (Tue) – 2Pt 3:12-15, 17, 18/Ps 90:2-4, 10, 14, 16/Mk 12:13-17
June 6, 2018 (Wed) – 2Tm 1:1-3, 6-12/Ps 123:1-2/Mk 12:18-27
June 7, 2018 (Thu) – 2Tm 2:8-15/Ps 25:4, 5, 8, 10, 14/Mk 12:28-34
June 8, 2018 (Fri) – Hos 11:1, 3, 4, 8, 9/Is 12:2-6/Eph 8-12/Jn 19:31-37
June 9, 2018 (Sat) – Is 61:9-11/Ps 71:8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22/Lk 2:41-51
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
