Today we are celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi, also called the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, which is a  cebration  of the Roman Catholic Church in
honor of the real presence of the body (corpus) of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

In the Gospel, Jesus promises rather than instructs or explains. Jesus promises to provide food for the life of the world (Jn. 6:51) and to nourish the world with the gift of himself. The “flesh” and “blood” of Jesus, his incarnate life and very real death on the cross, are life-giving food for us and for the world. When we receive communion, we should keep in mind that we are receiving Christ’s body and blood. Gradually, we become what we eat because it nourishes our faith, forgives us, and empowers us to be witnesses to the Gospel.

Jesus promises. “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me” (Jn 6:54–57). He is always available in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus’ physical body and blood are constantly available for us to eat. So that people can experience Jesus’ love and compassion for all, we shall be prepared to be broken and shared when we partake of His meal. We are being challenged to proclaim Jesus’ promises so that we will bring our hearers from loaves and fishes to the body and blood of Christ.

In a Palautian way, the Church is our beloved, who is the Body, with Jesus the Head and we the members of the Body; and in the Eucharist He will tell us: “I give you my Head under the appearance of bread and wine: I have my whole moral body united to the Head, and when I give you my Head, I give myself entirely to you, thus I confirm that I am the lover who searches for you and asks for your love” (M.R. 21, 5). It is a sacrifice-filled act of love; it is a gift to us. We understand the value of this gift if we have ever sacrificed ourselves for others in significant or insignificant ways, if we have shed tears or laughed with others in their joy or sorrow, or if we have simply listened when there were no words to say. The Eucharist is Jesus himself. Jesus here demonstrates God’s generosity. Everyone is welcome to the divine meal; the important thing is that we all get closer to Jesus. The Eucharist makes us Christians because it communicates the love that binds us to one another as brothers and sisters. This divine love sends us to one another, enabling us to welcome any and all, even enemies.

Today, let us renew our great devotion to the Holy Eucharist: “I am in the Sacrament as the head, and we two here are one and the same thing” (M.R. 4, 23). Let us be committed to bring closer to Jesus all the people entrusted to our care. Let us become Christ to others, which brings food to eternal life.

Reina del Carmelo Community
Lucena, Philippines