The Redeemer of the world holds back nothing from His people, including His own body and blood
Reflections on the readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (June 23, 2019): GN 14:18-20; PS 110:1,2,3,4; 1 COR 11:23-26; LK 9:11-17
MISSIO offers “Preaching Mission,” as a homily help, providing connections to mission from the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
On this beautiful feast we often call Corpus Christi Sunday, we celebrate the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
Our Savior is truly the Bread of Life, the nourishment of our souls. In today’s Gospel we hear the story of the Feeding of the 5,000. It is the only miracle story told in each of the four Gospels. Jesus has spent the whole day preaching about the kingdom of God and healing those who were suffering. When His Apostles urged our Lord to send people away to find some food for themselves, He chose to feed the hungry Himself with the little that was brought to Him. “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied” (Luke 9:16-17). Surely this miraculous event was remembered at the Last Supper when Jesus fed His Apostles with the bread and wine that He transformed into His own Body and Blood.
Our Lord wanted His disciples to understand that He did not merely want them to listen to Him and follow Him. He was giving them His very substance. The Body that would be tortured and crucified and the Blood that would be shed the next day would now feed them – and us – drawing us ever closer to Himself. God can never be outdone in generosity. Surely, the gift of the Blessed Sacrament reveals how powerfully and persistently He calls us to Himself. If the parish has a special procession or Benediction in honor of the day, we can gratefully participate and adore the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
