The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). This is a time to celebrate – in a particularly focused way – what we celebrate and believe every time we gather at Christ’s altar for Mass. That is, we profess the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of, and under the appearance of, bread and wine in the Most Holy Eucharist.

In today’s Scripture Readings we see a parallel between the Israelite people in their flight from Egypt and wandering in the desert to Jesus’ feeding of us with his Body and Blood. At the end of their forty-year Exodus journey, Moses reminds the Israelites of the faithfulness that God had shown to them in providing what they needed in the desert, and he instructs them not to forget that God had guided them, fed their hunger and quenched their thirst. The story of the people of Israel in the desert is our story as well. We, too, face unknown physical and spiritual dangers as we journey through our lives. Just as the manna kept the people of Israel alive through their journey, so, too, does the Eucharist keep our hearts and souls alive in the desert of our earthy life.

But the parallel with the manna in the desert is only partial. Our “manna,” the Eucharist, is so much more than simply “food for the earthly journey.” Jesus tells us in the Gospel today (John 6:51-58) that if we eat his flesh and drink his blood, we will remain in him and he in us, and that he will lead us to eternal life. “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” The Eucharist we receive at Mass on Sunday carries us throughout the week, as Jesus remains in us. He is a steady presence, sharing in the good times and the struggles of our lives. Let us pray for an ever greater awareness of the Real Presence that remains within us so that we can be the body and blood of Christ to others.

On this feast of Corpus Christi, established by Pope Urban IV in the year 1264, we celebrate the miracle of the Eucharist. When we share in the Eucharist, we share in Jesus’ miraculous love for us and for all sinners. Our Lord Jesus Christ, truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, is worthy of our worship, our reverence, and our love.