Walking with Jesus on Corpus Christi Sunday
Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58
Today is a day to celebrate in a focused way what we celebrate and believe every time we gather at the Lord’s table for the Sacrament of the Eucharist. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” is a quote that goes way back to the Roman poet Sextus. It describes the great affection we have for family, relatives and friends, especially when we are separated. We’ve experienced this in a way we never would have imagined these last three months. We love the Eucharist. We’ve been separated from the Eucharist during times of extended sickness and travel. But this absence has been especially painful during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even now, with restrictions present, people are hesitant to take the chance to receive the Lord. Dispensations have been granted for the aged and vulnerable class ... with which I’m not too comfortable because that is me.
The deeper lesson for appreciating the Eucharist is what the Holy Spirit has been teaching us while being deprived from receiving the Lord in our hearts. The virtual masses have been grace-filled moments. Reciting the Prayer of Spiritual Communion has helped, but we still have an emptiness deep inside. It might have reminded us of our adoration and praise times before the Tabernacle. But not being able to receive the Lord compounds the profound barrenness and void we had taken for granted. The Lord is present. The Lord loves us every minute. The physical receiving of the Lord is the highest honor and delight of our faith. We knew this; now we know it deeper. When we had the honor to receive the Lord after this horrible plague, so many cried. These tears of joy, fondness and love cemented our continued devotion and love for the Lord. We know what we missed.
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world.” [John 6:51] We understand this in a deeper way today. We can see now that Jesus leaves each person free to accept or reject Him, to trust or abandon Him. The Spirit is teaching us that with His grace we have accepted our Lord into our hearts and our lives; that’s what brought those affirming tears to our eyes.
Taking time to reflect on this passage, Jesus has made some amazing claims: He has been sent by the Father … He is sharing the Father’s life and love … Jesus is a man ... Jesus is God. These are remarkable statements in themselves. And Jesus continues: He will give His own flesh as our food that we might enter into that divine life as well … we will remain men and women but have God-life within us. It certainly comes as no surprise that many Jews who listened to Jesus today just couldn’t put their arms around these faith statements. Isn’t it amazing that this dreaded time away has given us a deeper awareness of how precious God’s presence is in the Eucharist and within each one of us. We are changed each and every time … if we allow God to do what God does … love us and fill us and lead us closer to our heavenly home.
Another important point: Jesus had the perfect opportunity to qualify what He had been teaching about Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. Jesus did not water this down at all: Five times He says EAT My flesh and three times He says DRINK My blood. Did you notice, when you received the Eucharist after the long absence, how tenderly you took the host and lovingly placed it in your mouth? Tears of longing, joy and completeness made God’s presence so real. It was.
The Lord is fully present in every host. Each person receives the Lord individually from the priest, deacon or eucharist minister. Jesus is God and He is giving Himself to each person individually. He knows everything that is going on in our lives. Our sins, our imperfections are not obstacles to His love. He sees you and me and knows we really need Him and He comes to us. He waits for us in the tabernacle when we spend time in adoration. Do we realize that Jesus is waiting for you and me, interceding for us, helping us in our trials and wanderings? We never have to doubt God’s love … Jesus proved that. We continue to ask God for the grace to let God love us just the way we are.
So I reflect on:
“The day before this, on the far shore of the sea, Jesus had fed over five thousand people by multiplying five loaves and two fish. They now gather round Him again, looking for more. He tells them that such food cannot last, just like the manna from heaven that Moses gave their ancestors in the desert. The true bread He now offers is His own flesh and blood. His words challenge the people to consider hunger beyond the physical needs of food and water. How do I react to His statements here?
“The twelve disciples will be with Jesus at the Last Supper, when He will take some bread, bless it, and give it to them, saying, ‘Take, eat, this is My body. …’ When I next partake of the Eucharist, I will take with me this story of the people Jesus fed and the story of the Last Supper. I ask God to use these scenes to deepen my understanding of the bread and wine.”
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58
Today is a day to celebrate in a focused way what we celebrate and believe every time we gather at the Lord’s table for the Sacrament of the Eucharist. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” is a quote that goes way back to the Roman poet Sextus. It describes the great affection we have for family, relatives and friends, especially when we are separated. We’ve experienced this in a way we never would have imagined these last three months. We love the Eucharist. We’ve been separated from the Eucharist during times of extended sickness and travel. But this absence has been especially painful during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even now, with restrictions present, people are hesitant to take the chance to receive the Lord. Dispensations have been granted for the aged and vulnerable class ... with which I’m not too comfortable because that is me.
The deeper lesson for appreciating the Eucharist is what the Holy Spirit has been teaching us while being deprived from receiving the Lord in our hearts. The virtual masses have been grace-filled moments. Reciting the Prayer of Spiritual Communion has helped, but we still have an emptiness deep inside. It might have reminded us of our adoration and praise times before the Tabernacle. But not being able to receive the Lord compounds the profound barrenness and void we had taken for granted. The Lord is present. The Lord loves us every minute. The physical receiving of the Lord is the highest honor and delight of our faith. We knew this; now we know it deeper. When we had the honor to receive the Lord after this horrible plague, so many cried. These tears of joy, fondness and love cemented our continued devotion and love for the Lord. We know what we missed.
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world.” [John 6:51] We understand this in a deeper way today. We can see now that Jesus leaves each person free to accept or reject Him, to trust or abandon Him. The Spirit is teaching us that with His grace we have accepted our Lord into our hearts and our lives; that’s what brought those affirming tears to our eyes.
Taking time to reflect on this passage, Jesus has made some amazing claims: He has been sent by the Father … He is sharing the Father’s life and love … Jesus is a man ... Jesus is God. These are remarkable statements in themselves. And Jesus continues: He will give His own flesh as our food that we might enter into that divine life as well … we will remain men and women but have God-life within us. It certainly comes as no surprise that many Jews who listened to Jesus today just couldn’t put their arms around these faith statements. Isn’t it amazing that this dreaded time away has given us a deeper awareness of how precious God’s presence is in the Eucharist and within each one of us. We are changed each and every time … if we allow God to do what God does … love us and fill us and lead us closer to our heavenly home.
Another important point: Jesus had the perfect opportunity to qualify what He had been teaching about Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. Jesus did not water this down at all: Five times He says EAT My flesh and three times He says DRINK My blood. Did you notice, when you received the Eucharist after the long absence, how tenderly you took the host and lovingly placed it in your mouth? Tears of longing, joy and completeness made God’s presence so real. It was.
The Lord is fully present in every host. Each person receives the Lord individually from the priest, deacon or eucharist minister. Jesus is God and He is giving Himself to each person individually. He knows everything that is going on in our lives. Our sins, our imperfections are not obstacles to His love. He sees you and me and knows we really need Him and He comes to us. He waits for us in the tabernacle when we spend time in adoration. Do we realize that Jesus is waiting for you and me, interceding for us, helping us in our trials and wanderings? We never have to doubt God’s love … Jesus proved that. We continue to ask God for the grace to let God love us just the way we are.
So I reflect on:
- I reread the passage and spend time on what “stopped me,” what did I see I hadn’t noticed before? Is the Holy Spirit telling me something, just for me? Why not!
- What is coming to my mind, when I realize that God is waiting for me, even just in my visits to the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle?
- Do I find that the time I spend with the Lord preparing for the Eucharist and after receiving are special, privileged “ME” times?
- Has a richness of receiving the Eucharist in the Catholic church solidified God’s love? I have experienced life without it. Has absence made my heart grow fonder?
“The day before this, on the far shore of the sea, Jesus had fed over five thousand people by multiplying five loaves and two fish. They now gather round Him again, looking for more. He tells them that such food cannot last, just like the manna from heaven that Moses gave their ancestors in the desert. The true bread He now offers is His own flesh and blood. His words challenge the people to consider hunger beyond the physical needs of food and water. How do I react to His statements here?
“The twelve disciples will be with Jesus at the Last Supper, when He will take some bread, bless it, and give it to them, saying, ‘Take, eat, this is My body. …’ When I next partake of the Eucharist, I will take with me this story of the people Jesus fed and the story of the Last Supper. I ask God to use these scenes to deepen my understanding of the bread and wine.”
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