Walking with Jesus on the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

For Sunday, June 22, 2025

Genesis 14:18-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Luke 9:11-17


Today’s feast combines two separate feasts from years ago: Corpus Christi and the Precious Blood of Christ. As with last week’s readings from the Most Holy Trinity, the readings today have been chosen to highlight aspects of the feast’s theology. They emphasize the living presence of Christ which we celebrate when we come to receive the Eucharist at Mass. Each of us comes to the altar with different intentions: to pray for our loved ones or to seek help for our life, relationship difficulties or workaday world. We come in humility ... in gratitude … in love … in deliverance from the onslaughts of Satan, the devil, Lucifer (same reality). The purpose of the Spirit of Evil is to distract, confuse and drag us away from God and lead us away from loving, forgiving and caring for those who come into our lives for moments or short periods or the long term. We are tempted, and we succumb to lies and all sorts of realities that cause us to sin and hurt and not show love in any way.

Today’s feast identifies the essence of the mystery: The body and blood of Christ are offered as a sacrifice for us, and every time we re-enact it we renew His sacrifice for us … God’s total, unassuming, caring, and complete love for you and me and all of His creation. The bread that is broken is the bread of a thanksgiving sacrifice, and the blood that is consumed is the blood that ratifies the covenant between God and us. We feed on this until the Lord returns. He comes in each Eucharist and at the end of time, where we anticipate the celebration of His coming and will be united in heaven to enjoy God’s love forever. Jesus told us of hell (non-love) — nothing nice, caring or forgiving — just existing in a nothing surrounded by anger, hatred, and rejection of love. We’ve experienced this in our sins time and time again.

The sacrifice Melchizedek offered encourages us to enter into the realm of thanksgiving. When we come to the Eucharist we come in thanksgiving of Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension for each of us, thanking God for our life and for showing us His love in sending His Son to love and suffer and die for us. It also brings us to our knees in awe at the total presence of God’s love in all of creation and our own creation. How often have we thought on this: I am loved, and I was created out of love to love so people see God’s love through me ... as I help those I meet to come into contact with this love.

Paul shares the Lord’s Supper tradition with the Corinthians BECAUSE the rich members of this community are “celebrating” — or better, “enacting” — in a manner that neglects and shames the poorer members (1 Corinthians 11:17-22). Please read this passage which comes just before today’s reading. Paul is correcting this community in showing that it is always present to all — no one is excluded and thus, importantly, “As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.” [1 Corinthians 11:26]

In the Eucharist the Risen Exalted Lord continually gives what the dying Jesus gave once for all: The risen Lord’s slavic death brings us to heaven if we have faith and believe.

Luke’s version of the feeding of the five thousand, plus women and children, provides a lesson to Church leaders. Look: The disciples have “good reasons” for suggesting that the crowds be dismissed. They don’t have enough to feed them and, since they're in a deserted place, they “feel” that since it’s still early in the day, the people will have enough time to find a place to get food in the nearest town. Jesus’ reply is direct: “Give them some food yourselves.” [Luke 9:13] Think on this: To become true shepherds of the people, the disciples must take responsibility for their flock — and Jesus shows that abundant nourishment comes from Jesus. You and I are called to be Jesus’ disciples — His helpers. We have been gifted with talents … ideas … thoughts … inspirations ... to help and care for those in our lives. We might be all alone when we see them or when others are present. We KNOW that countless times, I … you … have been the ONE TO HELP … and we know that Jesus provided what was needed. Was I grateful? What lesson did I learn? How caring has Jesus been to ME?

So I reflect on:

• I know when and where I have been hungry. What was that like? I remember when I was being filled. What are the places in my life that make me long to satisfy urgent or long-term hungers?
• Who around me needs feeding? What is my role in being a disciple?

Sacred Space 2025 states:

“When Jesus feeds the five thousand in this remote place we are reminded of how God fed His people with manna in the desert. On this feast of Corpus Christi it also speaks to us of the much greater miracle of Jesus giving us His own body and blood for more than two thousand years. St. Ignatius urges us to ‘always ponder with deep affection how the Lord wishes to give Himself to us.’

“A gift that is not received and welcomed loses its power to bring us closer to the giver. At the holy sacrifice of the Mass do we receive our Lord with warmth and gratitude?”