CORPUS CHRISTI

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ reveals God’s total self-giving love. When God loves, He loves to the end. When He gives, He gives all. Jesus said, “There is no greater love than this: laying down one’s life for his friends.” He revealed God’s extravagant love on the Cross. He is the New Passover Lamb whose sacrifice is once and for all time. The high priests in the temple of Jerusalem offer their sacrifice by using the blood of animals and the sacrifice is for the people of Israel. Jesus is the ultimate High Priest because He uses His own blood and His sacrifice embraces the whole human race. He is the mediator of the new covenant because it is sealed and ratified by His blood. Therefore, the new covenant is everlasting, permanent, forever and irrevocable. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Corpus Christi points to the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist because it is the source and summit of our Christian faith. Eucharist comes from the Greekword, Eucharistia, which means thanksgiving and gratitude. We express our gratitude to God for saving us. He did not spare Jesus from death because He does not hold back anything from us even His only Begotten Son to lead us to goodness He desires for us. In the Eucharist we make present the perfect, complete and pleasing sacrifice of Jesus. It is the sacrament not for the perfect but for the sinners. It is the real presence of Christ because it is Jesus who said, “This is my body, this is my blood of the covenant.” What  Jesus says, is. He is the Word and everything existed because of the Word: the only true power, the power of truth and love. He said, “Heaven and earth will pass away but my Word will remain.” The Holy Eucharist is the seal of our Alliance with God. We belong to the Trinity of Persons. We enter into an intimate relationship with the Triune God. The Holy Eucharist is the new Passover because we pass over from death to life, from sin to grace. We are fed with the best food: body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ so that we become what we receive. As we participate in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, we are called to be broke bread for others in love and service, like Jesus.