CORPUS CHRISTI

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is the revelation of God’s tremendous, excessive, extravagant, infinite love. It is God’s initiative, the invasion of grace. It points to the Cross, the supreme act of Jesus’ total self giving love. It reveals that we are completely loved by God and we belong to the God of eternal union and love. The Bread of Life discourse in the Gospel of John (6:51-58) points to the deeper hunger and thirst that live within every human heart. We look for something to fill our emptiness. We look for success, recognition, comfort and pleasure and we are never satisfied. Nothing less than God can satisfy us. He alone satisfies us. Our heart belongs to God alone. Our soul is made for love. That is why, St. Augustine said that our hearts are restless until they find rest in You. You created us only for you. Jesus alone is our peace and joy. He is the fulfillment of our deepest longing and yearning. Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven!” The living bread reminds us of the manna in the desert that sustained the people of Israel for only a few years. They died long ago. By contrast, Jesus is the living bread that satisfies our deepest hunger and will lead us to eternal life. He is God’s provision from heaven to meet humankind’s deepest spiritual need for reconciliation with God and intimate relationship with Him. He is not merely food for our journey but union with God who is our destination. The goal of life is union with God, the one and only meaning of our living. Jesus said, “My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink!” This sounds cannibalism. This language is offensive and provocative for the Jews. The law prohibits the consumption of blood. That is why, many of the disciples of Jesus abandoned Him. This is sacrificial language. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the New Passover Lamb. He is our sacrifice, ransom, atonement and reparation. He died for all humanity. He gave all and loved to the end. By His Blood we are saved. The New Covenant is sealed by His Blood. Therefore, God’s love is irrevocable, irreversible, permanent, everlasting. The Corpus Christi points to the Eucharist because it is the real presence of Christ. The bread and wine are not symbols and signs. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine become the Body and blood of Christ. We receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ so that we become another Christ in the world. We become what we receive. We become broken bread to others like Jesus. The Church is the physical presence of Christ in our tormented world today. We are the effective presence of Christ to the ends of the earth.