Homily of the Most Holy Body and
Blood of Christ Year A, 2020
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16; Psalm
147:12-20; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58
Every wise person intending to
undertake an important long journey makes arrangement for food and drink to
sustain him or her on the journey. Before the Israelites began the exodus, God
commanded them to observe the Passover meal. The Passover meal was a spiritual
exercise than just a physical meal, to sustain the Israelites spiritually on
the journey. The first reading tells us how God continued to sustain them on
their journey in the desert by providing them with manna.
Jesus did the same before he left
the world. He instituted the Holy Eucharist, his Body and Blood, during the
Last Supper, to sustain us on our spiritual journey on earth to eternity. St.
Paul recalls in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was
handed over, took bread, and after he had given thanks, broke it and said,
‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way
also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This is my blood. Do this, as often as you
drink it, in remembrance of me.’”
During the Last Supper, Jesus did
not say, “It is like my body.” Or, “It resembles my body.” Or, “It is in place
of my body.” He said, “This is my body.” “This is my blood.” This is why
we believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This is why we adore
the Body of Jesus in the tabernacle. When we come into a Catholic Church and
see a tabernacle and a tabernacle light, we know, immediately, that the
Eucharist is present in the tabernacle. We are required to genuflect in
reverence. Jesus is no longer physically with us, but he has left himself
spiritually with us in the Eucharist.
Jesus teaches us in the Gospel,
“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. … Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink
his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and
drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my
flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. … This is the bread that came
down from heaven. … Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:51-58). The
Catholic Church believes that this passage is one of the biblical foundations
of her belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Non-Catholics, on
the other hand, insist that this passage should be interpreted and understood
figuratively.
The Catholic Church believes and
teaches that the mystery of transubstantiation takes place during Eucharistic
celebration at the prayer of consecration. At that time, bread and wine become
the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This is our faith. We are grateful to God
for the gift of the Eucharist. We, who celebrate the Eucharist and receive it
know its power. There are uncountable testimonies.
We are to receive the Eucharist
reverently and worthily. We must not disregard St. Paul’s advice in 1
Corinthians 11:28-29, “Let each one, then, examine himself before eating of the
bread and drinking of the cup. Otherwise he drinks his own condemnation in not
recognizing the body.” This is why the Sacrament of Reconciliation helps us to
prepare for the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
As already stated, the Eucharist
is food for our spiritual journey. It gives us spiritual nourishment and
refreshment to our soul just as material food gives nutrients and nourishment
to our body.
The Eucharist has transformative
power. It gives us the graces to become Christ-like, whom we receive. St.
Augustine of Hippo challenges us, "Behold what you are; become what you
receive." The material food we consume is absorbed by our body. But
in the Eucharist we consume, we are absorbed in Christ Jesus. The Eucharist we
receive should make us exclaim like St. Paul, “I live, no longer I, but Christ
lives in me” (Galatians 2:20)
The Eucharist is the
commemoration of the sacrifice of Jesus for our sanctification, for expiation
of our sins, and for our salvation. It is for this reason that we celebrate the
Eucharist for the living and the dead.
The Eucharist has physical and
spiritual powers. God answers many prayers and uncountable miracles take place
during the celebration of the Eucharist, and the many times we receive the
Eucharist. This is why we celebrate the Eucharist for various intentions.
The celebration of the Eucharist
is our communion with the Trinity, the angels and the saints. The celebration
is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet after our life here on earth.
The benefits of the Eucharist are
many. In the Litany of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharist is called the
Sacrament of Piety, Bond of Charity, Mystery of Faith, Heavenly Remedy against
the poison of sin, etc. It is for these reasons that we are encouraged to
participate actively and attentively in the Eucharistic celebration and to
receive the Eucharist worthily.
Fr. Martin Eke, MSP
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