Not Your Ordinary Bread
Corpus Christi Sunday
There’s a saying that says, "The nearer you stay from the church, the more difficult it is to go mass." Sometimes I find there’s truth in it. In my hometown, I usually wake up at 5.30 am to go for a 7 o’clock mass. Nowadays, in the friary, there are times I woke up at 6.25am for a 6.30 mass, and I still make it on time!
We are so used to the Eucharist that we can sometimes forget how amazing this sacrament really is. That's one of the reasons the Church gives us today's beautiful feast of Corpus Christi. Today, every Catholic throughout the world is turning their attention to this divine gift by which Jesus Christ, under the appearances of bread and wine, continues to dwell among us and to nourish our souls through the most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.
There are two miracles involved in this sacrament that occur at every Mass. During the words of consecration, the humble, normal substances of bread and wine are changed into Christ's living body and blood. This process is called the transubstantiation. This is the first miracle.
The second miracle is that although the substance of the bread and wine has changed, their appearance remains the same. After the sacred words of consecration, they still look like bread and wine, but under those appearances, Jesus is truly present.
This is why we treat the Eucharist with such reverence:
it is not just a symbol; it is a sacrament,
a mystery of Christ's real presence.
This double-miracle is, admittedly, a quiet miracle - at least most of the time. But every once in awhile, God allows it to become more dramatic, just so we don't fall into routine. So we have the many miracles about the Eucharist which I will not share today other wise my sharing will never end. But if you are interested, you can get it in FORMED website. I hope you’ve registered and subscribe to it.
Our Eucharistic celebrations links back to the Jewish feast of the Passover which commemorated Israelites liberation from slavery in Egypt. When Moses had successfully led his people out of Egypt, God gave the Israelites detailed instructions for the annual commemoration of the Passover event. Such a commemoration, the Passover was the occasion for Christ's institution of the sacrament of the Eucharist.
St Mark records the words of Jesus by which he reveals that He is the true Passover lamb. Just as the Israelites in Egypt were saved from slavery by the lamb's sacrifice, so all of us would be saved from sin by the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, by the breaking of his body and the pouring out of his blood, out of love for us.
And just as the Israelites were to partake of the feast of the lamb, so all of Christ's followers are called to feast on his living body and blood through the Eucharist, in order to share intimately in his divine life.
It is, truly, the bread that frees us from death, that nourishes in our souls the seed of eternal life that was planted there through baptism.
It shows what kind of Lord he is:
one who gives his life for those entrusted to his care,
even for his Betrayer, Judas, who was right there at the Last Supper.
That is the cosmic meaning of the Eucharist, but what is its personal meaning for each one of us?
It is the super-abundant revelation of God's unconditional, undying, personal love for each and every one of us.
Christ gave his disciples bread, which had become his own body, and wine, which had become his blood. He did this for their sake, and for the sake of all who would be saved from the slavery to sin. What greater gift could he have given them, and through them, to us?
Christ continues to take, bless, break, and give the bread and wine that are his body and blood - he does it through the priests of his Church, because he wants to stay with us and be our life, strength, and hope.
And this gift has no strings attached. Jesus gives it even though we are undeserving - like Judas, we have betrayed our Lord, countless times. Every time we ignore or discard the voice of conscience, every time we judge our neighbor or fail to love others as Christ has loved us, we echo Judas' betrayal. And yet, our Lord still comes to us in the Eucharist.
Christ's love doesn't depend on our being worthy;
Christ's love depends only on his burning desire
to give us the fullness of life,
to make us worthy.
What a relief to have such a friend, one who cares only about giving, and one who can give such an incomparable gift! As we continue with this Mass, let's give God the pleasure of accepting that gift, at least today, with humble, faith-filled joy.
