The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – Corpus Christi
Today we pay special homage to the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. A great opportunity to reflect upon God’s gift to us and to deepen our appreciation of the real presence of Jesus. He is the living bread sent down from heaven, food for our souls and to satisfy our deepest spiritual hunger.
We are pilgrims on our life’s journey, and on this road, we suffer from many hungers, but the greatest hunger of all is the yearning for a deeper meaning to life itself. In our daily battle, we find our purpose in the Eucharist, as we are invited to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. The Holy Eucharist is the ‘source and summit of the Christian life.’ It is the real presence of Christ amongst us, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. Not only does the Eucharist unite believers to Christ, but it also unites us to one another.
Henri de Lubac writes “The Eucharist makes the Church.” So, if the Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church, then the Eucharist is its ‘beating heart’, pumping Christ’s blood through the members of his Body, the Church.
By receiving of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ we are uniting our souls with Christ himself. Through our Baptism, we become members of his Body, and we receive His out pouring of love and grace. A grace that restores our health and gives us joy in our hearts.
Pope Urban says: “In this sacrament we celebrate in thanksgiving the memory of our Saviour, we are drawn away from evil, we are strengthened in what is good, and we advanced and increase in virtue and in grace.”
So, what was the true reason behind Jesus’ institution of this precious gift? Jesus has poured out in Sacramental riches, His Divine Love for each one of us, causing His wonderful works to be remembered and celebrated in his memory. By doing so, we are proclaiming His Death until He comes again to judge the world.
This precious Sacrament is to be received as our spiritual food for our soul journey, which will nourish and strengthen us. The Sacrament will become a remedy to free us from our daily faults, and to be a pledge of our future glory of everlasting happiness in Heaven.
With Jesus being our ‘Head,’ and we as members of his Body, we are linked by the closest of bonds, of faith, hope and love. Since He is the ‘True Vine, and we are the Branches’, this enables us to pronounce the same faith in one unison of exultant praise.
If we are ready to grow in holiness and love, we must make the Eucharist the centre of our being, because in doing so, we make Christ the centre of our lives. If we receive and worship Christ worthily, He will fill us with His grace and enlarge our hearts to love and serve humankind more perfectly.
Let me finish by quoting St Teresa of Calcutta: “If we truly understand the Eucharist; if we make the Eucharist the central focus of our lives; if we feed our lives with the Eucharist, we will not find it difficult to discover Christ, to love Him, and to serve Him in the poor.”
Let us take these words into our hearts today, and to go out touching the lives of others with God’s love, to be the healing presence, the helping hand, the sympathetic voice, and the words of encouragement when people need it the most. In this way we will shape ourselves by what we receive in our daily food. Jesus Christ Himself.
Rev. Fr Philip Wrigley's Blog 