Corpus Christi
Today we celebrate one of the greatest treasures of our Catholic faith: the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. This feast invites us not simply to remember Jesus, but to encounter Him, living, loving, and truly present among us. In every Mass, Heaven touches the earth, and Christ gives Himself completely to us as the Bread of Life.
All of us are pilgrims on a journey through life. Along the way, we experience many kinds of hunger: hunger for peace, for purpose, for love, and for hope. Yet beneath all these is the deepest hunger of all — the hunger for God. So many people search for the meaning in success or possessions, yet the human heart is only truly satisfied in Christ.
This is why the Eucharist matters so much. Jesus does not leave us to battle alone. He feeds us with Himself. He becomes food for our souls, strength for our weakness, and light for our path. As the Church teaches, the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life.” Here we encounter not a symbol, but the true presence of Christ: His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.
The Eucharist not only unites us to Christ, it also unites us to one another. Henri de Lubac famously said, “The Eucharist makes the Church.” If the Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church, then the Eucharist is surely its beating heart, sending the life of Christ through every member of His Body.
Every time we come forward to receive Holy Communion, something profound happens. We are drawn into a deeper communion with Jesus Himself. Through Baptism we became members of His Body, and in the Eucharist that bond is strengthened and renewed. Christ pours His grace into our hearts, healing what is wounded, strengthening what is weak, and filling us again with joy and hope.
Pope Urban IV (4th) beautifully described the Eucharist when he said:
“In this sacrament we celebrate in thanksgiving the memory of our Saviour; we are drawn away from evil, strengthened in goodness, and grow in virtue and grace.”
What incredible love lies behind this gift! On the night before He died, Jesus gave us the Eucharist so that He could remain with us always. Every Mass makes present the saving sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. Every altar becomes a place where Divine Love is poured out once again for the life of the world.
The Eucharist is not only nourishment for today; it is also a promise of eternity. It sustains us on our earthly pilgrimage and points us toward the joy of Heaven. It becomes, as the Saints often called it, “food for the journey”, strength for weary souls and medicine for sinner, so we can all strive to become saints in Heaven.
If we remain close to Him, His life flows through us. Faith, hope, and charity begin to grow within us. The more we centre our lives on the Eucharist, the more Christ Himself becomes the centre of everything we are.
If we truly receive Christ worthily, we cannot remain unchanged. The Eucharist must shape us, by the way we speak, the way we forgive, the way we treat others. Having received the love of Christ, we are called to become His disciples in the world, focusing especially on the lonely, the suffering, and the forgotten.
St Teresa of Calcutta once said:
“If we truly understand the Eucharist; if we make the Eucharist the centre of our lives, we will not find it difficult to discover Christ and love Him in the poor.”
Those words will challenge us today. Our prayer before the altar must become love in action. The Eucharist sends us out to be Christ’s hands, Christ’s voice, and Christ’s compassion in a wounded world.
So let us today, open our hearts again to this great mystery of faith. Let us approach the altar with gratitude and reverence. May the Body and Blood of Christ transform us more and more into the people He calls us to be: a healing presence, a helping hand, a voice of kindness and encouragement for those most in need.
For in the end, we become what we receive: Jesus Christ Himself.
Rev. Fr Philip Wrigley's Blog 