Homilies

CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAY: "THIS IS MY BODY.. THIS IS MY BLOOD.."

THIS SOLEMNITY OF the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) originated in the mid-thirteenth century and was extended to the whole Church by Pope Urban IV. Soon after the miracle of Orvieto (1263), the said Pope commissioned (St.) Thomas Aquinas to compose the Proper for a Mass and an Office for the feast day. One year later, in August of 1264, Pope Urban IV, by means of the papal Bull Transiturus, instituted the feast of Corpus Christi for the universal Church. This feast focuses on two manifestations of the Body of Christ: the Holy Eucharist and the Church. In every Eucharistic celebration, we give attention to the Eucharist and the Real Presence of Christ in it. Likewise, we also give attention to the Body of Christ, being present in the Church.

However, it is an undeniable fact that more and more people are abandoning the Sunday eucharist at an alarming rate, in part because they don’t find in our celebrations the atmosphere, the clear word, and the hospitality that they need to nourish their weak faith. Most of these people find the eucharist meaningless and boring.

We need to go back to the basics of this subject so that we can appreciate or re-appreciate the Eucharist which is a distinct Catholic celebration.

Firstly, the Eucharist is a collective meal of the community of the baptized. As one theologian described it, it as a “reunion of those who were passed” (Passover) in Christ. It is a reunion or a re-gathering of those who were baptized in the Catholic faith. We love reunions, no doubt about it. Family reunions, for instance, are something that we long for, and we wish we could do them often. There is an excitement to see each other, and to talk to each other about many things. And these happen in the context of the meal. We prepare food, and wine.

The Eucharist, as a common meal for those who were baptized, has also comparable elements. Bread and wine are being offered. During the Consecration, these gifts are being transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. On the one hand, the food in a meal gives us satisfaction to hunger. Similarly, the Body of Christ gives satisfaction to our spiritual hunger. On the other hand, the wine in a meal gives delight to the guests. The Blood of Christ comparably gives also delight to our weary soul.

But there is something more that happens upon receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. It is also our communion with Christ. By eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, we become united to the person of Christ.

Secondly, the Eucharist is the memorial of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. I remember the Church song, “Look Beyond”, written by Darryl Ducote. The chorus line says, “Look beyond the bread we eat. See your Savior and your Lord. Look beyond the cup we drink. See His love poured out as blood”.

The Church gathers to remember and to make present the sacrifice of Christ in which we share through the action of the priest and the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the celebration of the Eucharist, we are joined to Christ's sacrifice and receive its inexhaustible benefits. As Jesus has said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” Christ poured out his love by pouring out His blood. His purpose, his hope, was that the world might become alive. And that is also what we remember each time we celebrate the Eucharist.

Finally, there is another part of communion that we rarely think about.  When partaking of the Lord’s supper, we rightly think back to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.  But God also intends for us to look forward to the heavenly banquet that is being prepared for us since the foundation of the world. Thus, the Eucharist is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

In some Greek Orthodox churches, we can find beautiful paintings on the ceilings. Often, we see angels on it. That is an indication that indeed, the eucharistic celebration is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. This theme was taught also by Pope Francis. He said that the eucharist renews “our heart, our existence, and our relationship with Christ and with our brothers, and gives us a foretaste of communion with the Father in the banquet of the King of heaven” (Feb 2014).

Thus, each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we also look forward to the Second Coming of Christ, who will bring us together to the heavenly banquet in the Father’s kingdom. AMEN.

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