Mission Society of the Philippines

Homilies

SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI: EXPERIENCING THE REAL PRESENCE OF CHRIST

Lk 9: 11b-17


THE SOLEMNITY of the Body and Blood of Christ is an important occasion to focus special attention on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. This is a precious treasure of the Catholic Church. In the celebration of the Eucharist, we experience Christ really present and alive, because the gifts of bread and wine are transformed (through transubstantiation) into the Body and Blood of Christ.

First, the gospel passage mentions the triple action of Jesus: he blessed the bread, broke them, and shared them. These divine actions have been “made present” by the priest each time he presides over the Eucharistic celebration. There have been many reflections on these Eucharistic actions of Christ. One of them, which I like, is the “spirituality of sharing.”  It says that we are all called to share our gifts to others. This sharing can be seen as our Christian responsibility because we are all brothers and sisters to each other. In the name of social justice, we all have the responsibility to feed the poor and the hungry. The goods of the earth are meant to be shared to all. Thus, generosity and sharing are traits of a Christian.

Second, after the distribution of the loaves and fish, the crowd “ate and were satisfied.” Indeed, this is what the Eucharist offers us: the satisfaction. And this is one thing also that all must experience when one receives the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. Most Catholics feel that their week or Sunday could only be complete when they have attended the Eucharistic celebration. The Eucharist brings a certain satisfaction that cannot be clearly and fully explained. However, let us not forget that the reception of Christ in the Eucharist would actually mean as reception of Christ into our lives. We say that Sunday without the Eucharist is incomplete. We also say that life without Christ is incomplete and is lacking in satisfaction. We, humans, are born hungry. But in our hunger, we usually turn to material things; but then we realize that these do not give us the satisfaction that we want. We can only find true satisfaction in Christ, and if we receive Christ in our life.

This great feast of the Corpus Christi is an occasion for us to examine our attitude toward the Eucharist and to appreciate it as something of great value. We are all aware that more and more Catholics, for some reasons, no longer go to mass on Sundays. For some, it is least of their priorities. While for some, they find the celebration monotonous and routine. In this sense, there is a failure of seeing the mystery of the Eucharist. I once met a friend who happened to marry a “Christian” lady. The latter wanted a Catholic wedding, and she expected to receive a holy communion. But this is problematic because our belief in the Eucharist is not the same as what they believe. Ours is “transubstantiation” while theirs is “transignification.” They believe that the bread and wine are simply “signs” of the Body and Blood of Christ. But we Catholics believe in the change of the substance. The bread and wine have been transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. This makes Christ as “really” present in the Eucharist. This is the “Eucharistic mystery” that we should all revisit. If there are Catholics who no longer appreciate the Eucharist, it is because they have not seen its mysterious meaning, and they have not experienced the ‘real presence’ of Christ. But if they have seen this, the more they would appreciate the Eucharist. Indeed, this is the precious treasure of the Catholic Church.

 


« Back to Homilies Index

  Contact Us

MSP CENTRAL OFFICE
Phase 1, Block 53, Lot 4,7,8, Springfield corner Greenwich St., Southspring Subdivision, Brgy. Canlalay, Biñan, 4024, Laguna, Philippines

or MCPO Box 1006
    1200 MAKATI CITY

PHONE: Landline +63 49 521 8371   /  Smart:   +63 999 798 0581

FAX: (632) 831-9937
E-mail: secgen.msp@gmail.com