Holy Eucharist as the unique presence of God among us…

Deut 8:2-3, 14-16; Ps 147; 1Cor 10:16-17; Jn 6:51-58

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, or ‘Corpus Christi’. The feast focuses on two aspects. Firstly, on the Holy Eucharist as the body and blood of Christ. Secondly, on the Church as the body of Christ. It is said that “we are what we eat.” Whilst the physical food we eat nourishes the body, spiritual food nourishes our soul, preparing and preserving it for eternity. The Holy Eucharist is the food that enables the soul to dwell in a healthy body and also prepares it for eternity.

In the first reading, Moses reminds the people of Israel how God cared for them by nourishing and sustaining them in the desert, thereby demonstrating his love and ability to sustain his chosen people both physically and spiritually. In our own time, God has given us the Eucharist as our spiritual nourishment. The Eucharist is the ‘Sacrament of universal salvation’. Paul reminds us of the unity of the Church through our sharing in the one body and blood of Christ. During the Eucharistic celebration, individuals, communities, races and nations are united as they share in the body and blood of Christ. Every Mass draws our attention to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.” It was because of this truth that some of his disciples left him, thinking, “This is a hard saying…” (Jn 6:61). As Christ said, his body is true food, and his blood is true wine. Although it is a type of the manna that the Israelites ate in the desert (and yet still died), it is different because, as Christ says: “Whoever eats the body and drinks the blood of the Son of Man will never die.” The Eucharist sustains our spiritual life, whilst human food and the manna that the Israelites ate sustain our physical and mortal life. It gives us the grace to feel forgiven and to be willing to forgive others. We go to Mass, not because we are worthy. Rather, because we are always in need of God’s mercy and love. These come through the Eucharist.

Finally, the secondary focus of this solemnity is on the Body of Christ present in the Church. The Church is called the Body of Christ because of the intimate communion that Jesus shares with his disciples. Christ expressed this unity by using the metaphor of the body, in which he himself is the head. This image helps to keep the unity and diversity of the Church in focus. Thus, during any Eucharistic celebration, Christ makes himself available to us, draws us to himself and unites us with one another.