“...My body...My blood...”

May 31, 2024

Corpus Christi (B)
Readings: Exodus 24:3-8;
Hebrews 9:11-15
Gospel: Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

Dear Beloved Catholics; Wake up!

It’s the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the greatest miracle that Christ ever worked on earth…My Body…My Blood!

Do you really believe in God? Do you truly believe that Our Lord, truly, and substantially is present in the Eucharist; do you believe in the Real Presence?

If you don’t, I shall invite you to explore this mystery with intellectual honesty and sincerity of your heart. And if you do, then live up to the faith! Where is the fruit of your action? The external signs of love should come from the heart and find expression in the testimony of a Christian life. If we have been renewed by receiving our Lord’s body, we should show it.

Have you made disciples, did you bring the Good News to others and attract them to know Christ, especially to your family, children, friends and acquaintances; did you communicate the language of love to build GOD’s kingdom?

On the feast of Corpus Christi, let us take God seriously in our lives, let us come together to consider the depths of our Lord’s love for us, which has led Him to stay with us, hidden under the appearances of the Blessed Sacrament.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as the Feast of Corpus Christi, is a celebration of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. On this day, we recall the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. When our Lord instituted the Eucharist during the last supper, night had already fallen. The world had fallen into darkness, for the old rites, God’s infinite mercy to mankind, were going to be brought to fulfilment. The way was opening to a new Beginning.

We too have to prepare for this new Beginning. Everything harmful, dangerous or useless has to be thrown away —discouragement, indifference, dissension and bitterness, sadness, cowardice, disillusion. We have been given a new energy, strong new roots grafted onto our Lord — the Power of the Resurrection! We must not return to the old leaven, for now we have the bread which lasts forever.

Let us ask our Lord then to make us souls devoted to the Blessed Eucharist, so that our relationship with Him brings forth joy and serenity and a desire for justice and goodness. In this way we will make it easier for others to recognise Christ; we will put Christ at the centre of all human activities.

We should always remember that if there is no sowing there is no harvest. That is why we need to sow the Word of God generously, to make Christ known to men so that they hunger for Him. Corpus Christi — the feast of the bread of life — is a good opportunity to reflect on the hunger which people suffer: hunger for truth, for justice, for unity and for peace.

Christ’s way can be summed up in one word: love. If we are to love, we must have a big heart and share the concerns of those around us. We must be able to forgive and understand; we must sacrifice ourselves, with Christ, for all souls. If we love with Christ’s heart, we will learn to serve others and we will defend the truth clearly, lovingly. If we are to love in this way, we need to root out of our individual lives everything that is an obstacle to Christ’s life in us.

We may sometimes be tempted to think that this is very nice but an impossible dream. There is nothing impossible for God. The apostolic zeal which Christ has put in our hearts must not be diminished or extinguished by a false humility. Sometimes we experience the weight of our personal failings, but our Lord takes into account our mistakes. In His merciful gaze He realises that we are creatures with limitations, weaknesses and imperfections, that we are inclined to sin. But He tells us to fight and “to remain in Him”, to acknowledge our weaknesses, not to be afraid.

By “remaining in Him” we are led to live the divine life — the inception of personal holiness, is the one cure that overcomes any difficulty. Being holy means living exactly as our Father in heaven wants us to live. You will say that it is difficult. It is. What is not?

On the other hand, it is also easy, it is within our reach, the medicine is always at hand. It is Jesus, present in the most holy Eucharist — My grace is sufficient for you!

Don’t be afraid to know your real self. If you feel depressed, lost and powerless, then is the time to abandon yourself completely and obediently into God’s hands.

Even in moments when we see our limitations clearly, we can and should look at God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and realise that we share in God’s own life. We have to face up to our obligations and we will find in Jesus the love and the stimulus we need to understand other people’s faults and overcome our own. In this way even depression — yours, mine, anyone’s — can also be a pillar for the kingdom of Christ.

Let us recognise our infirmity but confess the power of God. The Christian life has to be imbued with optimism, joy and the strong conviction that our Lord wishes to make use of us for the greater Glory of God.

Let us celebrate this feast by savouring, in the intimacy of your soul, the infinite goodness of God, realise that Christ is going to make Himself really present in the host, with His Body, His Blood, His Soul and His Divinity. Adore Him reverently.