The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ

06-22-2025Weekly ReflectionFr. Albert

Today, we are celebrating the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. This special Feast is celebrated in remembrance of Jesus who gave His life for our salvation and commanded us to celebrate the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in his memory. The Feast sums up three important confessions about our Faith. First is that God became physically present in the person of Christ, True God and True Man. Secondly, God continues to be present in His people as to form the Mystical Body of Christ in his Church. And thirdly, the presence of God under the form of bread and wine is made available to us on the altar at Mass and preserved there for our nourishment and worship. Our liturgy today recalls the scriptural origins of this devotion.

The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ is in accordance with the command of Jesus to us, to celebrate as a community in his memory, the last meal, where he gave us the Holy Eucharist. During His ministry on earth, Jesus said,'' I am the living bread that came down from Heaven. whoever eats of this bread will live forever and the bread that I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world.'' During the Last Supper Jesus taught His followers the manner in which the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist should be celebrated. He also told them that He would be physically present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist and will be with them till the end of times. But His sacrifice was complete on Calvary when He shed His last drop of blood and water for the sake of humanity. This offering is a gift and every gift involves the giver and the receiver. it is a sacrifice to the giver and gift to the receiver. Jesus here uses the symbol of a MEAL to make us realize His presence.

The Gospel of today tells us of the compassion of Jesus. Jesus was a great preacher and many were ready to follow him to any distance in order to listen to Him. Jesus indeed was very human and he was greatly concerned about those people who had followed him to the desert place to listen to Him and He wanted to take care of them His heart moved with pity for them. each person ate and each had more than enough and plenty was leftover.

Jesus gives His disciples the Eucharist. Eucharist means thanksgiving and blessing. We express our gratitude to God for all the gratuitous gifts God has given to us in Jesus and we offer back to Him the gratitude in the form of bread and wine. Eucharist means a Blessing. Blessing actually means prayer of praise and glorification for all the Lord God has done for us in Jesus. it is an offering to God as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus uses here the symbol of a simple meal to show His presence to us and chooses to remain in the form of simple bread and wine. Euchaarist is a sacrificial meal, where Jesus is the victim, the altar and the priest. He offers Himself to the Father as a special offering for the reconciliation of the world. it is a fulfilment of the final mission of Jesus to save the world.

Therefore, let us prepare ourselves to receive the Lord worthily and as we break the bread at the Eucharistic table we ask the grace to be worthy of the Lord's mystery and be His instruments to bring His unity and charity in the world.