The readings for The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Year C may be found at:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062225.cfm
Today,
we celebrate the Solemnity of the
Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ,
and we gather to celebrate
the greatest gift that Christ
has given to His Church,
Himself,
His very Body and Blood -
in the Eucharist.
The evangelist Saint Luke tells the familiar story
of Jesus feeding the five thousand -
and while 5,000 may sound like a lot,
The gospel tells us
that only the men were counted.
Theologians estimate that,
including women and children,
the total number of people
were likely
12,000 to 20,000 or more.
This estimate
is based on the cultural context
of the first century,
where families
often traveled together.
Incidentally,
this coming Wednesday night
in our Catholic Bible Study with the Chosen
at 6:00pm in the Father Unsworth Center downstairs -
sorry had to get a little plug in there -
the first half of the episode
is about the miracle that St. Luke tells us about today.
The scene opens
with a huge and hungry crowd
in a deserted place.
The disciples,
practical and concerned,
urge Jesus to send
this massive group of people away
to find food and shelter.
We can almost feel their worry
in their words when they say -
"Five loaves and two fish are all we have”
How often do we look at our lives,
our families, our world, and see only
what we don’t have?
How often
do we feel our resources -
our time, our patience, our love
are not enough?
But Jesus
responds to the disciples’ anxiety
with a challenge -
When they ask Him what to do,
Jesus says to
"Give them some food yourselves."
He asks the disciples,
and He asks us,
to bring what little we have,
to trust, and to act in faith.
The disciples -
then bring what little they have
and Jesus transforms them
into so much more.
He blesses, breaks, and shares -
and when He is through,
there is not only enough,
there is an abundance -
far more than enough.
“They all ate and were satisfied.
and the leftover fragments
they filled twelve wicker baskets.”
But this miracle
is not only about loaves and fish.
It’s about the much deeper miracle
and reality that we celebrate
at every Holy Mass -
the Eucharist.
Jesus gives us Himself -
His Body and Blood,
Soul and Divinity
as food for our journey.
In the Eucharist,
our deep,
spiritual hunger -
everything we are -
and everything we lack
meets the superabundance
of God’s grace.
We come
with our needs, our wounds,
and our emptiness,
and Christ
fills us,
heals us,
and
sends us out
renewed.
As the great theologian
and Catholic saint,
St. Augustine once said,
“Behold what you are.
Become what you receive”.
When we receive the Eucharist,
we are not just
fed as individuals -
we are transformed
into the Body of Christ,
called
to be His presence
in the world.
And the abundance we receive,
this miracle,
is not meant just for us,
but is meant to be shared.
This miracle continues
when we, in faith,
offer our time,
or any small part of our lives -
however broken or lacking -
for the sake of others.
The Eucharist is the place
where all are welcome,
where our needs are met,
and where we
are empowered
to meet the needs of others.
In the face of hunger -
whether it be physical,
spiritual
or emotional -
Christ’s answer
is always
to give us far more
than we could ever
do ourselves,
if only we trust
and bring Him what we have.
As we celebrate this Solemnity,
let us ask
for the grace
to see with the eyes of faith -
Let us bring our needs
and our gifts to Jesus,
trusting
that He will bless,
break,
and multiply them
for the good of all.
And may we become
what we receive -
the living Body of Christ -
real,
living and
visible
signs of God’s abundance
in a world that
desperately needs it.
