The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

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.