THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST (CORPUS CHRISTI): JESUS BLESSES AND CONSECRATES US INTO HIS LOVE.

After my ordination, I had the privilege of teaching catechism to a young lady with a hearing impairment. I remember reading this verse to her from John 6:56: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person.” She paused and asked, “Reverend, are you telling me you will now live in me and I live in you?” What a profound question! But that came as a surprise. It led me to explain that Jesus is the one who lives in us through the Eucharist.

How do we explain this mystery? That Christ comes to dwell in us, and we in Him, through what looks like ordinary bread and wine? Another time, I asked a young boy how he felt after receiving his second Holy Communion. He replied that this time it tasted better than the first (his first Holy Communion). The little boy tried to describe the taste in terms of his favorite snacks. These innocent yet deep responses remind us that the Eucharist is both tangible and mysterious. The Church maintains that the Blessed Eucharist is a sacrament of Christ’s real presence, the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus et Sanguis Christi) given in the appearance of bread and wine. That is the feast we celebrate this day.

1. A Prefiguration in Melchizedek

In today’s first reading, we meet Melchizedek, the mysterious "king of Salem." Though not a Hebrew, he offers bread and wine and blesses Abraham. This act is not coincidental. Melchizedek’s offering foreshadows a priestly act which we can portray in the consecration of the Eucharist. Psalm 110 confirms this connection thus, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek,” a popular echo in the ordination of priests in the Catholic Church.

2. Jesus the Priest Feeds the Crowd

In the Gospel, Jesus multiplies loaves and fishes and feeds the multitude. But notice how Christ “took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, said the blessing, broke them, and gave them to the disciples…” (Luke 9:16). This mirrors the action of the Eucharist. Christ’s feeding of the crowd is not just a miracle of food. It is a sign of divine hospitality, thanksgiving, and love. In every Eucharistic feast, Christ feeds our deepest hunger —spiritual, emotional, and physical.

3. Saint Paul and the Tradition of the Eucharist

Saint Paul, in his First Letter to the Corinthians, recalls the tradition he received: “On the night he was handed over… Jesus took bread… gave thanks… broke it… and said: ‘This is my Body.’” Then with the cup: “This is the cup of the new covenant in my Blood… Do this… in remembrance of me.” Pual’s presentation is no mere ritual. It is Jesus offering his very self—body, blood, soul, and divinity—for the life of the world.

4. Jesus Takes, Blesses, Breaks, and Gives

These four actions—take, bless, break, give—summarize the heart of Christ’s sacrificial love:

• He takes up our humanity, becoming one with us.

• He blesses us by infusing our lives with his divine presence.

• He breaks himself, accepting suffering and death.

• He gives himself, fully and freely, for our salvation.

In the Eucharist, Jesus completely gives us Himself. Pope Saint John Paul II wrote: “The Church draws her life from the Eucharist... In the Holy Eucharist, through the changing of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord, she rejoices in this presence with unique intensity” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, no. 1).

5. The Eucharist Makes Us Missionaries of Love

In the Gospel, despite the disciples’ resistance, Jesus insisted: “Give them something to eat.” Love is what Jesus demonstrates when he feeds the crowd. That same love is what we receive in the Eucharist. When we receive Jesus, what happens? We become what we eat. This is where we need to correct the ignorance of the little child who felt the Eucharist tasted different based on his experience of snacks. The Eucharist is Jesus and the taste is love. Once we receive Jesus, we live and love like Him. People feel the love of the Eucharist in us. They perceive love and encounter the love of Christ in us. If we eat Christ, we must live like Christ—with gratitude, reverence, generosity, and self-giving love. The Eucharist commissions us to:

• Bless others with the same love we have received.

• Feed the hungry—not just with food, but with mercy, presence, and dignity.

• Offer ourselves like Abraham, who gave one-tenth in thanksgiving.

6. Our Response to the Eucharist

Each time we receive the Eucharist, an enormous exchange takes place: Christ takes up our sin, brokenness, and inner hunger. The miracle of the Eucharist is that Christ possesses our being; fills us with grace, healing, and divine life. The invitation from today’s readings is for us to respond:

• With thanksgiving, like Abraham.

• With generosity, offering our lives and resources to God.

• With a deeper hunger for holiness, striving to reflect Christ to the world.

Reflection Questions:

1. “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I in them.”

How does my reception of the Eucharist transform my relationship with Christ and with others? How does this divine indwelling call me to reflect Christ’s presence in my daily interactions, speech, and decisions?

2. Jesus said, “Give them something to eat.”

In what ways am I being called to feed others (physically, emotionally, or spiritually) through acts of love, generosity, and service? Consider how receiving Christ in the Eucharist commissions you to become a “missionary of love” in your family, parish, or community. What practical actions does the Eucharist demand from me?

3. “Do this in remembrance of me.”

How does my participation in the Eucharist each week shape my attitude of gratitude, sacrifice, and stewardship toward God and the Church? Am I receiving the Eucharist as often as Christ wants to offer himself to me? Why not? Reflect on whether your life demonstrates the thanksgiving and self-offering that the Eucharist makes present.

Readings: 1st- Gen. 14:18-20; 2nd- 1 Cor. 11:23-26; Gospel- Lk. 9:11-17