Corpus Christi - Enlarging our Hearts unto Him

 The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ: June 19, 2022

Readings: Genesis 14:18–20; Psalm 110:1–4; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; Luke 9:11–17

To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click on this link: https://youtu.be/HC1KOcZ5a5E

The month of June is blessed with a number of feasts either connected to the person of Jesus or to saints who followed him. Today we commemorate the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, traditionally called in its Latin version Corpus Christi. Having celebrated the feast of the Holy Trinity just a week ago, we are at the right time to celebrate this great feast which elevates us to the heavenly reality of our Lord. Every Eucharist is the feast of the body and blood of Christ. It is the gift of our Lord to nourish us, strengthen us and guide our Christian living.  However, by giving special emphasis to this feast we are once again invited to reflect and meditate on what Jesus' sacrifice means to us. The Corpus Christi feast is the sum of what we confess and celebrate at every paschal meal of our Lord. 

1. Whatever we have, it is of God

Food is one of the physiological needs. With Jesus' celebration of the paschal meal on the Holy Thursday, he gave us a heavenly meal which would satisfy our spiritual hunger.  He blesses, breaks and gives away (Lk 9:16). There is no other so precious a gift Jesus could give to us than his own body and blood. This heavenly reality is made to manifest in its earthly existence in a beautiful setting by Jesus. A gift that is given to his disciples is still commemorated in every nook and corner of the world. It is a mystery of our faith which continues to enthrall and surprise us. There is no opposition or negligence from those who have been accepted into the Church because they do not understand its meaning and significance. The institution of the Eucharist which happened two thousand years ago continues to be celebrated in the same manner with those same words uttered by Jesus.  

The beautiful experience of every Eucharist is the memory of our Lord that we celebrate. It is the remembrance of what Jesus instituted in the upper room as the Gospel says. The institution of the Eucharist happened at a most crucial moment of Jesus' earthly life. It happens in the midst of the tension of the death of the Cross which Jesus had to endure having been betrayed by his own disciple Judas Iscariot. It also happens in a hurry when Jesus wants to eat the Passover meal with his disciples. We might like to ask what makes us so special as people of God of the Eucharist? In the Eucharist, we receive and meet the God of love. Here the Lord opens himself to us to be broken and sacrificed for the salvation of all. He asks nothing but gives everything wholeheartedly.

2. Allowing God to take over us

Participating in the mystery of the Eucharist is nothing but allowing ourselves to be taken over by God. This is the experience of every Christian who receives Jesus at the Eucharist in the form of body and blood. In fact, this exercise is done repeatedly, day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year. Yet, every eucharist is unique and special, eternal and never-ending. This is the gift of the Body and Blood of our Lord. By consuming the person of Jesus into our lives and living out the pascal mystery we are brought closer and closer to heaven and each other. A right way of living our Eucharist is becoming more and more like him and less and less of ours. Only by allowing ourselves and letting our freedom to be merged with the freedom of God, we can be like our Master Jesus. 

When we live in a hedonistic, narcissistic, individualistic and egoistic society and culture, the feast of Corpus Christi asks us to do the opposite. Jesus of the Eucharist asks us to open ourselves to an audacity of generous self-giving. It asks us to be more open to the other than to look at one's personal gains and profits. When such an openness happens in our lives, the encounter with God takes place and God takes over us completely. As St Paul recalls in today’s Epistle (1 Corinthians 11:23–26), Jesus transformed the sign of bread and wine, making it a sign of His body and blood, through which God bestows upon us the blessings of our eternal oneness with God. In other words, it helps us to live out our values, beliefs, our commitment to our Master, and the ideals that were preached to us.

3. Enlarging our hearts to the one who satisfies eternally

We have a beautiful episode of Jesus (Luke 9:11–17) working a stupendous miracle after having a whole day spent in speaking about the kingdom of God, healing those who needed to be cured. Towards the end of the evening, Jesus makes a meal for five thousand people with just two fish and five loaves of bread. Jesus satisfies the physical hunger of his listeners overwhelmingly. Jesus takes care of those people who are under his care, moreover those who listen to him. Only when we are thirsty for God, when we sense our need for the Lord and for his presence and love, does God satisfies us alone. Because we cannot go alone without that which sustains us blissfully and continuously.

More and more Christians are challenged today probably we are also included. The thirst for God is felt less and less; desire and encounter with God are no longer felt. Looking for something eternal, lasting, continuous and life-giving is not sought. Our wish to look for quick gains and immediate satisfaction thrown away our deeper and long-loving thirst for God at the fence.  That is why we lose interest in the celebration of the Eucharist and our precious time with God who is present in the body and blood. Therefore we must allow ourselves to be fascinated by the person of Jesus. Thus we are transformed completely by this miracle of the Eucharist. Moreover, as a community of believers when we celebrate or participate in this ritual of the Eucharist of the Lord, we affirm our identity, the need of our belonging, emotions are channelled, connect with groups, our ancestors and to those who come after us and all the more bring changes in ourselves and around us. 

Questions for our reflections:

1. What is your experience of the Lord in the Eucharist?
2. How much time do you spend daily with the Lord Jesus Christ?
3. What motivates you to go to Church every day or Sunday? Eucharist or something else?
4. In what ways can you inspire others to attend the Eucharist regularly? 

Prayer:

Oh heavenly Father, make me an empty vessel for your Spirit to fill. Purge me of the world, of pride and greed and foolish wanderings of mind, that I may be prepared to hear your truth.

Let me pour myself out continuously all the day long, so that you might refill me with your Spirit; for I know that the more I give away, the more I will have for myself. Oh Lord, I truly believe that you will keep me filled with all goodness as long as I am giving to others. Do not let me become blocked off from You, mighty Lord, by selfishness; keep me like a crystal brook, flowing always, less I become stagnant and fetid. Let me look to my outflow and trust to you for my inflow, today and always. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

June 17, 2022