June 07, 2026. Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, (Year A)

Readings: Deut. 8:2-3,14-16; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; John 6:51-58

Thank God for the Eucharist!

1.    Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – the Corpus Christi. At Mass Christ is offered and received, and in him the church continually lives and grows. The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. In the Eucharist, the unity of God’s people is signified and brought about, and the building up of the body of Christ is perfected. We hold the blessed Eucharist in highest honor by taking an active part in the celebration of the most august sacrifice of the Mass.

2.    The Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ is so important and essential to Catholics that we must attend Mass and receive Holy Communion regularly and frequently. In the gospel Christ stressed, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” (Jn. 6:54). When we eat the Body of Christ and drink his Blood, we become the living Christ. We are enabled to discover our closeness and blessedness, and we acknowledge our brokenness and our strengths. Thus, we, like Christ, become food for the world. We are Christians because Christ rose from the dead, but Catholics because of the Eucharist. Just like food is to the body, the Eucharist is an absolute necessity for our spiritual life.

3.    Before Cardinal Newman became a Catholic, one of his friends said to him, “If you become a Catholic, you’ll lose a handsome income of 4,000 pounds a year.” Newman’s reply was: “And what are 4,000 pounds compared to a communion?” Pope Francis reminded us that “The Eucharist is the spiritual lifeblood of the Christian because in receiving it we consume the glorified body of the Risen Lord, whose life then transforms us, elevates us and empowers us to become like him. The Eucharist grants us a share in the Divine and Human Savior of the world, whose gift of himself imparts eternal life to those who love him. That is why Jesus says, “If anyone eats of this bread (my flesh), he will live forever.” (Jn. 6:15). 

4.    One of the core teachings of the Church on the Eucharist is that “Our Lord is truly, really, and substantially present in the Holy Eucharist. Hence, we believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, not just a symbol of his Body and Blood, but his real Body and Blood through the process of transubstantiation during consecration. Christ told his disciples, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven.” (Jn. 6:57-58). Many of his disciples stopped following him because of this teaching, but Christ did not beg them to stay. Instead, he asked his apostles: “Do you also want to leave?” (Jn. 6:67). According to Pope St. John Paul II, this teaching “Is at the heart of the Church, the secret of her vigor; she must keep watch with jealous care over this mystery and affirm it in its fullness.” Therefore, we must prepare ourselves for fruitful participation in Mass. We do this by going through the readings of the Mass beforehand, examining our consciences, and confessing any mortal sins we are aware of if we intend to receive our Lord in holy Communion. We do so in a timely, worthy, and devoted manner. After Communion, our Lord is present in us for about 8 to 10 minutes, as long as the species remain. The Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship states, “The faithful are to be recommended not to omit to make a proper thanksgiving after communion. They may do this during the celebration with a period of silence, with a hymn, Psalm, or other song of praise, or also after the celebration, if possible, by staying behind to pray for a suitable time.” If we believe that we receive Christ, His body, blood, and divinity, He will make us holy, forgiving, loving, merciful, compassionate, devoted, caring, and charitable.

5.    We must protect and safeguard the sanctity of this sacrament. If you see someone taking communion and not consuming it immediately, please report to the priest. Do not invite a non-Catholic friend to Holy Communion. If they are interested in Catholic teaching, direct them to the OCIA director so that they may be catechized.

 

6.    After Mass, we are dismissed to “Go forth, the Mass is ended, or Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord, or Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life”. We are sent forth to bring Christ to our communities and our neighborhoods. We must share Christ the Bread of Life with the poor, the homeless, the sick, the saints, and sinners alike. We are to make the Bread of Christ, broken and received by us, available and fresh for others. The Christ that we receive in the Eucharist is a sign of unity. It calls us to hold each other accountable and show that we are one in Christ, for “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28). Let us offer this Bread to those who need healing for their broken bodies, forgiveness and conversion to sinners, companionship to the lonely, food to the hungry and reconciliation, justice and freedom to prisoners. Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP