Feast Days

CORPUS CHRISTI

► Text of Sunday Reflection

“Do this as a memorial of Me”
by Sr Mary Bridget Dunlea

Introduction
Corpus Christi, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, is an occasion for us to celebrate the Sacrament of Eucharist.

It is also an opportunity for us to enter into the symbolism of this great Sacrament, letting It teach us deep lessons about life, about our relationship with God and with one another.

The Scripture passages chosen for this day’s celebration, will help us to celebrate this feast in both ways.

The account from Luke’s Gospel which is used today, begins in this way, “esus made the crowds welcome, and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and He cured those in need of healing,”

Both Jesus and His disciples were aware of the crowd around them. Let us notice their contrasting responses

Seeing the hungry crowd and their overwhelming need, the disciples focussed on their own meagre resources – 5 loaves and 2 fish.

Jesus saw the hungry crowd and looked at their need.

Every Sunday, all over the world, people sit down in their Church communities. The Word of God, the Homily, the example of those whom we have met during the week, speak to us of the kingdom of God and call us to open our eyes to the needs of our sisters and brothers around us.

Pope Francis calls on us to “ touch the flesh of Christ by caring for the needy .” Do we welcome them in their need?

It is too easy to say, like the disciples, “ Why can’t they go elsewhere to get what they need? Let somebody else meet this need.”

Yet, the words of Jesus still ring out, “Give them something yourselves.”

In the Phoenix Park Pope, now St John Paul the Second, said these words, “Our full participation in the Eucharist is the real source of the Christian spirit that we wish to see in our personal lives and in all aspects of society. Whether we serve in politics, in economics, cultural or scientific fields – no matter what our occupation is – the Eucharist is a challenge in our daily

In his reflection on the Emmaus journey, Bishop Donal Murray writes,

“The Eucharist makes present the Body of Christ and builds up the Body of Christ. If the almighty Father sees His Son in everyone, then, we too must see Christ in everyone. ” In the extract from The Letter to the Corinthians that we read today, we heard twice, “ Do this as a memorial of Me.”

Again to quote Bishop Donal Murray, “Taking part in the Mass means gathering up the whole of one’s life, and the whole of oneself into the praise and worship of the Father’s glory. If it is a genuine participation, it cannot but affect the way in which we see every moment and every corner of life.”

► Readings, Reflections & Prayers

Scripture readings: Association for Catholic Priests
– www.associationofcatholicpriests.ie
Reflections and Prayers by Fr Jack Finnegan SDB

1st Reading – Genesis 14:18-20

And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him one tenth of everything.

Reflection

Melchizedek, priest and king, is an intriguing figure in the long history of the Christian faith and the Eucharist. The story is explored in two main texts. The first is recounted here in our first reading and the second is found in Hebrews (7:11-28). The bread and wine offered at Melchizedek’s meeting with Abraham have long been associated with Eucharist, as has Melchizedek himself with the priesthood of Christ. In Jesus, and in his self-sacrifice offered once for all, Eucharist is the privileged way to a new relationship with God. In fact, every time we approach Eucharist we are drawn into a radical act of solidarity and responsibility with God. Eucharist opens the door for us into the heart of God, into the heart of oneness with Trinity, into the reality of thoroughly changed lives. It is a symbol of unity, of knowing who we are, of giving and sharing, of breaking open the self and sharing it with the world. May the blessing of Melchizedek touch each one of us today and prepare us to celebrate Eucharist fully with true devotion and understanding: a banquet and a letting go.

Prayer

LORD, Adonai, in ancient times Melchizedek, priest-king of what was to become your holy city, brought out bread and wine to bless your servant Abraham. Let that same blessing come upon us today. Melchizedek reminds us of Jesus who also blest bread and wine and shared it with his disciples. In so doing he shared himself with us. He fills us with life, draws us into his oneness with you and into your loving heart. As we celebrate Eucharist today remind us who we are and fill us with your love. Help us embrace Eucharist as your symbol of unity, of giving and sharing, of breaking open the self and sharing it with the world. Never let us forget that we are sharing a banquet and a letting go. Amen and Amen.

Psalm 110:1-4

Reflection

Who is the priest-king David foretells in today’s royal psalm, a priest-king with whom he has a personal relationship? More to the point, our psalm not only reminds us that Melchizedek was a priest-king but calls on us to proclaim in faith that Jesus is a priest-king, too, in the line of Melchizedek. In the Eucharist Christ is the priest who presides over his own Eucharistic Banquet and gives himself to us with his own hand. The origins of the Church lie in the Eucharist and the Eucharist is the central experience of our faith, the privileged place where we are touched by salvation and creation, and proclaim that Jesus is Lord. In the Eucharist Jesus offers us his life of communion with the Father in the Spirit, life to the full. When we gaze on the Eucharist, when we gaze deep into the Eucharist, we find ourselves at the edge of Christ’s radiant glory in the heart of Trinity. We find ourselves at the edge of oneness. Are we ready to go over the edge?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek! You live and die for us! You offer yourself to the Father that we might live in you forever! Receive our gratitude today! Accept our songs of praise! You nurture the hungry heart! In the Eucharist you truly are our Daystar! You are heavenly Dew! And in your Spirit we are born anew! You are Lord of the cosmos! You are the living door to oneness! As we celebrate Eucharist today fill us with new life, life to the full. Amen and Amen.

2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Reflection

Our second reading links today’s celebration to that of Holy Thursday. On Holy Thursday the Eucharist is set within the rich context of the paschal mystery. Corpus Christi instead reminds us that Eucharist is the heart of the Church. The reading from St Paul reminds us not just of the origins of our most sacred ritual but of its roots in the earliest days of the Christian community. It also reminds us that we are celebrating Eucharist in memory of Christ, the crucified, risen and ascended one, as we await his return in glory. Through Eucharist we not only encounter Christ in the present moment, we remember and embrace the reality of what he did for us all those years ago and we look forward to the glorious completion of all things in him. Time and distance fade away and make room for oneness as St John Chrysostom reminds us. The table on the night of the Last Supper has no advantage over the table we use today, for it is always the same Lord who does everything. Can you glimpse the call to oneness?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, your servant Paul reminds us of what you did at the Last Supper. Every time we celebrate Eucharist you offer us your body, the doorway to divine life and oneness! You offer us your blood, the radiant mark of your new covenant and unity! The Eucharist reminds us that you laid down your life for us. You love us so much! May time and distance melt away and make room for oneness! It is always you who do everything! May we never forget you! May we stand for life! May we never betray your gift of life to the full! As we celebrate Eucharist today help us to be true to your love and your memory. Now and forever. Amen and Amen.

Gospel Reading: Luke 9:11-17

The crowds followed Jesus; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured.

The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.” But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish-unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Reflection

We tend to link the institution of the Eucharist with the Last Supper but the New Testament offers us other narrative links. First there is the link to the meals Jesus shared with his disciples and the ways he taught them to feed the people as we are reminded in today’s gospel. Then there are the meals he shared with his disciples after the resurrection. Such events remind us of community and fellowship. But they also remind us of our sharing in the messianic banquet, the awesome supper of the Lamb, where we share with Mary and the saints in glory as guests of the Eucharistic Lord. In so doing we are called to share Christ’s desire for the world, his desire for healing and empowering presence, peace, loving-kindness, forgiveness, reconciliation, and compassion. The Eucharistic Lord wants to transform us and the world in which we live. He also wants us to feed those in need. Here, even the apostles are challenged to give the people something to eat. Can we see the link? Are we up to the same challenge?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, how wonderful your care for us! How glorious your compassion! You want us to be fed. You want to share your very life with us! May we never dismiss those who need food! May we never dismiss those in need of blessing and compassion! Forgive us our neglect of those in need. Help us soften our possessive hearts. May we be ever ready to share your loving presence with a smile, a word, a gentle lift of the hand! As we celebrate Eucharist today fill us with your wonderful generosity and compassion. May we empower others as you empower us! For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever! Amen and Amen.

► Lectio Divina

by Fr Juan José Bartolomé SDB

Introduction to Lectio Divine

During his public ministry, Jesus was often a guest at table. He shared in people’s hunger and he thirsted to be with them. He provided food for the crowds who had listened to him. He multiplied the bread and satisfied the hunger of all who believed in him. But before he satisfied their hunger for bread, he met their need for God. He listened to the needs only of those who had listened to him. The miracle is a consequence of their listening to the word of God. It is important to note that to work this miracle Jesus had recourse to the help of his disciples. Their contribution was small, but not insignificant. It was only when they put at his disposal the little they had, that they saw how Jesus was able to satisfy the hunger of the crowd.

Christians must learn from what the disciples did, if they want to fulfil the Lord’s command. In the Eucharist they will have to repeat their gesture of taking care of the hunger of the people by sharing with them the bread of God which is Jesus Christ. No one who is a disciple of Jesus can say he has too little to give, because whatever he has to offer will always be enough.

Read: understand what the text is saying, focussing on how it says it

Although the passage is the report of a miracle, the emphasis is on the conversation between Jesus and his disciples. The miracle is for the benefit of the crowd, although they had not asked for one. They came only to hear Jesus proclaiming the Kingdom, but they were also healed of their hunger by Jesus, and served by the disciples. Jesus satisfies the hunger only of those who have listened to his message. The bread, which had not been requested, is pure gift, given in abundance.
Jesus maintains the initiative throughout the whole episode, except at the beginning of his conversation with his disciples. They would have liked to get rid of the crowd, once they had been evangelized. And for good reason – they had only enough food for themselves. They gave some consideration to the possibility of buying food for so many people. But where would they get the money? Here it is their obedience, rather than their poverty, that leads to the miracle. They not only put what they had at Jesus’ disposal, they themselves were at his disposal and at the service of the crowd. Without this change of attitude, there would have been no miracle. The miracle is referred to only at the end. The miraculous food is described as a Eucharistic meal. For the evangelist, there is a food which really satisfies and which cannot be lost – the food blessed by Jesus and distributed by his disciples.

Meditate: apply what the text says to life

The mystery that we celebrate today is, without doubt, fundamental in our life of faith. Like every mystery of faith, it hides an extraordinary story of love. Jesus Christ, who lived among us, did not limit himself to giving his life for us. He also tried to find a way to remain at our disposal, in body and soul, even in his absence. Only divine love could reach such a fantastic level. Only the power of God could be so omnipotent. He loved us to the point of giving his life for us, and he continues to love us so much that he remains available to us. In the Eucharistic Bread and Wine, Jesus remains at our disposal to satisfy our hunger and meet our needs.

Today, Corpus Christi, we thank Jesus who willed to do the impossible for us – and that is what he has done – by becoming our normal food, in order to be of help and sustenance to us in our daily lives.

Today’s gospel speaks precisely about this effort of Jesus to satisfy our needs. By multiplying the bread and the fish, Jesus satisfied the nagging hunger of the crowd that had come to listen to him, to the great amazement of his disciples. The episode still has meaning for us. The people who received that bread, had gone to Jesus only to satisfy their hunger for God. When they heard him speaking about the Kingdom, they forgot their hunger. Instead of going to get something to eat, they stayed on to listen further to Jesus. It was the disciples who were with Jesus who drew his attention to it. Neither Jesus nor the crowd had noticed what was happening, they were too engrossed in God and his Kingdom. Jesus did not follow the advice of his disciples who told him to send the crowd away since they had neither food nor accommodation. The disciples were aware of their poverty and did not know what to do with only two fish and five loaves, and so many people without food or shelter. They did not know yet that having Jesus meant that they could count on miracles, which happen only for those with love beyond imagining.

We are all somehow involved in the behaviour of those who were present. We should take a brief look and see who it is that we identify most with. Then we will know what we need to do if the Eucharist is to satisfy fully our need for God and our need for life. The people went to hear Jesus, and the needier ones among them to ask for healing. They stayed to hear him speaking about the Kingdom and to see him healing the sick. They lost all sense of time and all awareness of hunger. The disciples became concerned about their lack of provisions, and spoke to Jesus about the responsibility they knew would fall on them. The crowd had not thought about the situation. The miracle took them by surprise. While Jesus was speaking about the Kingdom, they forgot about their most basic need, their need for food. He took care of all who needed him. While they were with him, they had no need for food or lodging.

As Jesus himself said, he had provided what was most important – God, who alone was necessary, and his Kingdom. He would not have left the people alone, under the open sky, without at least satisfying their need for food. To obtain from God the lesser miracle, they had to have the courage to desire from him a greater one. Jesus multiplied bread for a crowd that preferred to remain hungry rather than do without God, and spent their time seeking inner healing rather than looking for food. We don’t know what we are missing, when we waste time seeking to satisfy our lesser needs instead of nourishing our hunger for God, our deep and radical need for God, and our need to feel cared for and healed by him. If we are really committed to listening to God, like the people in that crowd, letting our own needs wait, we will be surprised by the concern God shows for us in meeting our needs. Being concerned about the things of God is the way to ensure that God will take care of our needs.

The many times we have participated in the Eucharist have not had the desired effect in us, namely, the miracle that we need most, because we usually put our own needs before the will of God. We are so preoccupied with what we want, that all we do is to bring our needs before God. We don’t give him time to offer himself to us as the answer to all our needs. Going to Jesus to allow God to speak to us and be close to us, as the people in that crowd did, is the surest way to having our needs satisfied, before we ever become aware of them or even think of asking for them. If we put God first, ahead of our own hunger or needs, then we will receive, gratis, the bread that has been multiplied, and all our needs will be met. If we forget about God, then we will experience no great miracles today. If we put our hunger or our needs, however urgent and unbearable they may be, before our desire for God and his Kingdom, we will be deprived of the bread of God and of his life. Let us go back, like the crowd, to listen to Jesus and pay attention to what he teaches. Then he will come back to hear our need and to satisfy it. God is attentive to those who pay attention to him.

To us, the behaviour of the disciples is perfectly reasonable. They were alarmed by the situation that had arisen there in that field, at the end of the day, with limited resources and a crowd that had not eaten. We are not shocked by how little faith they had, or by their attempt to get rid of the people who needed their help. We can all to easily identify with the attitude of Jesus’ disciples. Their fear of undertaking something that was beyond their means indicated a lack of faith in the Lord. They had heard what he had to say, the same as the crowd. They thought they had enough for themselves and they felt no responsibility for the needs of the others. Their own lack of generosity prevented them from foreseeing the generosity of their master. They did not expect so great a miracle, because their selfishness was as strong as their hunger. They had only a few loaves in the baskets, and they could not enlarge their hearts to feel the needs of the crowd. They thought they were poor and they became miserly. They were not only poor, but lacking in faith – like us!

When he multiplied their provisions, Jesus showed the disciples that those who live with him, no matter how poor they are, must open up their whole lives and all they have, to the needs of others. We cannot live with Jesus and ignore the hunger of so many people. The disciples had seen how Jesus cared for the sick and healed them, how he approached the marginalized and restored them to society, how he welcomed sinners and brought them back to God. But they still had not learnt the lesson. They still thought that they were not good enough to begin to care for the good of others, that they had too little to tackle such great needs. Their faith was not enough to multiply their few goods. And even though they could count on Jesus, they did not expect a miracle from him.

This is only an example, but it is of little use for Christians to receive the Body of Christ, and allay their need for God by receiving the Eucharistic bread, if they become insensitive to the hunger for bread of so many people in today’s world. Like the disciples of Jesus, we continue to think that our bread and our fish are little enough for our own needs, and so we show no concern for the very many people who know nothing but poverty and hunger. As disciples of Jesus, we know that he takes care of our hunger and our needs, so that we can devote ourselves to satisfying the needs of others. This is the only thing that gives efficacy and credibility to our receiving his Body and his Life. Anyone who has God as his food, must nourish the hungry. To forget this would be to show no regard for the Body of Christ we receive.