06/09/2026
Father Suresh would like to share the following reflection on the readings for the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (aka Corpus Christi):
Importance:
1) The last two precious gifts given to us by Jesus are the Holy Eucharist as our spiritual food on Holy Thursday and Jesus' mother Mary as our spiritual Mother on Good Friday.
2) Corpus Christi is the celebration of the abiding presence of a loving God as Emmanuel - God-with-us - in order to give collective thanks to our Lord for his living with us in the Eucharist.
3) The feast also gives us an occasion to learn more about the importance and value of the "Real Presence" of Jesus in the Eucharist so that we may appreciate the Infinite Value of the Sacrament by adoring and receiving Jesus in It.
We believe in the "Real Presence" of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist because
1) Jesus promised it after miraculously feeding the 5000.
2) Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist during his Last Supper.
3) Jesus commanded his disciples to repeat it in his memory.
4) "Nothing is impossible for God."
We explain the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist by: the Aristotelian philosophical term “transubstantiation" which means that the substance of the consecrated bread and wine is changed, by the action of the Holy Spirit at the Epiklesis through the words of the priest, into the substance of the risen Jesus' risen glorified Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, while its accidents (like color, shape, taste etc.), remain unchanged.
Scripture lessons:
In the first reading, Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a, Moses instructs the Israelites to "remember and not forget" God's miraculous provision of food in the manna given to them in the desert. The Church, through the Holy Mass, re-presents (makes present again) or re-enacts the Sacramental Self-offering Jesus makes on Calvary.
In the second reading, Paul reminds the Corinthians that the Bread they share is the real Body of Christ which makes their community also the Body of the risen Christ.
In today's Gospel passage, Jesus identifies himself as "the living bread that came down from heaven," thus linking himself with the manna in the wilderness, while assuring his disciples that, unlike those who ate manna, "One who eats this Bread will live forever."
A Sacrament and a sacrifice: Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist both as a sacramental banquet and a sacrificial offering.
1) As a Sacrament: a) the Eucharist is a visible sign that gives us God's grace and His life and, b) as a meal, it nourishes our souls.
2) As a sacrifice: a) the Eucharistic celebration is a re-presentation or re-enactment of Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary, completed in His Resurrection. b) We offer Jesus' sacrifice to God the Father for the remission of our sins, using signs and symbols.
Life messages:
1) Let us appreciate the "Real Presence" of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, by receiving Him with true repentance for our sins, due preparation, reverence in our reception and spending time in thanksgiving to, and adoration of, Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, now within us.
2) Let us be Christ-bearers and -conveyers: By receiving Holy Communion, we become Christ-bearers as Mary was, with the duty of conveying Christ to others at home and in the workplace, through love, mercy, forgiveness, and humble, sacrificial service.
3) Let us offer our lives on the altar along with Jesus' sacrifice, asking pardon for our sins, expressing gratitude for the blessings we have received, presenting our needs and petitions on the altar, and receiving Jesus with due preparation in Holy Communion. (Fr. Tony's homilies))
