Saturday, June 18, 2022

Corpus Christi


Deacon Kevin Gingras

June 19, 2022

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061922.cfm


Today’s feast of Corpus Christi was established by Pope Urban the 4th in 1246 when he was just a bishop, and it is meant to focus our attention on the Most Holy Eucharist, the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Today in 2022, dioceses across the country are launching into a three-year Eucharistic Revival.  There is no better time to launch this than on this Solemnity.  We are well overdue for a renewal and strengthening of our own belief in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.  We need it now more than ever.


Lately, I have been trying to renew, re-evaluate, re-establish and strengthen my own thoughts on the Eucharist.  For example, I’ve had many people of other faiths ask me “why are you Catholic” and my response used to be “because Catholics believe in the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist”.  I’m changing that response a bit but before I tell you my new response - a story!


In May I was at 4th Watch in South Dartmouth at Apponaganset Park where there was Christian music, a speaker, and most importantly, adoration.  We were sitting on a blanket during adoration and to our left was the bay, in front of us was the Eucharist and to our right was a playground and courts filled with people.  I began to think that in front of me is the Eucharist, the body of Christ.  That is what I believe.  Then light donned on my thick, balding head.  It doesn’t matter what I believe or what those folks over there playing basketball believe, in front of me is still the true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ.  It doesn’t matter what those children playing on the playground believe, or even their parents watching them play, still, it is the body of Jesus Christ.  The volleyball players or the people passing in the boats in the bay, or the kids jumping off the bridge into the bay - it doesn’t matter what they believe either- that is still the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord and Savior up there on that little altar in the monstrance next to the incense.  What people believe cannot change the fact that it is the Body of Christ.


That prayer process is why I will try to remember to respond “because Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, the center of our faith.”   It has been since it was established by Christ himself.  All we need to do is read Sacred Scripture to see its origins.


We see many foreshadowings of the Eucharist in the Old Testament.  Melchizedek, from our first reading, was a foreshadowing of Christ and the Eucharist in the book of Genesis.  He only makes that one appearance in the whole Bible, but then we hear of him again in Psalm 110 which we also heard today, and again, we hear of him nine times in the book of Hebrews.  All he actually did in scripture we heard today. He offered his Uncle Abraham a gift of bread and wine, that’s it.  What’s the big deal?  Well, we have to dig a bit to see the real gems hidden in this scripture.    Melchizedek’s name means king of righteousness and Christ is, of course, the righteous one.  Melchizedek was the king of Salem and Salem means peace.  Christ was the Prince of Peace.  Melchizedek was also a priest of God prior to the Levitical priesthood of Aaron and we know Jesus is the High Priest.  Melchizedek blessed Abraham with the gift of bread and wine and Christ blesses us, Abraham’s children with bread and wine that becomes His body and blood.  A simple little verse in the Old Testament but so much to unpack in it!


There are many other foreshadowings of the Eucharist in the Old Testament such as the manna in the desert and the blood of the sacrificial lamb they put on the doors so the angel of death would Passover them - the blood of the unblemished lamb would save them just as it saves us today in time.


Today’s Gospel is a great foreshadowing of the Eucharist as well, the feeding of the five thousand.  Through this miracle, Jesus fed all those people there and had 12 wicker baskets left over, one basket for each Apostle.  In every Catholic Church today Jesus, the perfect sacrificial lamb will make himself present for all of us who are worthy and properly prepared to receive Him.  


As Catholics receive him we must!  One of the Five Precepts of the Catholic Church states:

You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season. This "guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord's Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin, and center of the Christian liturgy."

Spend some time this week in Adoration pondering the fact that the Eucharist you receive is indeed the true Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   

Pope Benedict has said about adoring Christ present in the Eucharist:


"Adoration means entering the depths of our hearts in communion with the Lord, who makes Himself bodily present in the Eucharist. In the monstrance, He always entrusts Himself to us and asks us to be united with His Presence, with his risen Body." 


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