We observe today the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This solemnity is meant to strengthen, to rekindle, the faith of Catholics in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species, in the consecrated Bread and Wine.
In the first reading, Moses speaks of a time of testing. The prophet says to the Israelites, that God led them “the long way,” “testing you to know what was in your heart.” We too, like the Israelites, are tested in this life. God allows us to face various trials, so that we too, can see what is really in our hearts. When push comes to shove, what are our priorities, our moral standards, and our values? The Lord did not leave the Israelites alone, He provided manna for them, something that was completely unknown. In an even greater way, God provides for us, food for the journey, His own Body and Blood, taken in the Holy Mass. As we go through the wilderness, we too can partake of his sacred food, of this holy bread, even on a daily basis.
In the second reading, St. Paul speaks of the cup of blessing, and the bread which we break. “In receiving the Body of Christ in Holy Communion, we are united with Christ, and, as a consequence, with one another through his Church” (The Didache Bible, Jeffrey Cole ed., pg. 1548, 2021). In a way known only to Him, Christ brings us closer to Him, and then, brings us closer to each other, through the Eucharist. St. Cyril of Alexandria, had this to say: “Just as if someone were to entwine two pieces of wax together and melt them with a fire, so that both are made one, so too through participation in the Body of Christ and in His Precious Blood, He [Christ] is united in us and we too in him” (The Faith of the Early Fathers, William A. Jurgens, pg. 224, vol. 3, 1979). This week, we had an encounter with fires, and the smoke that they generate. We had an experience of the destructible nature of fires. The fire that St. Cyril speaks about does not destroy. It is a fire that unites hearts together, in the Sacred Eucharist: our heart with the Sacred Heart of Christ, and then, our individual hearts with those of our brothers and sisters. We remember and venerate the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the month of June, the month of the Sacred Heart.
Finally, in the Gospel, Christ speaks of Himself as the Living Bread, and says “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” As Theophylactus, one of the Fathers of the Church, explains: “For [Christ] does not say, The bread which I will give, is the sign of my flesh, but, is My flesh. The bread…by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, [is] transmuted into the flesh of Christ” (Catena Aurea, vol. 4, pg. 190, 2014). Because the Holy Eucharist is such a great gift, it is important for us to be in the right state to receive this gift, to receive God Himself. To receive the Holy Eucharist, to take Holy Communion, we need to be in a state of grace. To be in a state of grace means that we are not conscious of having an unconfessed mortal sin, or in other words, an unconfessed grave sin. If we take Holy Communion, and are not in a state of grace, if we take Holy Communion unworthily, then we bring condemnation upon ourselves, as St. Paul clearly says in his First Letter to the Corinthians. Our Lord does not want to scare us or frighten us with His coming, but He does want us to be prepared to properly welcome Him.
On the feast of Corpus Christi, we will have a Eucharistic procession, after the 11:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday. We will have an opportunity to publicly demonstrate our belief in the Real Presence of Christ.
It is interesting that three years ago, in 2020, after churches were reopened, the first publicly-celebrated Mass here at St. Hedwig’s fell on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Let us take advantage of being able to publicly celebrate and worship Christ, present in the Blessed Sacrament.
We celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This solemnity is meant to refresh the faith of Catholics in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species, in the consecrated Bread and Wine. Let us also call upon Our Lady, so that she can help us deepen our faith. St. John Paul II wrote, “Gazing upon Mary, we come to know the transforming power present in the Eucharist” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 62). We call upon your prayers, Our Lady, as we seek to grow our faith in your Son, our Eucharistic Lord.
(Fr. Paweł Ratajczak, OMI, June 11, 2023)