🙏 SUNDAY INSIGHTS - THE SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI 🙏

First Reading - Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14-16

Second Reading - 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 

Gospel - John 6:51-58

There was to be a Baptismal party for the new baby of a soldier and his wife at their home on an Army base. Before the ceremony the chaplain took the new father aside. “Are you prepared for this solemn event?” he asked. “I guess so,” replied the soldier. “I’ve got two hams, pickles, bread, cake, cookies……” “No, no!” interrupted the chaplain. “I mean spiritually prepared!” “Well, I don’t know,” said the soldier thoughtfully. “Do you think two cases of whiskey are enough?” — Beyond all that we hunger for is the hunger for spiritual nourishment. Sometimes people aren’t even aware that this exists. But Jesus realized this hunger and instituted the Holy Eucharist to feed our starving souls. The readings of today invite us to deepen our faith in the Eucharist which is source and summit of our Christian life.

The first reading presents the exhortation of Moses to the people of Israel. The exhortation of Moses stresses on being humble before the Lord. Moses reminds the people of the forty years of Journey through the desert filled with dangers and uncertainties. However, it was God who accompanied them through their ways, fed them when they were hungry with the manna and gave them to drink when they were thirsty. Therefore, Moses encourages people to cling to God in humility who cares and sustains everyone.

When we move onto the gospel, we discover that Jesus claims to be the 'Bread from heaven'. Furthermore, he invites his disciples to eat it as a prerequisite to inherit eternal life. It was certainly disturbing for many because many of his disciples understood it but didn't really comprehend it. They doubted and found it hard to accept. Consequently, many left following him and went back to their own places. Jesus also claims in the passage that foretaste of the bread was experienced by their ancestors but that was not heavenly but he is the bread who is heavenly and gives life to the believers.

The second reading also reminds the believers that we all share in the same life when we share the heavenly banquet that is the Eucharist. St. Paul affirms that our sharing of the same bread and same wine unites us with the body and bood of Christ. This is to say, when we receive the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist, we are united with Christ in his body and blood that is through and through.

Dear friends, as we celebrate a great mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ, the readings of today remind us that we are celebrating a real event of the Eucharist. The first reading reminds us that God cares for us as He cared and sustained the people of Israel through the desert. Certainly, it may not be very wrong to compare our journey on this earth as journey of Israel through desert. God cares and sustains us but we must have the attitude to humble ourselves before Him. It's our attitude of humility before the Lord invites Him to act in our lives.

The gospel passage is a beautiful example for us how God sustains us in our journey; certainly it's through His Son Jesus, as St. Francis of Assisi would say: He humbles himself and hides himself in the small bread." Jesus claims it that he is the Bread from heaven. What does it mean? It means, he not only identifies himself with the Holy Communion or the Eucharist but he claims that HE IS THE BREAD. We need to introspect how do we have our approach to this event where Jesus comes down from heaven into a small piece of bread? Every celebration of the Eucharist is an event where Jesus comes down from heaven for us to sustain us and accompany us in our lives.

St. Paul too reminds us that our participation in the celebration of the Eucharist symbolizes our union with Christ and one another as well. When we share the One Bread and One Chalice, we are united with Christ as one family. Therefore, it's important that our oneness must perpetuate. As we share the communion with Christ as one family, this communion must be lived in our daily life. Our communion as one family in Christ must be cherished and valued in Christ by our caring for one another and particularly the needy. 

Let's pray that this celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ may deepen our devotion and faith in the Eucharist.