SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

John6:51-58

There was an aunt in a family who needed somebody to take care of her because she was old. A young lady, one of her nieces accepted the responsibility and took good care of her. This aunt had a good amount of money in the bank but never mentioned it to anyone. On her deathbed she summoned her niece: “You’ve been good to me; she said. I want to reward you. The niece was so happy as she was waiting for the gift. The old woman removed a sweater under her pillow and said: “Take this sweater of mine.” I tell you, this sweater was really a tattered; a very old and worn out sweater. The niece expressed gratitude but was disappointed. She felt her aunt could at least have left her a watch or a ring. She buried the sweater in the bottom drawer of her bureau. She couldn’t wear it; it was really worn out. The aunt died. A year later the niece wanted to do some yard work and took this dirty sweater, put on while working. Then she felt something in the sweater pocket. There was a note in the sweater. In that note she found out that her aunt had given her legal title to a huge amount of money. For a whole year she missed the treasure because she neglected the sweater. She thought it was worn out, good for nothing.

This story has a lot to teach us as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This feast calls us to ask ourselves: What is the Eucharist for me? Why do I need this feast of the Eucharist? How do I value the Eucharist in my life? A feast like this affords us the opportunity to give God collective thanks for Christ’s abiding presence with us which is made visible in the Eucharist. It is also an opportunity for us to seek a better understanding of the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ and to order our attitude to it accordingly.

From the gospel reading we find two main reasons why Jesus gave us this sacrament. First, We know that Jesus promised to be with us until the end of time (Matthew 28:20). In the Eucharist he provides a visible sign and an effective means of him being present to us and us being present to him. As Jesus himself said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” Second, Jesus said that he came that we may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). In the Eucharist he provides a visible means of communicating this life to us so that we can be fully alive. He said, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. The Body and Blood of Christ are for us source of life, source of strength and source of richness. But most of time we neglect the Eucharist as the young niece neglected the sweater and we miss the treasure. Most of time we think it is just the bread and we take it without reverence then we miss the treasure. We don’t profit from it.

When we celebrate this solemnity, we are reminded that the Eucharist transforms us into the body of Christ. We become what we eat; the Body of Christ. So we may ask the question: Why then are we not transformed into the body of Christ as we receive the Eucharist every Sunday? Maybe this other story will throw more light on the question. An old illiterate woman in a village in Africa was so poor that people of good will had to bring her food every day. Then people heard that this old woman has a son who is living in America and this son is successful in business. So they asked if her son ever send her anything; and if not, why. She replied that he only sends her the same picture every month. Then she went in her bedroom to get a box full of pictures she was receiving from her son. But you know what, at the surprise the people, these pictures were actually one hundred dollar bills. She was rich, but didn’t know it. She was receiving money, but she didn’t know it. She thought it was the same picture.

Many Catholics are like that woman. Many of us here are like that woman. We live in spiritual poverty, not knowing what wonderful riches we have in the Holy Eucharist. And we receive it every week. When we receive the Eucharist, as the old woman said, it is the same picture I receive from him, it is just a bread, there is nothing in it, and there is no value. The poor old woman didn’t realize what she was missing. She didn’t know she was rich. How about us? Do we really value the Mass, Holy Communion? Do we visit the Blessed Sacrament as opportunities to encounter Christ, and deepen our union with Him? This solemnity reminds us that we are rich. Let us use this richness. May God help us.

OR

A team of Russians and Americans were on a common expedition. Among their cabin foodstuff was Russian black bread. It was tasty but hard on the teeth. It happened during a meal that an American bit into a piece and snapped a tooth. He threw the bread overboard and growled: “Lousy Communist bread.” The Russian countered: “Is not lousy communist bread. Is rotten capitalist tooth.” If we do not experience the transforming power of the Eucharist it is probably not on account of a lousy Eucharist but on account of our rotten faith. Let us today approach the Eucharist with a more lively faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and we shall experience therein God's saving power and transforming love.