THE MIRACLE OF THE EUCHARIST - 6/19/22 (The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ)

Luke 9:11-13,16-17

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and He healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached Him and said, "Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves." They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."

Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,

and looking up to heaven, He said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

For the full readings, click here: 

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

For more information on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/corpus-christi---body-and-blood-of-christ--solemnity/

Blessed Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ! The gospel reading for today's solemnity is about the miraculous feeding of 5,000 people. And yet, we are fortunate because of a greater miracle that feeds millions and millions of the Catholics around the world, and that is the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. When our Lord multiplied the loaves, He blessed the food, broke them and gave them to the disciples. This is the same language that we see in the Last Supper and in every Mass. Jesus Christ blessed the bread, broke it and gave it to the disciples. What's the miracle that takes place at the Last Supper and at every Mass? When the priest says the same words that Jesus said, "This is My Body", the bread becomes the real Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus. It's no longer mere bread and wine, but they become our Lord even though the appearance of the bread and the wine remains. 

If Jesus Christ is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, then why are some people disinterested in attending the Mass? Why are some of us no longer interested in adoring Jesus and praying before the Tabernacle, the Adoration chapel or even online Adoration? Maybe, we do not really see that the Eucharist, Jesus Christ, is the true source of our happiness. The twelve disciples approached Jesus and told Him that they should dismiss the crowd because they had nothing to eat to satisfy them. Like the disciples, we can be tempted to think that happiness is found outside of Christ. This is why some of us may spend our money by going to the Mall, buying some extravagant things, reserving some tickets for the concert and many more, to the point of neglecting the importance of the Eucharist in our lives. 

But, Jesus is just waiting for us to visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament. He is waiting to pour His love on people who desire to adore and receive the Bread of Life. If we truly love God and desire to give Him the honor that He deserves, we should express this reverence through our actions. We should follow Jesus and show honor to Him by kneeling with our right leg if we pass by the Tabernacle, and by bowing with our head to the ground in honor of the Eucharist who is exposed in the Adoration chapel or Online Adoration. Our Lord was listening to the crowd as He spoke to them. The same Jesus is listening to us when we express to Him our feelings in our prayers in front of the Eucharist and the Tabernacle. Are we struggling with sins like anger? Are we hurt because of the negative words we hear from other people? Let's tell all of these things to Jesus and let's listen in silence to what He will speak to us. 

We can honor the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, in many ways such as by participating in a procession, by making reparation to the Eucharist for the sins of people, by always looking at the Tabernacle and many more. But, the greatest love we can give to Jesus is by going to the Mass and by receiving Him in the Holy Communion in the state of grace. The crowd was physically nourished when they were fed by ordinary bread. But, we are spiritually nourished when we eat the Eucharist, the bread from heaven. Jesus cured the crowd of their physical illnesses. In the Mass, the Eucharist, Jesus Himself, is the medicine of our souls that are wounded by our sins. If we have not gone to the Mass for a long time or if we committed grave sins, our Lord is waiting for us in the sacrament of confession to purify all of our sins in our souls and prepare us to be the living tabernacles of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Jesus gave Himself as the Bread of Life for us to experience the gift of salvation as we adore and revere His Most Sacred Body and Blood. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic