Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ: Take this and Eat of It...

Homily For The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Year B, June 2, 2024

Sunday Readings

“If the blood of heifers atoned for people’s sins, how much more is the blood of Christ who offered Himself unblemished to God for our Sins”.

Today my dearest brethren we celebrate God’s greatest gift to mankind, the gift of His body and body in the Eucharist.

Although we celebrate the institution of the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday, the Church emphasizes its importance by this special feast, formerly called “Corpus Christi.” It was Pope Urban IV who first extended the feast to the Universal Church. This is one of the few feasts left in which we observe a procession and a sung “Sequence.” On Holy Thursday Jesus gave us the gift of Himself in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist when He said at the Last Supper “Take this…this is my body.” He never meant a representation or symbol of His body, but His very self, soul, and divinity. The Church has through the ages, interpreted and understood these words of Christ at the Last Supper in the “literal sense” and has used the term “transubstantiation” to explain the change in the substance of the bread and wine.

My dearest we are privileged to be so much loved by God, and to have been offered this great gift of thanksgiving to God for the work of human redemption. The body and blood of Christ is a sacrifice and sacrament of our salvation. The bread of eternal life and the blood of the new covenant shed in atonement for our sins. It is the bloody sacrifice of Calvary offered in an unbloody manner at the altar.

Do you still doubt the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Are you not convinced yet after reading about Eucharistic miracles for instance of Lanciano Italy? Have you not had a personal experience of Christ’s abiding presence in the Eucharist? Today offers us another opportunity to reflect and to appreciate this great gift of God’s presence and the need to draw the maximum benefit from it and be strengthened in our faith in this sacrament of God’s love.

We live in a world where many do not believe in things beyond sense perception. For such Christians who do not work by faith but by sight, what the priest does at the altar might not so convince them enough, perhaps because, they know the priest as a person. There have been many controversies, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations of Christ’s words “This is my Body…., this is my Blood.…”, at the Last Supper. This has led many to doubt the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Despite the many controversies among Christian groups on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, many miracles and personal religious encounters among Christians testify to the powerful divine presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Suffice it to say that we don’t need miracles or proofs to believe in the real presence of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist under the species of bread and wine because faith believes what the eyes cannot see and the ear cannot hear. ( okwukwe na eye the like nti na Anya enough ike inye ). As Catholics, we are encouraged to approach this sacrament with dignity and reverence. Some of such reverential gestures are to be in a state of grace before receiving the Eucharist, 2. genuflecting or bowing profoundly when Christ is exposed in the monstrance, or on entering a dedicated Church or chapel where Christ is in the terbanacle.

As Catholics, we ought to appreciate what we have instead of pursuing shadows or searching for what is not real. I say this because many Christians in our generation have lost faith in the Eucharist. Many have taken to charms for personal protection. Many others have entered into covenant blood covenant with humans or with the devil and as such perform rituals and all forms of Idolatrous practices in their quest for solutions to the problems of life. Can you imagine a Catholic, after receiving communion goes on to wear his charms or amulets for protection? How does it sound? The question is, does it mean that Christ whom the catholic received cannot be trusted or isn’t powerful enough to protect him, such that the charm or amulet, serves to augment if Christ fails to deliver? Honestly, this is absurd. It is time we ask God to increase our faith because we are losing it fast. If you still believe that God is omnipotent and ever-present and that He has given us Himself as food and drink, then do not feel empty or scared of being unprotected when God is near and when He lives in you. Ask yourself, what problem is there that God cannot solve? All we need is to demonstrate that we believe in Him, just a little faith and God takes care of the rest.

The first reading describes how Moses and the Israelites, ratified the old covenant by sprinkling the blood of an animal on people.

In the second reading, St. Paul affirms that Jesus sealed the New Covenant with his Blood, thereby putting an end to the animal sacrifice of old.

Today’s Gospel details how Jesus converted the ancient Passover ritual into a Christian sacrament and sacrifice by instituting the Eucharist at the Last Supper. Instead of the blood of an animal, as Moses did, Jesus offered His own Body and Blood, so instead of being sprinkled with blood, Jesus put it into our hands His body for food and His blood for a drink.

THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Vatican II states that as a sacrifice “the Holy Eucharist is the center and culmination of the Christian life” (Lumen Gentium, 11). Why? ~Because it enables us to participate in Christ’s sacrifice as a present reality and to benefit from its fruits in our own lives.
~Because it helps us to worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the most perfect way.
~ Because it strengthens our charity and unity with Jesus and each other in a joint offering of his Body and Blood to the Father.
~Because it gives us a lasting memorial of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection, reminding us of our obligation to make loving sacrifices for others.

LET THE BOND OF CHARITY BE STRENGTHENED IN THE EUCHARISTIC COMMUNION

The Holy Eucharist strengthens our bond of communion, with resurrection with God. Why are there hatred, suspicion, fighting, quarrels, among those who receive the same body and drink of the same cup? Why are Catholic families disintegrating? One of the reasons is that those who receive Christ do not dispose themselves to be influenced, directed, or controlled by Him whom they received. We receive Christ in a darkened soul and that is why we produce evil fruits. Judas did the same and betrayed Christ. God cannot dwell in a heart filled with hate and forgiveness. If you receive Christ, still bearing grudges or unforgiving, you deprive yourself of the grace or fruit of the Eucharist. We need to know that Christ is neither diminished nor ceases to be Christ even if an unrepentant serial killer or a prostitute should receive Him. The truth is that the grace of the sacrament cannot be received and it is condemnation being brought upon the recipient for receiving Christ in an unworthy state. We need to become what we receive– other Christ. If you’re a communicant, demonstrate it by your actions that Christ lives in you, let your actions and thoughts be pure, be a good person, let people around you, from your family to your colleagues at work, experience the God you receive, who is in you. This is the only way we can strengthen the bond of charity with others and with God.

LET US ADORE HIM IN THIS SACRAMENT OF HIS LOVE

In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering.–Benedict XVI

We may be guilty of some sort if we only receive Christ and do not adore Him. Our love for Christ is incomplete if we do not adore Him in the blessed sacrament. Let us adore Him and be filled with this grace.

May God help us to have faith in Him in this receive Sacrament of this love and may our receiving him transform us and through us our world.