Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. (Psalm 147)
This Sunday is the feast of Corpus Christi, when the Church reflects on and celebrates the wonderful mystery of the Eucharist. From St. John we hear the “bread of life” gospel, in which Jesus makes statements only God could make:
“I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I shall give
is my flesh for the life of the world.”
This miracle takes place at Mass even while we try to concentrate, amidst the noise and distractions around us. The divine presence comes upon the earthly substances of bread and wine, and transforms them into the Body and Blood of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In view of this overwhelming mystery – which is too profound for our minds to understand – we have to choose our response. How it happens is not for us to try to grasp, our best response is to meditate on what happens and, especially, on why it happens.
The Lord gives us his flesh and blood to become part of us, to live in us, and to transform our humanity into his divinity. After the consecration, we make a profound act of faith, the act of faith Thomas made: My Lord and my God.
May our Eucharist never become routine or commonplace: it is the joy of our lives and the pledge of eternal glory.
