THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
7 JUNE 2026
In
today’s first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses tells his people to
remember their forty-year journey in the desert from slavery in Egypt to freedom
in the Promised Land. God did not take
them through the desert to punish them, but to test them. He allowed them to face hunger and thirst to
see if they would remain faithful to the Covenant God had entered into with
them at Mount Sinai. He fed them with manna,
the mysterious bread from heaven, to show that he remained faithful, even when
they had not. God fed them with this
bread so that they must live by every word that comes forth from the mouth of
the Lord. They must rely solely on the
Lord once they become more comfortable in the land promised to them.
Centuries
later, Jesus spends time near the Sea of Galilee with a large crowd. Like their ancestors, they are living under
difficult conditions. The Roman rule is
crushing them, and the corrupt religious leaders had abandoned them. He teaches that the kingdom of God was at
hand. He heals many of the sick and feeds
five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. When they try to make him a king, he flees to
the mountain to spend time in prayer.
Then he crosses the Sea of Galilee – his disciples in a boat, while he
walks on the water. Still the crowd
presses on him, and that is where we encounter him in today’s Gospel. Reminding them of the manna in the desert, he
insists that he is the living bread come down from heaven. The bread that he will give is his flesh for
the life of the world. When the crowds
react with horror and accuse him of cannibalism, he doubles down. Not only is his flesh true food and his blood
true drink, but whoever eats this bread will live forever, unlike their
ancestors who ate manna and still died.
It is at
this point in the Gospel of Saint John that many walk away from him, because
they cannot believe what he is saying. Jesus
turns to Peter and asks if he is also leaving.
Peter responds, “Lord, where can we go?
You have the words of eternal life.”
Peter remains, not because he understands what Jesus is saying, but
because he trusts his words. After the
Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, Peter and the others
will receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
They will have a better understanding that the Lord is present in the
Sacramental life of the Church, especially in the Sacrament of the
Eucharist. They will affirm what Saint
Paul describes at Mass in his letter to the Corinthians. The cup of blessing that we share is a
participation in the blood of Christ.
The bread that we break is a participation in the body of Christ. Not only is the Lord’s Real Presence given to
us under the form of bread and wine.
But, as Saint Augustine said, we become what we eat. Our participation in the Eucharist is not
just a pious individual action. Our
participation forms us just a bit more into who we are: The Body of Christ, given to strengthen us to
humbly serve others as the Lord’s Body when we are dismissed.
Ironically,
this Sacrament of Unity has caused divisions in the Church over the centuries,
just as Christ’s words caused divisions in those who had been his
followers. Not all Christian
denominations understand the Eucharist in terms of the Real Presence. That is why we can give the Eucharist only to
those who are in full Communion with us.
We will never fully understand how the Lord is truly present in the
Eucharist. We must rely on faith. As a suggestion, read the Sequence in the
missalette assigned to this Solemnity.
It was written by Saint Thomas Aquinas.
To quote a short passage: “Here beneath these signs are hidden priceless
things to sense forbidden; signs, not things are all we see. Tantum Ergo:
Let faith provide a supplement for the failure of the senses.” In faith, we trust that we who eat this bread
and drink this cup will be strengthened to be humble servants to wash the feet
of others, as Jesus did at the Last Supper.
More importantly, we trust that we who eat this bread and drink this cup
will live forever!
