Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Cycle A, June 7, 2026

 Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This is a celebration of how we are truly united with Jesus through the real presence of his body and blood in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in the second reading gives us a challenge to think about: 

The cup of blessing that we bless is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?

 

The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?

 

What does he mean by “a participation”? In the original Greek the word is koinonia, which means a communion in a reality and not merely a feeling. St. Paul is trying to convey is that the Eucharist is not only a remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice that we are far removed from. It is a reality that we are brought into communion with Christ in a real way through the Sacrament of the Eucharist. By receiving the body and blood of Christ we are united with Jesus, because he is in us and we are in him. All of us are distinct persons with our own unique talents and gifts, but through the Eucharist, we are united and make up the one Body of Christ.

 

What does being united in the Body of Christ mean for us and the world that we live in? That we can participate with Jesus in bringing about what he promised in the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is the only gospel that does not contain the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus in the last supper. But the gospel clearly expresses what the sacrament of the Eucharist is and what it does for us. Jesus starts out with a claim that challenged any practicing Jew at the time: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven”. This is reminder of what we heard about in the first reading where God sent manna down to feed the Jewish people who were journeying through the desert in their exodus from captivity. Manna was like bread that miraculously appeared in the desert each day to feed the Jewish people who were starving. This food was sent by God to sustain their daily hunger.

 

But Jesus is giving them much more than bread for the day. He says, “I am the “living” bread from heaven that will allow them to live forever”. The bread Jesus was referring to, was his flesh: his body to eat and blood to drink. But the body and blood he was referring to was not his actual flesh. It was bread and wine miraculously changed into his body and blood by his priests through the Holy Spirit. We have hindsight to understand what Jesus meant, but for the Jews at the time this was very difficult to accept. If we take Jesus by his word, what will eating this living bread, mean for us? That will live forever, have eternal life, and be raised on the last day. We will also remain in him and he in us, participating in his sacrificial love, by partaking in the sacrament of the Eucharist. This is truly incredible that the God who created the universe, has freely given us out of his great love a way for Jesus to be truly present to us in the humble simplicity of bread and wine. The God of the universe becomes our food to nourish us spiritually so we can be united with him.

 

Do we really believe that Jesus really is present in the Eucharist and that we are in communion in him? A core belief of our Catholic faith is the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.   A story I heard from Matthew Kelly really brings home the strong belief in Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist.  We may take Christ’s presence in the Eucharist for granted as it is so readily available, but I hope this story enkindles your heart’s desire to be in His presence as often as possible.

 

There was a priest who formerly was a lay missionary in China decades ago.  He longed to a return to visit the village he served in.  There were many priests and bishops in China who were imprisoned by the communist government in this area of the country. So, he traveled in plain clothes prevent any trouble among the people he visited.  He figured that no one knew he was a priest since he was a lay missionary when he was there in the past.  

On the second night of his stay, he was awakened by a commotion in the house.  He got up to find out what was going on and was told, “We are going to the wall”.  He asked an old woman there what “the wall” was.   She smiled as said, “come and see for yourself”. The priest dressed quickly and left with about a dozen people.  As they walked to a remote wooded area deep in the surrounding hills several others joined them along the way.  By the time they arrived there were about 120 men, woman, and children.  The priest noticed there were men up in trees around the perimeter and they appeared to be on the lookout.   In the clearing there were remains of an old decaying building.  The old women who invited him to come was filled with joy and were the other people, but the priest very was scared.  As they approached the wall everyone knelt.  An old man got up, went to the wall, pulled out a brick and reached for vessel with glass window and inside was the Eucharist.  All the people knelt in prayer silently for an hour in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  An hour later the old man returned the Eucharist, and all went back quietly to their homes. The old women told him there had not been a Mass in their village in over 10 years.   She told them they went to the wall each week in the middle of night risking their lives, so they be with Jesus.  Later that day the priest secretly celebrated a Mass for them and the entire community was able to receive the Eucharist. In his later years the priest said this experience was the highlight of his priesthood.

Today when you come up to receive the Eucharist, imagine it’s been ten years since you last received the Eucharist.  Imagine that you risked your life to receive Jesus body and blood. So therefore, remember how blessed we are to receive the Eucharist daily if we choose to do so. Eucharist makes it possible for Jesus to remain in us so we can love our neighbor and live out our faith and draw others to our faith in Jesus. The Eucharist is only possible through the ministry of the priesthood, whom Christ gave the power to change the bread and wine into his body and blood. We are grateful to have our priests Fr. Steve over these past 13 years and Fr. Anthony the last two years. Please thank them for the gift of their ministry and keep them in prayer in their new assignments. May the Eucharist unite us with Christ to bring about his gift of eternal life by sharing our faith with others.