Sunday
Sermon - 22 June 2025
The
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
Mass Readings:
Gen 14:18-20 Ps 110 1 Cor 11: 23-26 Lk 9:11b-17
Key Verse to Meditate:
And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He
blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set
before the multitude (Lk 9:16).
My dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
Today we celebrate the Solemnity
of Corpus Christi (Latin: Corpus Domini),
also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood
of Christ. This feast commemorates the Real Presence of Jesus
Christ—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—in the Holy Eucharist. It is a day when
the Church invites us to contemplate and give thanks for this profound mystery
of our faith.
The origins of this feast trace back to the great
theologian and Doctor of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, who proposed to Pope
Urban IV the establishment of a special liturgical celebration in honour of the
Eucharist. The Pope was moved to institute the feast following the Eucharistic
Miracle of Bolsena, Italy, in 1263—a miraculous event that affirmed the
doctrine of Christ's true presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Although
traditionally celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, in many parts of
the world, including here in India, the solemnity is observed on the following Sunday
when it is not designated as a holy day of obligation.
The Solemnity of the Most
Holy Body and Blood of Christ is no ordinary Sunday celebration—it
is a great festival in the life of the Church, a moment of profound
thanksgiving and reverence. Today, we rejoice in a particular way for the
incomparable gift of the Eucharist. As we honour this solemn feast, we are all
invited to reflect deeply on the daily miracle that unfolds before us at every
celebration of the Mass.
The Eucharist is indeed a daily miracle. At every
hour, in some part of the world, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is being
offered, and the sacred mystery of Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection is
made present anew. What a source of infinite consolation this is: we are never
alone. Through the Eucharist, Christ remains truly and substantially with us.
Only God can perform such a miracle—transforming the humble elements of bread
and wine into His very Body and Blood. This mystery surpasses human understanding,
yet it is the very heart of our faith and the nourishment of our souls.
The First Reading – Bread and Wine
In the first reading, we
witness the encounter between Abram and Melchizedek, the priest of God Most
High, following Abram’s victorious return from defeating enemy kings—a moment
also highlighted in the Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament (Heb 7:1–2).
Melchizedek is regarded as the first priest, predating the Levitical
priesthood. His priesthood was affirmed by divine oath (Heb 7:20–21), was
perpetual (Heb 7:3), and was without priestly lineage or successors (Heb 7:3).
The author of Hebrews emphasizes the superiority of Jesus’ priesthood over that
of Levi by highlighting Melchizedek’s greater and enduring priesthood.
This eternal priesthood of
Melchizedek stands in contrast to the Levitical order, which was genealogical
in nature. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is portrayed as the High Priest
who, like Melchizedek, has no predecessors (Heb 5:5–6, 10).
As a priest, Melchizedek
imparted a divine blessing upon Abram. This is the only priestly blessing
recorded in Genesis, distinct from the patriarchal blessings which generally
focused on prosperity and progeny for Abraham’s descendants (cf. Gen 12:1–3; 22:16–18;
26:3–4). Melchizedek not only blessed Abram but also blessed God, acknowledging
His goodness.
The key significance for
today’s solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ lies in the mention of
"bread and wine" and the title "priest": “And
Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of
God Most High” (Gen 14:18). Melchizedek is identified both as the
"king of Salem" and "priest of God." The Hebrew term for
priest, kohen, appears for the first time in this context (Gen 14:18;
cf. Ps 110:4; Heb 5:6, 10; 7:1–10).
The reference to bread and
wine denotes not only daily sustenance (Judg 19:19; Eccl 10:19; Lam 2:12) but
also refreshment for returning warriors (Judg 8:5; 2 Sam 16:1). These elements,
once offered to God in Israel’s sacrificial worship (cf. Lev 2:4–16; 23:13; Num
28:14), now find their ultimate fulfillment in the Eucharist. The "bread
and wine" offered on the altar during Mass symbolize the Body and Blood of
Christ, as reflected in today’s second reading (1 Cor 11:26). Moreover, the
names and titles—Melchizedek meaning “king of righteousness” and king
of Salem meaning “king of peace”—highlight the biblical connection between
righteousness and peace, as seen throughout the Old Testament (Ps 85:10; Is
9:7; 32:17; 48:18; 60:17).
The Second Reading
In today’s second reading,
St. Paul reaffirms the tradition he received from the Lord, recalling the
events of the Last Supper leading to Jesus’ death. Since the celebration of the
Lord’s Supper is a foundational tradition (1 Cor 11:2), and the Corinthians had
been failing to uphold it (1 Cor 11:17, 22), Paul reminds them of its profound
significance by repeating the actual words of institution.
Among the four accounts of
the institution of the Eucharist, the one found in Paul’s First Letter to the
Corinthians is the earliest known account of the Last Supper. Paul stresses
that the celebration of the Eucharist is a continuation of the meal Jesus
shared with His disciples, in which He reinterpreted the bread and wine as His
body and blood, soon to be offered on the Cross.
The Last Supper is also
recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, and there are several common elements across
all accounts:
- The taking of the bread
- The giving of thanks
- The breaking of the bread
- The words: “This is My Body”
- The cup and the references to “blood” and
“covenant”
As was customary in Jewish
meals, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and distributed it to the
apostles. Then He proclaimed the Eucharistic words: “This is My body, which
is for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Cor 11:24).
“Do This in Memory of Me”
Just as the Passover meal
was a perpetual remembrance for the Israelites, Jesus reconstituted a new
memorial in the Last Supper for the New Israel—the Church. This memorial meal
is to be observed by those gathered in His name, recalling their salvation through
His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Thus, Jesus’ command “Do this in
memory of Me” implies that we are to remember not only His death but also
everything He has done for us and all that He is to us—in His divinity and
humanity.
This theme of remembrance
is explicitly mentioned in the accounts of Luke and Paul, though absent in
Matthew and Mark. Nevertheless, the meaning remains clear: in the Eucharist,
Christ gives us His very self—Body, Soul, and Divinity.
Indeed, the celebration of
the Eucharist is the commemoration of the Paschal Mystery—Christ’s death and
resurrection. Every time we gather for the Eucharist, we “remember Him” in a
profound and sacred way: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the
cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Cor 11:26). Through
this celebration, we acknowledge and participate in the salvation He has
accomplished for His people.
The Gospel Reading
On this solemn feast of Corpus Christi, the Gospel reading from Luke presents
the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand (Lk 9:10–17), a significant
event recorded in all four Gospels (Mt 14:13–21; Mk 6:30–44; Jn 6:1–14).
Symbolically, some interpretations associate the five loaves with the five
books of Moses and the twelve baskets of leftovers with the twelve tribes of
Israel.
At the beginning of Luke's
account, Jesus sends out the Twelve on their mission of preaching and healing.
Meanwhile, Herod hears about Jesus and speculates whether He is John the
Baptist risen from the dead. Upon the apostles’ return, Jesus attempts to withdraw
with them, but the crowds persist in following Him. Remarkably, Jesus is not
annoyed by their presence, even late into the day. Instead, He continues His
ministry of preaching and healing.
As evening falls and the
setting becomes more remote, the disciples express concern and urge Jesus to
dismiss the crowd so they may find food and lodging. Jesus responds with a
challenging command: “You give them something to eat.” His compassion
remains steadfast even in difficult circumstances. The crowd had been listening
to the Word of God, and now they deserved to be fed.
What is noteworthy is that
this miracle is not performed at anyone’s request but stems from the
spontaneous compassion and initiative of Jesus. The five loaves and two fish
become instruments of divine providence for God’s people. Gerd Theissen, in The
Miracle Stories of the Early Christian Tradition (pp. 103–106), calls this
a “gift miracle,” highlighting God’s unexpected generosity. Albert Schweitzer,
in The Quest of the Historical Jesus (1910, pp. 376–80), interprets this
event as a proleptic realization of the messianic banquet—a "veiled
eschatological sacrament."
The Old Testament too
recounts notable feeding miracles: Elijah and the widow’s jar of meal (1 Kgs
17:8–16), the vessels of oil (2 Kgs 4:1–7), and Elisha feeding one hundred men
with limited loaves (2 Kgs 4:42–44). These stories prefigure the messianic abundance
brought to fulfillment in Christ.
An Allegory of the Eucharist
Luke 9:16 offers clear Eucharistic overtones: “Taking the five loaves and
the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them and gave them
to the disciples to set before the crowd.” This action foreshadows the Last
Supper and the institution of the Eucharist. Many Church Fathers, including St.
Cyril of Alexandria, saw in this account a parallel with Moses and the manna in
the wilderness. Just as the Israelites were sustained by bread and quails in
the desert, the new Israel is now nourished with the bread and fish given by
the New Moses—Jesus Christ.
In Numbers 11:22, Moses
laments the burden of feeding six hundred thousand people in the wilderness and
questions whether there are enough fish in the sea to feed them. Yet, the Lord
answers by sending quails from the sea (Num 11:31; see also Wis 19:12). This
deepens the tradition that the Israelites consumed fish during their desert
wandering—a theme echoed in the Gospel feeding narrative.
The Role of the Disciples
Jesus entrusts His disciples with a key role: “They do not need to go away;
you give them something to eat” (Lk 9:13). He involves them directly,
making them intermediaries of divine grace. After blessing the bread, Jesus
gives it to the disciples, who then distribute it to the people. This pattern
prefigures the priestly ministry of the Church. The Eucharist, instituted at
the Last Supper (Lk 22:19–20), was first entrusted to the apostles and has been
handed down through the Church.
Jesus, our eternal High
Priest in the order of Melchizedek (Heb 4:14–5:10), offers Himself in every
Mass. Though He is once crucified, He remains present in every Eucharistic
celebration, as St. Paul declares, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
today, and forever” (Heb 13:8). In the Eucharist, He becomes our
sustenance, our healer, and the remedy for fallen humanity: “I am the living
bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (Jn
6:51).
The Liturgical Action: Benediction, Breaking, and Sharing
Aside from John, the other Gospels and Paul recount the institution of the
Eucharist (Lk 22:19–20; Mt 26:26–28; Mk 14:22–24; 1 Cor 11:23–25). In each
account, Jesus blesses the bread, breaks it, and gives it to His disciples.
This threefold action—blessing, breaking, and sharing—is at the heart of the
Eucharistic mystery. The celebration of the Holy Eucharist also reveals the
central role of the priesthood in our spiritual lives. Priests, with all their
human limitations, are consecrated men set apart for God's work. Let us pray
for them, love them, and uphold them in gratitude and intercession.
Points for Personal Reflection
In John's Gospel, the Bread
of Life discourse follows immediately after the feeding of the five thousand
(Jn 6:1–15), showing a direct theological connection. The manna in the desert,
while sustaining, did not confer eternal life. In contrast, Jesus offers
Himself as the true Bread from Heaven: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son
of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (Jn 6:53). St. Paul
reminds us that “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in
the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body
of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16–17).
The Eucharist is the living
Bread that leads to eternal life (Jn 6:50). The consecrated bread and wine are
not mere symbols but powerful sacramental realities. Jesus nourishes us with
His very self so that we may live in Him. As St. Ignatius of Antioch beautifully
said, the Eucharist is “the medicine of immortality, the antidote to death,
and the food that makes us live forever in Jesus Christ.”
Each time we receive the Eucharist, Jesus becomes part of us—our breath, our strength, our life. We become, as Pope Francis once said, “living tabernacles.” We carry Christ within us into the world. Let us then receive the Eucharist with faith, preparation, and reverence.
Conclusion and Questions for the Heart
Dear brothers and sisters,
as we come to the table of the Lord, let us reflect:
- Do I hunger for the Bread of Life?
- Do I approach the Eucharist with faith,
reverence, and love?
- Do I see Christ in my priests, praying for
them as they continue the ministry of the apostles?
- Do I allow the Eucharist to transform my life,
so that I can say with St. Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20)?
May we grow in love for
this great sacrament. May our participation in the Eucharist renew our
communion with Christ and with one another. And may our hearts burn with desire
to receive Him often and worthily—He who is our food for the journey, our strength
in trials, and our hope for eternal life - Amen.
Rev. Dr. Fr. Patrick Mathias SDB
Executive Secretary, CCBI, Commission for Bible
