Jesus, the Bread of Life
In the month of June the universal church celebrates Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. It is appropriate that we reflect throughout this month, and frequently throughout the year, on the gift of the Holy Eucharist.
Recently, a great number of children and adults throughout our Diocese received the Holy Eucharist for the first time. Many have commented on the glow on the faces of these new communicants on that special day in their lives. They realized that they had been given the most precious gift of all: the gift of Jesus Himself. That reality is found in the teaching of the Second Vatican Council which states that the Eucharistic sacrifice is the “source and summit of Christian life” (Lumen Gentium, 11). The Catechism of the Catholic Church further explains that in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really and substantially contained” (1374).
Those receiving the Eucharist for the first time remind all of us of the profound gratitude that must be ours each and every time we receive the Eucharist. It is a gift we must never take for granted. We can never approach this Sacrament in a casual and passive manner. Saint Paul reminded his community and all of us of the need for Eucharistic wonder and awe. For in receiving Jesus, we receive the Word made flesh and the Bread of Life. May we prepare to receive the Eucharist by allowing time to come to Church before Mass to reflect upon this great mystery, and may we always offer a sincere act of gratitude upon receiving the Body and Blood of Christ.
Last month, I ordained a new priest for our Diocese, Reverend John Victor Gournas who will now offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass each and every day. He was bursting with profound joy in knowing the great privilege bestowed upon him. During the Ordination ceremony, I handed him the chalice and said these words: “Receive the oblation of the holy people to be offered to God. Understand what you do; imitate what you celebrate and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s cross.” This instruction can be applied in all of our lives, for all those who receive the Eucharist are called to imitate the self-sacrifice of Jesus. We must love without counting the cost. We must forgive without conditions. In addition, we must carry our crosses in the sure and certain hope that none of them is greater than the love of Christ Jesus, who gave His very life for us and sustains and comforts us.
We can learn how to live the Eucharist from the Gospel account on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, which recounts Jesus feeding the multitude and teaches us how to live the Eucharist. Just like the disciples, we can each easily identify people who are in need in our parish, family, neighborhood and workplace. We can never be deceived into thinking that there really is not much we can do to help them. Jesus, who took the five loaves and two fish and fed the multitude, simply asks us to give to Him whatever we have and trust that He can use it in ways we can never imagine. When placed in the hands of God, the time you offer, the resources you share, the deeds you perform and the daily sacrifices you make can, through His initiative, work miracles in the lives of others and transform the world around us. Know that God depends on you to bring Him to others!
Throughout this month and always, we give thanks to God for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life who is truly, really and substantially present to us in the Eucharist. May we demonstrate in word and deed that this precious gift is the source and summit of our lives; may we imitate the self-sacrifice of Jesus; and, may we strive daily to bring His presence to all those in most need.