Solemnity of the Body and Blood

of Christ (Corpus Christi)

“Your God has directed all your journeying in the desert.” – Deuteronomy 8:2

           Have you ever asked God why you are where you are?

         I have always believed that there are no coincidences in life. We had to go through experiences in the past to prepare us for now and for the future. That agonizing breakup led into meeting the lifetime partner God has prepared for you. You had to let go of a great job for something uncertain at the time, then you realized it was definitely better than the previous one.

          Every life experience is a small puzzle piece that fits into a bigger and beautiful picture. Can we see the bigger picture? Probably not. What we only see is our circumstance right now. And yes, maybe we complain because it is not what we imagined it to be or what we prayed to happen. But remember, God makes all things work for our good! This is only a piece of the puzzle.

       God created the bigger picture. He is holding your hand as you journey in the wilderness. Trust that He has nothing but the best ending for your life. Lala Dela Cruz (bella.delacruz@gmail.com)

Reflection:What is the Lord teaching you right now, in the circumstance you are in?

Lord, do not let go of my hand. I trust that You are with me in this journey.

Venerable Matt Talbot, pray for us.

God always takes care of His people. Today’s reading shows how He provided for the Israelites in the desert. He continues to provide for us today. But why are there people around the world who do not have enough food to eat? Is there a shortage of food? God provides an abundance of food, but we need to distribute His provisions more fairly.

2 Moses said to the people: “Remember how for forty years now the Lord, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments. 3 He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord. 14 “Do not forget the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; 15 who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock 16 and fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your fathers.”

R: Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

12 Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. 13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you. (R) 14 He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat he fills you. 15 He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word! (R) 19 He has proclaimed his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to Israel. 20 He has not done thus for any other nation; his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia. (R)

As we celebrate the gift of the Eucharist today, may we realize what a great gift the Body and Blood of Christ is. Let us cherish this gift, pay our respects, and honor the Blessed Sacrament in our chapels and churches. Let us spend time with our Eucharistic Lord each day.

16 Brothers and sisters: 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? 17 Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

GOSPEL 

Eucharist. What an incredible gift! We can partake of Him and be in His presence at Mass. Let us honor Jesus by adoring and praying before Him in the Blessed Sacrament. Let us offer this humble sacrifice to Jesus.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever.

51 Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” 52 The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

think: How has partaking of Jesus’ Body and Blood at Mass nourished you? Jesus, our Lord and Savior, offered His Body and Blood to us in the

Read the Bible in one year 2 Kings 4-6

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

THE BREAD OF LIFE

One of the great anomalies in the doctrine of the fundamentalists who insist on a literal interpretation of the Scriptures is their blatant unwillingness to accept today’s Gospel at face value. Jesus makes it clear that we are to “eat His body and drink His blood.” It is the Catholic Church and those in union with Her that abide by these direct words of Jesus. Those denominations who have prematurely discarded the sacrament of the Eucharist and its uniquely Catholic understanding are left with no defense. The words of Jesus hardly allow for an alternative translation under the forms of sign and symbol.

       As Catholics we believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharistic species and so we accept His teaching in today’s Gospel. Those who do not believe are left to stand on very shaky arguments that cannot avoid the terms “sign and symbol.” It is not that Catholics pick and choose what texts to take literally. We need to have a broader understanding of the many meanings and nuances of the Scriptures to arrive at a proper understanding of the text.

       In fact, the most important meaning of any given text is its literal meaning. After determining that, we have to look at the context and the parallel texts in the rest of the Scriptures as we seek a deeper understanding of the text’s spiritual meaning. Individual texts can take on different meanings for different people as we believe that the Holy Spirit will guide our understanding of the Word of God. Let us pray that we will not prejudge the Scriptures nor read into them ideas that are simply not there. Let us pray to be faithful interpreters of the Word of God and allow it to form and guide our lives. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

---------- REFLECTION QUESTION ----------

How much time do you spend reading and reflecting upon the Word of God?

Holy Spirit, help me to have a deeper love for and understanding of the Holy Scriptures. I want to be formed in the mind of Christ and not the ways of the world. Amen.