Solemnity of the Body
and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima
Theme: The Eucharist: our new covenant
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Readings: Ex 24:3-8;
Heb 9:11-15; Mk 14:12-16,22-26
Dear friends in Christ, today, we celebrate the
solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, popularly known by its Latin name
‘Corpus Christi’. This solemnity invites us to appreciate the love of God made
concrete for us humans.
Historically, this Solemnity was introduced in
the thirteenth century to promote a special form of adoration to Christ in the
Holy Eucharist among the faithful. In 1264, Pope Urban IV extended the
Solemnity to the entire Latin Church. Later, in 1312, it was declared an
obligatory feast of the universal Church.
The three readings for today's Mass highlight
some important aspects of the Holy Eucharist. They are referring to the
Eucharist as a sacrifice and a covenant ratified with blood. The first reading
described God's covenant with the people of Israel at the foot of the mountain,
which was ratified with the blood of an ox sacrificed on the Lord's altar. The
blood was sprinkled on the people and the altar. The priests of old repeated
this sacrifice on the day of the renewal of the covenant.
Then, the second reading explains that the
sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is the new covenant, which has replaced the old
covenant we read about in the first reading. It tells us that this new covenant
is superior to the old because it was ratified with the blood of the Son of God
rather than the blood of an animal. This new covenant is also superior to the
old because of its efficacy. While the old covenant provided temporal expiation
of the sins of the people, necessitating the continuous offering of animals in
subsequent gatherings, the new covenant, ratified with Christ's blood, secured
an eternal redemption for humanity, eliminating the need for Christ to climb
the Cross of Calvary again; He sacrificed Himself once and for all on the
cross. Furthermore, in the Old Testament, the high priest sacrificed animals on
an altar, whereas in the New Covenant, Christ, the new high priest, sacrificed
Himself and is also the altar of the sacrifice. We are truly blessed to partake
in Christ's new and everlasting sacrifice. What shall we do, then, to continue
to partake of Christ's eternal sacrifice?
The gospel reading gave us an account of what
Christ instructed us to do in memory of his eternal sacrifice for our redemption
so that we could partake in it. On that night before he offered himself on the
cross, He took bread, gave thanks to God and gave it to his disciples as his
body. He also did the same with wine and gave it to his disciples as his blood,
the blood of the new covenant. Then, He instructed them to do the same always
in memory of Him.
So, the Eucharistic sacrifice of the body and
blood of Jesus, which we offer in every Mass with the elements of bread and
wine, is that sacrifice of Christ which replaced the sacrifice and covenant of
the people of old. We are, therefore, invited to honour Christ, who is present
in the Eucharist, and to worthily and actively participate in its celebration.
As partakers of this new covenant, we are reminded that every covenant has
conditions which must be strictly followed. One of the conditions of this new
covenant is that we should keep ourselves free from sin any time we want to
partake of the meal of this new covenant. The Eucharist is a meal that
challenges us to live holy lives every day in order to receive it in the state
of grace.
Let us pray in this Mass for the grace to
always participate worthily in this Eucharistic covenant and to worthily
receive the body and blood of Christ.
Peace be with you
Fr. Isaac Chima
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