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 Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Year C: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: The Eucharist as Thanksgiving, Communion and Memorial Sacrifice

Readings: Gen. 14:18-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; Lk. 9:11b-17

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today, we celebrate a solemnity that is at the centre of our faith and life as Christians, the solemnity of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Corpus Christi), the Holy Eucharist that we receive in every Mass. The Second Vatican Council declared that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian faith and life.

The readings of this Sunday touched on three of the concepts of the Holy Eucharist: the Eucharist as a thanksgiving, as a communion and as a memorial sacrifice.

Eucharist as a thanksgiving: the first reading tells us how Melchizedek, the king of Salem and the priest of the Most High God, offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God for Abraham after he defeated some kings in a battle. In that sacrifice of thanksgiving to God, Melchizedek offered bread and wine to God. The substances of bread and wine are always signs of gratitude to God the creator for the fruits of the earth. Both Melchizedek and the character of his offering prefigured Jesus and His everlasting sacrifice. 

Jesus instituted the Eucharist as an act of thanksgiving. The words of the institution of the Eucharist are clear on this. They said, “He took the bread, and giving thanks, broke it,” and, “He took the chalice, and once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples” (Lk 22:19, 17 and 1 Cor 11:24). The Catechism of the Catholic Church also describes the Eucharist as “consecratory thanksgiving” (No. 1346) and “an act of thanksgiving to God” (No. 1329). The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God for what He has done for us through Christ and for the wonders of our being.

Actually, the term ‘Eucharist’ is derived from the Greek word ‘Eucharistein’ meaning ‘to give thanks.’ The entire Mass is a prayer of thanksgiving to God, as shown in some of its prayers. The prefaces of the Mass, for instance, begin with an invitation to give thanks to God. In them, the priest says, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,” and the congregation replies, “It is right and just.” Then, the Prefaces continue, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father.” The Preface also concludes with the “Holy, Holy, Holy”, which is a hymn of praise and thanks to God. Also, the words of the doxology – the last part of the eucharistic prayer – are, “Through him, with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours, for ever and ever.” This is a joyful song of praise to offer thanks to God. The last response of the Mass is also a thanksgiving to God. When the priest says, ‘Go in peace, the Mass is ended,’ the response is, ‘thanks be to God.’

So, whenever we gather for the Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ, we are reminded that we have gathered to give thanks to God for His graces, love and blessings in our lives.

Eucharist as a Communion: the term ‘communion’ is one of the most profound and characteristic concepts of the Eucharist in the tradition of the Church. Right from its institution, through the early days of the Church and down to our own time, the Eucharist has remained a meal of unity between man and God and between man and man. In the early days of the Church, the dominant word for the celebration of the Lord’s meal was ‘Koinonia’, a Greek word meaning ‘communion’. It was a meal that united the early Christians around a table to share of the one bread and one cup, and also to own and share their material belongings communally.

The feeding of the crowd of five thousand men in the gospel of today, which prefigures Jesus’ gift of the Eucharist, brings out this aspect of the Eucharist as a communal meal, a meal that is eaten together. From five loaves of bread and two fish belonging to the apostles, Jesus fed the multitude. In the same way, from the one bread and one chalice of the sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus feeds us with his Body and Blood. The Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ unites us with Christ and with our neighbours. Through the Eucharist, we enter into a relationship with Christ and with our neighbour.

Becoming one with others through the Eucharist means that we must learn to open ourselves to them and also involve ourselves in their situations. This is the proof of the authenticity of our communion with Christ. If I am united with Christ through the Eucharist, I am also united with my neighbour in his own situation, and this unity is not limited to the moment of the reception of the Holy Communion, but only begins from it.

Eucharist as a Memorial: in the second reading of today, St Paul gave us the earliest account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper in the New Testament. He emphasized the command of Christ that the Eucharist should be celebrated in His remembrance, that is, in memory of Him: “Do this in remembrance of me.” So, the Eucharist is a memorial of the meal which Christ instituted on the night of His betrayal and a memorial of the entire salvific sacrifice which He offered on the cross for our salvation. 

The Greek word for remembrance or memorial, which St Paul used in this account, was ‘Anamnesis’, which means an active remembrance, an active memorial, not a passive one. So, the celebration of the Eucharist is an active participation in the Passover of Christ. The Eucharistic celebration makes present before our eyes that very sacrifice that took place on Calvary; it is a reenactment of the Last Supper and the crucifixion of Christ.

So, the Eucharist as a memorial of the Passover invites us to participate actively in the celebration of the Mass every day. We should, therefore, avoid every form of distraction and passivity any time we enter the church for the celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ. Let us also endeavour to keep away from us any type of life that denies us full communion with Christ and our neighbours, so that we will receive the full impact of the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ in our lives. 

Peace be with you.

Fr Isaac Chinemerem Chima