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

 SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST (CORPUS CHRISTI), YR C: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: THE EUCHARIST: POWER OF TRANSFORMATION

(Luke 9:11b - 17)

Today, the Church invites us to stop and ponder on the meaning of the Eucharist, its healing, nourishing and transforming power, and the challenge of living a Eucharistic life.

The Corpus et Sanguinis Christi celebration is a liturgical way of celebrating the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ in the elements of the Eucharist. It was St Thomas Aquinas, the composer of the famous 'pange lingua gloriosi' that made the proposition for the celebration of this Solemnity to Pope Urban IV. The procession of the Blessed Sacrament is supposed to be held today, but due to Pastoral reasons, it is moved here in Nigeria to be celebrated on Christ the King Sunday. Meanwhile, we celebrate today within the Mass the Great Mystery of the Body and Blood of the Second Person of the Trinity. Good a thing this celebration comes Thursday following the Trinity Sunday or Sunday after the Trinity Sunday.

Let us with the aid of today's Gospel Reading delve into some aspects of this Holy mystery.

 

 INSIGHTS FROM THE GOSPEL

From today's Gospel, a lot of messages can be drawn concerning the Eucharist discuss. Let's limit ourselves to talk on the transforming elements of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is a great miracle. It is a wondrous act. It is a divine manifestation. It is God's involvement in human life. It is a celebration of Thanksgiving for Divine self-giving. Hence, in the Gospel, Jesus gives us a foretaste and foreknowledge of the meaning and message of the Holy Eucharist. Let's consider the transforming power of the Eucharist as testified to today. The Eucharist is efficacious in bringing about the following transformations:

 

EARTH TO HEAVEN

The Eucharist is called food from heaven, food of angels (panis angelicus). It is a link between heaven and earth. It is the ladder that takes us up to heaven and brings God to us. Hence, Today's Gospel Reading was an event that took place within the context of teaching about the kingdom of God. Jesus came from heaven to take us from our earthiness to make us heavenly. To take us from our sinfulness to lead us to holiness. To bring about a communion (mmekorita, oriko, mbikoma) and reconciliation or re-embracing of human and Divine at the table of love. He did this through taking our flesh. Oh, what a Divine exchange! Yes, divine exchange. Jesus took our flesh, purified it, deified it, and handed it to us.

 

SICKNESS TO HEALTH

Jesus didn't just teach, but He healed the sick. The Holy Eucharist is the source of heavenly therapy. It is never accidental that healing was incorporated in this discourse. The Eucharist is a 'medicine for the soul.''

It heals us of venial sins and helps us purify ourselves of every form of mortal sin ahead of receiving it. May our participation in this celebration today bring us healing of body and soul.

 

WORD TO FLESH

We see the harmony between the word and the flesh. Jesus was in the beginning, the Word. The Word took flesh and dwelt among us. Today, He started with the Word, and having nourished the crowd with the Word, He links the Word with bread. His flesh is indeed food.

 

NOTHINGNESS TO SOMETHING GREAT

Jesus is indeed God. It is in the nature of God to create out of nothing (ex nihilo). Just as the people were fed in the barren desert with manna, Jesus gives us His Body. From their nothingness, Jesus used His apostles to feed the crowd with food they themselves never knew how it came about, only that they believed Him and followed His instructions. This power of transformation has never ceased in the Church. It is the powerful force that transforms a man into a priest, making Him Alter Christus. Thus made another Christ, He is empowered by Christ with the authority of 'transubstantiation'. This is the transformation that takes place when the priest imposes His hands on the bread and wine, making it change from ordinary to Real Body and Blood of Christ. Great transformation; of the bread and wine and of the minister too.

As you partake in this sacred mystery, may you be transformed from nothingness to greatness.

 

 SCATTERING TO GATHERING

The Eucharist carries the mark of making us one in Christ. Today, Jesus didn't want to leave the crowd to scatter. He never listened to the twelve who asked Him to send them away. Let us learn from this and remain in union with Christ. Let us learn from this and live well with others. Let us not be like wandering Cain. God has settled us in Christ. let's not be gallivanting, looking for food where there is no food. Let us sit at the table with Jesus and be fed by Him. May God arrest every situation, making us feel like moving away from Him.

 

LONELINESS TO LOVELINESS

Jesus is able to transform your loneliness into loveliness. We are celebrating His real presence, His ever-abiding presence, His Emmanuel nature. The apostles said that the place was lonely, but Jesus taught them to be lovely, that He is lovely, and that in His love, He will never leave us alone nor abandon us to hunger and thirst. He fills the emptiness of your life.

Are you lonely? Do you feel deserted? Are you hungry and weak? Receive Jesus in your heart, visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament. Taste and see that He is good. You will experience a deep sense of love, yes! you will feel Him taking you deeper in love with Him.

 

LESSON: BE TRANSFORMED

Let this celebration help us to live as transformed children of God. Let us be transformed from sinfulness to godliness, from selfishness to selfless charity, from ingratitude to gratitude since Eucharist means thanksgiving. Let's learn to always give thanks. May we be transformed from doubt to faith and from dying to living forever and ever.

May God bless His word in our hearts.

 

EUCHARISTIC BLESSINGS

May the Soul of our Saviour sanctify our breast,

May the Body of Christ be our saving guest

May the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bathe us in His tide.

May this celebration bring us to the reality of experiencing God on earth in communion and dwelling in union with Him in heaven. Amen.

 

Happy Solemnity of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh

 

SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI, YEAR B: HOMILY BY REV. FR. JUSTIN ADIELE

THEME: “UNITING WITH CHRIST IN THE HOLY EUCHARIST”

INTRODUCTION:

There is a common saying that; ‘you are what you eat’. And what you constantly eat either nourishes you or destroys you. The Eucharist is the spiritual food Jesus left for us on the night before his passion, as a covenant food with him and his passion; a covenant food that unites us with Him. The more we approach and partake of the Holy Eucharist (the most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ) in adoration or in communion, the more we are united and nourished to life by Him.

 

THE FIRST READING (EX. 24: 3 – 8)

In the first reading, the Eucharist was prefigured in the blood of the lamb sacrificed at the altar to Lord, built with twelve pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Half of the blood, Moses sprinkled at the altar, and half of the blood, he sprinkled at the people and said; “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Similarly, and more efficaciously, Jesus the spotless Lamb of God and the author of the new covenant with his blood, sprinkled half of his blood at the altar of the Cross representing the four corners of the world, and left half of his blood in the chalice of the Eucharist for the peoples in all ages.

 

THE SECOND READING (HEB. 9: 11 – 15)

In the second reading, we are meant to understand that the blood of goats, claves and bulls used in the Old Testament/covenant to sanctify us in the flesh is far more inferior to the Blood of Jesus used in the New covenant to purify our consciences from dead works to serve the living God. In addition, the Eucharistic Blood secures an eternal redemption for us. That is why by the mere pleading of the Blood of Jesus Christ, evil works, powers and strong holds are nullified in and around us. Then partaking/drinking of the Eucharistic Blood of Jesus, invariable restrains/prevents the works and powers of evil in and around us; opening up channels for our promised eternal inheritance. Our Igbo catechism puts it better: “Ole gratia Oriri Nso na- enye anyi? Oriri Nso na ebu gratia na edo aso, na ihunanya nke Chineke n’ ime anyi, nke na ewepu njo di mgbaghara, bia nyere anyi aka izere njo ogbugbu.”

 

THE GOSPEL READING (MK. 14: 12 – 16. 22 – 26)

In the gospel reading, in the place of sacrificing a Passover lamb, Jesus offered His Body, as the unleavened Bread and His Blood as the wine, to his disciples. He became the real/new Passover Lamb to be slain the next day, whose Blood will enact the new covenant with God; whose Blood is poured out for many and for all generations. And we must continue to mingle/sprinkle ourselves with the saving and sanctifying Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, and remain united with Jesus in and through the Eucharist.

 

CONCLUSION

We conclude with our Igbo catechism which inquired: “Olee ihe Oriri Nso na- eme? Oriri Nso na ejiko anyi na Onyenweanyi onye kwuru si, onye riri Ahu m bi n’ ime m, mu biri n’ ime ya.” The Eucharist really unites us with Christ in the New and eternal covenant with God. We must accept to be sprinkled, washed and nourished by the Blood of the Lamb of God; walking daily by our Saviour’s side, dining daily by the Saviour’s table of the Eucharist; and uniting ourselves with him for the eternal Eucharistic banquet in heaven.

Happy Corpus Christi!

May the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ keep us covenanted and united with God forever!

Fr. Justin.