Sunday, June 11th, 2023 – Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ- Cycle A Readings: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a, Psalm 147 “Praise the Lord, Jerusalem ”, 19-20, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, John 6:51-58

      We are beings of body and soul, both form us as human beings and both require food. In the reading from the book of Deuteronomy we have Moses' speech to the people of Israel, where he reminds them of what they have been through for the last 40 years, just before entering the promised land. There he reminds them of what they might never forget, that they suffered dangers, afflictions, hunger, and thirst. God answered each of their needs. When serpents attacked the people, He gave them health when they looked up at a bronze serpent raised on a pole. When they were thirsty, God made water flow in the arid desert of the hardest rock. And he satisfied their hunger with manna, not only to teach them that He can provide for their bodily needs, but also to teach them that they also have spiritual needs.
     Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. This exhortation is necessary for many of us. As Catholics we have the unfortunate reputation of not reading the Holy Scriptures. Clearly we hear them at Mass, but taking the Bible home every day shouldn't feel strange. A few years ago, Pope Francis even commented that we waste a lot of time on our smartphones, generally on social media and video games. Instead, he advises us to keep a Bible app handy and read it when we have time waiting for the bus or in line. Sure, a printed Bible is certainly a better experience without as many distractions. But what this leads us to reflect on is the constant need for the word of God. It is through it that we know God better.
     And because God wants to know us better too, our devotion to the Holy Scriptures is not enough, but God sent the Word itself, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, made flesh. God became a human being. The mystery of the Incarnation is what makes Christianity unique. By taking on flesh and blood like us, God reduced himself to the frailties of being a creature—without giving up being the Creator—in order to show us in a tangible way his love for us. So that, with the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, we do not doubt that creation is really good.
     Jesus has left us entirely to Himself. He has left us his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Today, we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). My dear brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is the Sacrament of God, and Christ gave the Sacrament of his most holy Body and Blood to the Church so that you and I can enter into communion with him and one another and so be his sacrament to the world. You are the body of Christ, I am the body of Christ, and the church is the body of Christ. Amidst all our different experiences and situations we remain part of the body of Christ and each day the Lord strengthens us with his body and blood. Jesus told them, If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you cannot have life in you. May we abide in the Lord and he in us as we eat his body and drink his blood.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Fr. Paschal Chester, SVD