Feast of Corpus Christi
(Sunday 29th May 2016)
Only in God can true satisfaction and happiness be found – (Luke 9: 11-17)
This coming Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christ. This feast invites us to meditate on the gift of the Body and Blood of Jesus. The gift and invitation by God to a full communion with Him through receiving Him physically and spiritually in our lives: “he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:56).
Sometimes one might think the sacrifice of the Mass is only a symbol of some sort. However, there can really be no doubt about the fact that we actually receive Jesus’ Body and Blood. Even if we only see what appears to be bread and wine after the consecration, we know through Jesus, His teaching, and our faith that it is really His Body and Blood. God even gave us physical proof to confirm this teaching in over 100 Eucharistic Miracles where the bread actually did transform into Flesh and the wine into Blood. And Saint Paul in the second reading this week witnesses to this teaching when he says that he received it directly from the Lord.
But let’s look at what Jesus says Himself in John chapter 6. After His acclamation that “he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:56) many disciples left and said “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” (John 6:60), and subsequent “many […] drew back and no longer went about with him” (Jn 6:66). If it was only a symbolic gesture, why did Jesus not call after them and explain to them that He did not mean literally what He said? No! Instead He asked the twelve “Do you also wish to go away?” (Jn 6:67). With Simon Peter we utter the only right answer “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68).
Sometimes it is good to reflect once more on the significance of the gift and en-kindle the fire within us and realise that the Mass should always be the most important moment of our week or indeed of our day for those lucky enough to be able to go to daily Mass. Our relation with God is a reality, not some idealism. Being in communion with God and faithfully and fully receiving Him makes a real difference in our lives.
And while this encounter is most of the time not that apparent in our sensual experience, we do notice the effects in the long term. Often we don’t notice the spiritual grace at work in our lives. It actually seems we rather experience the absence of God’s grace than what it presents. For example, when deprived of receiving Holy Communion for some reason. It is then that we can sometimes realise that there is an emptiness that was previously filled by God. Now something is missing and a deep desire for a renewed communion start to be noticeable. Once we return again, we re-find our peace and balance as God fills this empty space. In the Gospel we read “all ate and were satisfied” (Luke 9:17) and there was plenty left over… God gives us plenty if we open our hands to receive it, and it is only in God that this true satisfaction and happiness is found!
Fr. Luuk Jansen O.P.