1.
Ex.24:3-8
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2.
Heb 9:11-15
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Mk14:12-16,22-26
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We are told a story of
Augustian nun Juliana of Liege in Belgium from her early youth, had a great
veneration for the Blessed Sacrament and always longed for a special feast in
its honor. This desire is said to have been increased by a vision of the Church
under the appearance of the full moon. The moon was perfect but having one dark
sport which signified the absence of a feast of the Eucharist. Thus she made
known her ideas to Robert de Thorete,( the would be bishop and finally Pope
Urban IV). It is under this background
that the celebration of the Body of Christ was introduced into the Church
calendar in 1264.
As we listen to today's
gospel reading," while they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and
after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them and said: " Take, this is my body." Then he
took up and after giving thanks he gave it to them and all of them drank from
it. He said to them, " This is my blood of the covenant which is poured
out for many for the forgiveness of sins," ( vv 22,24). Jesus commanded us
to celebrate the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, to eat His Body and to drink
His blood.
Why do we need a feast
of the Eucharist? A feast like this affords us the opportunity to give God
collective thanks for Christ's abiding presence with us which is made visible
in the Eucharist. It is also an opportunity for us to seek a better
understanding of the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ and to order our
attitude to it accordingly, since the Eucharist is a sacrament of life which,
if misused, could bring about the opposite effect. As St Paul wrote to the
Corinthians, " All who drink in an worthy manner, without discerning the
Lord's Body eat and drink Judgment against themselves. For this reason many of
you are weak and ill and some have died,"( 1Cor 11:29-30).
Eucharist makes present
for us the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are able to be
part of the act of redemption that occurred on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
We remember that sacrifice of Jesus and give thanks for it. At the same time we
may derive the sense of spiritual freedom that comes from that event.
The story is told about
a young woman who took care of her old aunt. The aunt had inherited a fair
amount of money from her deceased brother but never mentioned it to anyone. On
her deathbed she summoned her niece: " You have been good to me. I want to
reward you. Take this frayed sweater of mine and wear it until you become
rich." The niece expressed gratitude but was disappointed. She felt her
aunt could at least have left her a watch or a ring. She buried the sweater in
the bottom drawer of her bureau. The aunt died. A year later the niece put on the sweater while she
did some yard work. She felt something in the sweater pocket. She found a key
wrapped in a note. In that box she found her aunt had given her legal title to
a fortune of $ 300,000. The moral of the story is that we often miss the
treasures that are passed on to us because we do not take time to look.
The application of the
story to the feast of the Body and blood of Christ is the same. We may miss the
treasure of the Eucharist because we do not take the time to look or reflect on
this mystery. Each year the Church pauses to meditate on the Eucharist itself.
Though we celebrate Eucharist each Lord's day, on this day we are drawn to
ponder teachings and events about Christ. We may not always advert sufficiently
to the Sacrament dwelling at the core of
our weekly experience.
Dear brothers and
sisters, let us today approach the Eucharist with a more lively faith in the
real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and we shall experience therein God's
saving power and transforming love.
0 Response to "HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST IN YEAR B"
Chapisha Maoni