22 June – The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

oday we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi – the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ and the summit of the Church’s life. It is a call for us to bring the Eucharist to life in our own lives. Each time we receive the Eucharist we have the opportunity of making a renewed journey of faith, recognising Jesus at the breaking of bread. It is through the Eucharist that Christ connects with us. But does the love of Christ truly resonate in our hearts at the reception of Holy Communion, and cause us to respond generously in word and in action? The challenge in living out the Eucharist is to love others with the same unconditional love as Jesus loves us. If we allow the real presence of Jesus to dwell in us, the power of his transforming love will take effect in our lives.

Each time we come to receive Holy Communion at Mass we can offer the gift of ourselves, making a renewed act of faith and trusting that Jesus is indeed with us in our lives, even when the journey is not easy. When we say Amen we are pledging to love Christ by the example of our lives – by the way we relate with each other in our families, workplaces and communities. Through our ‘yes’ to him we become intentional disciples of his love by supporting each other on the walk of faith and thereby growing towards complete fulfilment with him.

“Jesus gives Himself to us in the Eucharist, shares our same journey – indeed, he becomes food, real food that sustains our life even at times when the going is rough, when obstacles slow down our steps. The Lord in the Eucharist makes us follow His path, that of service, of sharing, of giving – and what little we have, what little we are, if shared, becomes wealth, because the power of God, which is that of love, descends into our poverty to transform it”.

(Pope Francis, 30 May 2013)