Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (C)

June 23, 2019

Readings:

First Reading: Genesis 14: 18-20

Psalm: 8 “You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.”

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26

Gospel reading according to Luke 9: 11b-17

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Homily: Corpus Christi

This special Feast of Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ known as Corpus Christi  is celebrated in remembrance of Jesus who gave his life (body and blood) for our salvation from sin.  It is a Feast in remembrance of Jesus’ command to celebrate the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist during Last Supper in the Upper Room (or Cenacle), (cf. Mt. 26:26: Mk. 14:22; Lk. 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:24; Mt. 26:28; Mk. 14:24; Lk. 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:25).

In today’s gospel, Jesus told the crowd about the Kingdom of God, but it was not clear whether or not the people undertook it.  It was not also expounded by the evangelist Luke what Jesus said about it, and he left it open-ended. “Jesus spoke to the crowds about the Kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured” (Luke 9: 11b). The Kingdom of God reigns love and justice, of giving and sharing, of offering oneself to others.  As a sign of the presence of the Kingdom of God, Jesus associated in his teaching of the Reign-kingdom of God by his curing of different sicknesses and diseases as part of Kingdom of God.  He let the people ask his healing power, if they needed it, in order to cure them.  Unless otherwise the people ask for healing, he does not do it right away.  He waited them to ask for healing, and the people heeded him to cure them.

When the day is turning to night, “magtatakip silim na,” and the Twelve Apostles were worrying of the people, where they are to sleep, where they are to eat, for they are many, and they are far from the city, or town, or villages.  “As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, ‘Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here’.” (Luke 9: 12).  So, the Twelve approached Jesus and wanted him to let leave the people so that they (the people) can find places to stay and eat, while they (the Twelve Apostles) are satisfied with what they bring, their “baon,” to what they have.

Jesus was worrying too within his heart and moved to pity on the conditions of people who followed him.  They are like orphaned children without parents, and he did not want to let them go hungry and astray like a lost sheep in that uninhabited place.  “He said to them, ‘Give them some food yourselves’.” (Luke 9: 13).  He let his disciples to share the food they have.  By sharing what they have, Jesus is also teaching his disciples to become generous givers and open-hearted servants.  Jesus knew that his disciples brought with them some provisions, and he wanted that his disciples will share also what they have, for in sharing we are not losing or lessening whatever we have, (sa pusong mapagbigay, hndi ka magkukulang), but rather we increase and receive plenty.

Though they wanted to give, but being practical for they knew what they have was not enough, so they told Jesus about their conditions and problems. “They replied, ‘Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people’.” (Luke 9: 13).  They told him that they brought only five loaves of bread and two fish.  They are not enough even to themselves.  “Now the men there numbered about five thousand” (Luke 9: 14).  Besides, there were five thousand men, excluding women and children. How can you expect to feed these crowds with just five loaves of bread and two fish? They even suggested that even they buy for these many people, it is impossible to gather that much in a village, or town, or city.  They have to find a bakery that bakes that much or more to feed these people.

But Jesus full of trust and confidence to his merciful and provident God his Father, and that is not impossible to feed that numbers of people.  “Then he said to his disciples, ‘Have them sit down in groups of about fifty’.” (Luke 9: 14).  He told his disciples to group these men into fifty persons in one group, separated the women and their children.  So there are 100 groups of 50 persons scattered in the open field.  He also told his disciples to let them sit down on the grass for it was spring time; there are lots of grasses around the area.  “They did so and they made them all sit down” (Luke 9: 15).  The Apostles obeyed what they were told them to do, while the people followed the instructions of the Twelve. 

Jesus asked for the bread and fish, and the disciple handed them over to Jesus.  “Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd” (Luke 9: 16).  Jesus did what the priests of old, in the line of the priesthood of Melchizedek in offering sacrifices to the God Most High (first reading, Genesis 14: 18).  He took the five loaves of bread and two fish, looked up to heaven where the God the Father is, he said the blessing by thanking God for these gifts, he divided the bread as well as the fish into pieces, gave them to his disciples; and the disciples distributed the broken pieces of bread and fish to the crowds.  “They all ate and were satisfied” (Luke 9: 17).  This is the Eucharistic celebration of the Holy Mass, where Jesus’ body and blood was given and eaten in his memory. Every time we eat his body and drink his blood we recall his death until he comes in glory.

The disciples were told to gather the leftover pieces of bread and fish; and they were able to collect twelve baskets of bread and fish symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel – the whole community of God, of which we also belong.  “And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets” (Luke 9: 17).  Nothing is thrown or left behind or rejected in his Kingdom whom he started to teach and explain; but we do not know, if they listened – for what they expected were what they can get – healing and eating bread and fish.   In Jesus we can find the Kingdom of God, where no one is thrown out, left behind or rejected but instead he gathers us into his community and/or one family of brotherhood and sisterhood, in his own body and blood.