By Fr. Azam Vianney Mansha, CJM
A Reflection on the Solemnity of the
Most Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
Dear sisters and brothers,
In today’s Gospel, we heard that Jesus had 5 loaves of bread and 2 pieces of fish. Putting these
together, we get the number seven. In the Bible, the number seven first appears in the Book of
Genesis where God created the heavens and the earth in six day. On the seventh day, God rested.
To rest does not mean that God got tired and wanted to sleep or God wanted to try something
new or God wanted to go for a walk in Solana Beach. To understand this biblically, the phrase
“God rested” means that God opened Himself to His creation so that His creation may turn
towards its Creator and enter into a relationship with Him. This is what actually took place on theseventh day.
To deepen your understanding about the biblical meaning of the number seven, let us turn to thestory of Noah. After the great flood, God showed a rainbow to Noah and made a covenant withhim, promising that He would never destroy the land with a flood again. Now, how many colors does a rainbow have? Seven!!! As you can see, the number seven stands for “covenant” or “relationship” as it was in the time of the creation story.
Now, when Jesus took the five loaves of bread and the 2 pieces of fish, He was sure to establish a relationship with the people. That is why Jesus did not pay attention to the worries of His disciples; but rather, He wholeheartedly accepted the small but genuine gift of the little boy, namely the five loaves of bread and the 2 pieces of fish. The boy took the risk of showing His faith in Jesus, which in turn allowed Jesus to feed 5,000 men (plus women and children). The very act of Jesus of taking the bread, saying the blessings, breaking it, and giving it to the disciples is known in Church as the Eucharistic action or the sacramental meal. Those who participated in this Eucharistic action were blessed to enter into a relationship with Jesus. Jesus wanted to continue this relationship with mankind; therefore, at the Last Supper, when Jesus took the bread and wine, He precisely said, “This is my Body and my Blood.”
It is really sad to see that our Christian sisters and brothers believe in the Bible (sola scriptura),
but do not believe in the Words of Jesus. They do not have faith in the real presence of Jesus in
the Eucharist. Often, they forget the transforming power of the Words of Jesus. As examples, at
the wedding feast in Cana, through the Words of Jesus, water was changed into wine (Jn 2:1-12); Lazarus, who was dead for days, rose from the dead and came out of his tomb when Jesus called him (John 11:1-46); when Jesus told this person who was sick for 38 years to get up, take his mat and walk, he was able to do it (Jn 5:1-9). Now, when Jesus took the bread and wine, and said, “This is my Body and my Blood,” is it not His Body and His Blood?! It is not only to fully
believe in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, but it is also to enter into a relationship with
Him.
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) is a memory where
God comes to meet us (Pope Benedict XVI); it is the solemnity of the treasure of all heavenly
treasures (St. John Marie Vianney); it is the solemnity of the perfect expression of love (St.
Maria Goretti); and, it is the solemnity of the “source and summit of the Christian life,” which
contains “the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself” (CCC 1324). Aside
from all these, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is a healing day. Let us
remember the words of our good Pope Francis: “The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of
sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the
weak” (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 47).
May Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother, intercede for us to always enter into a covenantal relationship with our Savior through the Body and Blood of Christ in order to keep Him in our minds, hearts and souls.