Divine Food: Corpus Christi Sunday
Sermon by Emmanuel Suntheni OSB – Corpus Christi Sunday – Year C
Sermon And Christian Act In The Word
Theme: Divine Food! God´s Care& Love!
Point of Reflection: Today’s solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is certainly a Eucharistic feast. Today we rejoice and give thanks to Jesus for being with us through the gifts of bread and wine, which become his body and blood. How and why Jesus chose to be with us in this manner is a mystery that we approach with utter reverence and admiration. His spiritual but real presence in the Eucharist nourishes our spirits and unites us with him in a unique way. Today’s readings prove beyond a doubt that spiritual and bodily care go hand in hand. Those of God’s servants who understand this and act for the spiritual and bodily welfare of others are like the Israelite king of whom the Psalmist spoke in the words, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
First Reading: Genesis 14:18–20
Psalm: Psalm 110:1–4
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23–26
Gospel: Luke 9:11–17
Sermon (Reflection): Today´s celebration is a very human and even a more ordinary feast. These feast of today shows that God’s care and concern extend not only to the soul and spiritual life, but also to the human body, and covers the ordinary and daily needs of the faithful. This is manifested in the Gospel reading.
Today´s Gospel passage contains the Lukan version of the multiplication of the bread and fish by Jesus. This is the only miracle of Jesus reported by all four evangelists with remarkable consistency. A constant feature of these reports is that Jesus provides food for the crowd that came to listen to his teaching. Thus, Jesus combines his teaching meant for instruction and spiritual guidance with the provision of bodily nourishment for his followers.
Each of the feeding stories emphasises two elements. First, Jesus prays and gives thanks to God before the bread and the fish are multiplied. The gift of food is not his own but comes from God, the ultimate source of all nourishment. Second, the actual distribution of food is done by the disciples. They pass on the food provided by Jesus thanks to God’s generosity. Thus, the multiplication of the bread and fish teaches that Jesus’ concern and care touch the soul and the body alike. He cares for his followers as a spiritual leader and also a provider of food. He also teaches his disciples that their own leadership style, as future apostles, must include spiritual care combined with concern for the physical well-being of their followers. The book of Acts shows that they learned the lesson. The first communities they led provided material care to their members and were based on the sharing of material goods (Cf. Acts 4:32-37). This is also a lesson to us Christians who are his disciples to always share the little we have and give thanks to God for the gift of life and the little things we have.
The first Scriptural reading presents the conclusion of a story of the four kings who invaded the land where Abram and his nephew, Lot, lived. The scene from today’s reading describes the victorious Abram’s homecoming. He received a hero’s welcome from the local inhabitants. Among them was a ruler of a local city, Melchizedek of Salem. The name Melchizedek is symbolic. It means “king of righteousness”, while the name of his town, “Salem”, means “peace”. Melchizedek is the righteous king of peace and also the priest of God the Most High. This is the very first time that a priest is mentioned in the Bible. Melchizedek, a priest representing God, pronounces the first priestly blessing in the Bible. He blesses God the creator for giving Abram victory over his enemies and blesses Abraham for his courage and determination in saving the life and restoring the liberty of Lot and his family. Moreover, Melchizedek welcomed the victorious Abram with the gifts of bread and wine to nourish and refresh the exhausted Abram and his soldiers.
The welcome and the care Melchizedek offered Abram and his companions were comprehensive in their double focus on the body and soul. By blessing Abram and blessing God, Melchizedek ensured that Abram properly understood the spiritual foundations of his victory. He was victorious over the enemies because God was with him, and God delivered those four kings into Abram’s hands. By providing Abram with food and drink Melchizedek catered for the bodily needs of the tired hero. Those gifts of the land, bread and wine were also the gifts of God meant specifically to sustain and give joy to his servants. Thus, Melchizedek’s actions teach that God extends his care over the spirit and over the body of those who do God’s will. God cares for us all, and He gives us Divine Food, hence, celebrating the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.
In the Second reading, we encounter the Corinthian community, and Paul writes to the community with a stern reminder that the Christian gathering is a sacred occasion to commemorate Jesus’ passion and self-sacrifice. They had two meals, both with a spiritual and a social significance. Spiritually, they were occasions for communal prayer and instruction based on Jesus’ passion and resurrection. Socially, these gatherings included an ordinary meal when the members shared food and drink. However, in the Corinthian community, the spiritual aspect of those meals had been lost. The re-enactment and remembrance of what Jesus did on the cross serve as a proclamation of his death and resurrection. This proclamation is meant to provide spiritual nourishment for the community as it awaits the return of Jesus at the end of time.
At that time, this sacred meal was either preceded or followed by the sharing of ordinary food. Many members of the community who were poor would benefit from the generosity of the wealthier members and have a decent meal. However, this social function of the Eucharistic meal must never overshadow its primary, spiritual side. In his instructions, Paul seeks to strike a balance between spiritual nourishment and bodily provision. Each played a role in the life of this early Christian community, and one without the other would be incomplete. Thus, spiritual care and nourishment should be accompanied by bodily care and vice versa. As Christians, we need to live by the Body and Blood of Christ. The procession we are to have today must be a reality of us Christians walking with the Body and Blood of Christ in all our Christian journey.
Christian Act in Word of God “The Body and Blood of Christ”
As Christians and followers of Christ, we must always remember that the Eucharist teaches us about the very bodily and ordinary aspect of Jesus’ care for us. We must remember that bread and wine, much like in the first reading, are first of all food and drink for the body. Therefore, as we partake in the Eucharist, we must always keep in mind that it obliges us to act like Melchizedek and Jesus´ caring for the soul without neglecting the body. Our care and service within the Christian community must necessarily take into account both spiritual and material needs. One without the other is incomplete. We need to share the little we have with our fellow brothers and sisters in need.
By leaving his disciples with the command to eat his body and drink his blood, Jesus meant that they ought also to put themselves in the self-giving service to others. This is the sense of the Eucharistic celebration that many ignore. When receiving the Eucharistic Jesus, the believer obliges himself or herself to become like Jesus in his service and care for others. Thus, the Eucharist, while leading to the spiritual union with the Lord, must also affect and transform the lives of those who enter into this union, so that they become more like Jesus in their actions and words. As Jesus Christ shared his body and blood, what do we share with ourselves as Christians? Some of us have never shared anything with anybody in our lives, even a glass of water.
When Jesus Christ gave us his body, he automatically became an example and motivation for us to nourish one another in both the spiritual and physical sense. The beauty of authentic Christian faith lies in the combination of the spiritual with the material, and the soul with the body. As long as we live in the flesh, we must care for our bodies. Therefore, today’s feast insists that we seek and protect our bodily dignity. Care for the physical well-being of one another, and the search for truly human and dignified conditions of life, are therefore as much a Christian concern as is the care for spiritual welfare.
Action: I will identify someone who needs material assistance and find a way to show my care in any way or manner which I can afford.
Prayer: Almighty God, we thank you, Lord, for the gift of our bodies in which our souls now reside. As we receive your Body and Blood in our Christian living, we ask you Lord, to extend your loving care in our hearts so that we may have good health and spiritual growth in order that we may live our life in dignity and peace. Make us generous and caring Christians so that through your love, we may care for each other as your children, we ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
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