This Sunday, June 22, is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. We celebrate the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This Sunday is also known as Corpus Christi Sunday. The gospel reading is from the book of Luke. Let’s take a look.
Gospel Text – Luke 9:11b-17
“Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. 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.” He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.” They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.” Now the men there numbered about five thousand.
Then he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty.” They did so and made them all sit down. 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. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.”
Reflection
The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ this Sunday. In the Gospel, Jesus feeds the multitudes physically, reminding us of His real presence in the Eucharist, which feeds us spiritually. Jesus is teaching approximately 5000 men, and all that the apostles had were five loaves and two fish. Upon initial view, the math won’t work, but with God, anything is possible.
Jesus tells the apostles to “give them some food yourselves.” The apostles viewed the situation from an earthly perspective and determined that they would need money to purchase food to feed everyone. Jesus was inviting them into a more profound lesson about faith, responsibility, and cooperation with God. He was encouraging them to trust that God would provide for their needs, even when the math didn’t add up, as was the case here.
Connection to the Eucharist
This passage is deeply connected to the Eucharist as Jesus’ actions foreshadow the mystery of Jesus’ body and blood in the bread and wine. Jesus gives Himself to us as spiritual food in the Eucharist. There are other connections to the Eucharist in this passage:
- Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to the 5000. These are the same four acts from the Last Supper and are performed by priests worldwide every day.
- The “feeding of the five thousand” miracle echoes the “manna in the desert” when God provided for the Israelites.
- An abundance of food left over symbolizes the abundance of grace we receive from God in the Eucharist.
God provides abundantly for all. What a fantastic message to start the week with! Please let me know your thoughts on the article in the “Comments” section.
Peace
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