READINGS FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST, YEAR C, SUNDAY, 22 JUNE, 2025.
First Reading: Genesis 14:18-20
Psalm: 109
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Gospel: Luke 9:11-17
REFLECTION BY FR CORNELIUS NWAOGWUGWU, CM.
THE MYSTERY OF THE REAL PRESENCE OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE MOST HOLY EUCHARIST.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
In union with the Church, the African Chaplaincy, Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, Year C. Today is called Corpus Christi which means the Body of Christ. Pope Urban IV on August 11, 1264 instituted the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. It is a liturgical Solemnity that celebrates the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.
Today’s reflection gives us an occasion to learn more about the mystery, significance and value of the “Real Presence” of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Eucharist is a precious gift given to us by Jesus Christ as our spiritual Food and Drink on Holy Thursday. Jesus said, “I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” (John 6: 51-52). Jesus Christ urges us to recognise and accept this eternal truth that gives meaning to our lives. Giving meaning and true life to the world is the mission of Christ, the Lord and the mission of the Church. By extension, it is also the mission of the African Chaplaincy, Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.
Today’s celebration is significant. It brings all of us together to adore Christ, the Lord present in the Holy Eucharist. Today’s readings draw us into the heart of Catholic faith, the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, where Christ is truly present.
In the First Reading from the book of Genesis, we meet Melchizedek, the mysterious priest-king of Salem, who offers bread and wine and blesses Abram. This ancient gesture is more than hospitality. It is a foreshadowing. Melchizedek, whose name means “king of righteousness,” prefigures Christ, the eternal High Priest. His offering of bread and wine points forward to the Last Supper, where Jesus will transform these simple elements into His very self. (Genesis 14:18–20).
Today’s Psalmist echoes this priestly theme: “You are a priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.” This is not just poetic language. It is a theological anchor. Jesus is not a priest by human lineage but by divine appointment. His priesthood is eternal. His sacrifice is not repeated but made present at every Mass. (Psalm 109).
In the Second Reading, St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, recounts the institution of the Holy Eucharist. He narrated how “the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ In the same way, he took the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.” These are not symbolic gestures. Paul emphasizes that every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes. The Eucharist is not a re-enactment. The Holy Eucharist is a participation in the one sacrifice of Christ, made present in time and space. (1Corinthians 11:23–26).
In the Gospel according to Luke, we witness the multiplication of the loaves and fish. Jesus feeds the multitude with five loaves and two fish and all are satisfied. This miracle is not just about physical hunger. It is a sign of the spiritual nourishment Christ offers. The structure of the miracle is very instructive. Jesus takes, blesses, breaks and gives. This mirrors the actions at the Last Supper and at every Mass. The crowd’s hunger is our hunger. We hunger for meaning, for communion and for God Himself. (Luke 9:11–17).
These readings reveal the existential reality of the Holy Eucharist. It is not merely a ritual or remembrance. The Holy Eucharist is Christ Himself, given to us. In the Holy Eucharist, heaven touches earth. At the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, we are not spectators. We are participants in the divine mystery.
The Holy Eucharist is the source, the Heart, the Centre and the apex of the whole Christian life and practice. The Holy Eucharist is the Church’s entire spiritual wealth that is Christ Himself, our Passover and the true living bread. The Holy Eucharist is the summit of our faith because it is Christ, truly present, nourishing us, transforming us and uniting us as one body. In a world that often feels fragmented and hungry for truth, the Eucharist is God’s answer. It is His abiding presence, His covenant of love and His invitation to communion not just with Him, but with one another.
As Catholics, we believe in the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist because Jesus Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist during his Last Supper. Jesus commanded his disciples to repeat it in his memory.
We explain the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist by: “transubstantiation” which means that the substance of the offered bread and wine is changed by Consecration to the substance of the risen Jesus’ glorified, Body and Blood by the action of the Holy Spirit and its accidents or appearances (like colour, shape, smell, taste etc.), remain the same.
Jesus in the Gospel of John, Chapter 6, identifies himself as “the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him.” (John 6:51-58).
In respect of this teaching by Jesus, St. Paul says: “the blessing cup that we bless is a communion with the Blood of Christ, and the bread that we break is a communion with the Body of Christ. (1Corinthians 10:16-17).
As Catholics, we believe that Christ is present in our churches in the real, concrete form of the Blessed Sacrament that is preserved in our tabernacles. We believe that after the consecration at Mass, the bread and wine becomes really and truly the Body and Blood of Christ. We also believe that after Mass, the presence of Christ in the consecrated Bread does not cease. Rather, the presence of Christ in the Bread is an enduring one. That is why the consecrated Bread is preserved in a safe place within the church. We believe that we can go to adore Jesus Christ, talk to Him, thank Him and lay our aspirations, hopes and problems before Him.
We have need for Christ who is truly present in the Holy Eucharist. We are urged to be united with Christ, the Church and with one another. Let us offer our lives on the altar along with Jesus’ sacrifice and ask pardon for our sins. Let us also express gratitude for the blessings we have received and present our needs and petitions on the altar with faith and total trust in God.
Above all, let us appreciate the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, by receiving him with true repentance for our sins, due preparation and reverence. By receiving Holy Communion, we become Christ-bearers as our Blessed Mother Mary was, with the duty of conveying Christ to others, at home, in our communities and in the workplace.
Indeed, we are privileged and blessed to be part of the Body of Christ and have a share in this special gift of Christ which He says, “anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him/her up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.” (John 6:54). Let us approach the altar not as passive observers, but as living members of Christ’s body, ready to be fed, transformed and sent forth to be Eucharist for the world.
As we celebrate joyfully, the feast of Corpus Christi today, Pope Paul VI reminds us that, “from this feast of Corpus Christi have originated many practices of Eucharistic devotion that, under the inspiration of divine grace, have increased from day to day and that the Catholic Church uses eagerly to show ever greater homage to Christ, to thank him for so great a gift and to implore his mercy.”
Let us pray St. Thomas Aquinas’ prayer of devotion in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament: “O Sacrament Most Holy! O Sacrament Divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine!” Amen.
Rev. Fr. Cornelius Nwaogwugwu, CM.