Corpus Christi: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”

(Jn 6:53–56)

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

As we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, I would recommend spending some time in prayer with “John 6” (the 6th Chapter of the Gospel of John), which contains Jesus’ great “Bread of Life Discourse.” In verse 60, we hear, “Then many of his disciples who were listening said, ‘This saying is hard; who can accept it?’ ”

Two thousand years later, Jesus’ disciples continue to struggle to appreciate the meaning of his words and teaching, especially that his “flesh is true food” and his “blood is true drink” and “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.”

In my column last week, I mentioned the decline in Mass attendance among Catholics during the past 30 to 40 years. Part of the reason for that decline must be a misunderstanding or lack of appreciation of our belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharist, his very Body and Blood that he tells us we should “take and eat,” “take and drink” so that he will “raise (us) on the last day.”

There is a prayer that became popular at Benediction, toward the end of a Holy Hour, or time of Eucharistic Adoration, after the priest or deacon blessed the people with the consecrated Host in the monstrance and the “Divine Praises” were prayed, the priest (and people) sometimes pray these words,

May the Heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored and loved, with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even until the end of time.

I think it is a beautiful prayer. I encourage you to take some time meditating on the words and their meaning. I believe that we have lost something along the way. I understand that there are some who believe that there was a time when the Church overemphasized Eucharistic Devotion and expressions of popular piety and, from what I have learned, there is some truth to that assertion. The fact remains that, at this moment in time and for a long time, perhaps especially in the United States and Europe, too many of our Catholic brothers and sisters do not appreciate or value what it means to receive Jesus in Holy Communion.

I write these words, not only because the Feast of Corpus Christi is an invitation and opportunity for all of us to reflect and meditate on the gift of the Real Presence of Jesus in “His Most Holy Body and Blood,” but also because the Feast of Corpus Christi in this year of 2021 offers us the opportunity to consider ways in which we might invite our sisters and brothers to join us for Mass around “the table of the Lord,” gathered as God’s family to hear his Word and to be, and receive, who we are, as members of the “One Body of Christ.”

Once again, the Feast of Corpus Christi presents us with a special moment and opportunity in a time of pandemic. Last year, after three months of the lockdown during the worst moments of the COVID-19 pandemic, when our churches were closed and we could not physically gather for Mass or receive Jesus in Holy Communion, it was on the Feast of Corpus Christi that we were able to return to Mass in person. Now, this year, please God, as we appear to be getting closer each day to coming out of the pandemic, the Bishops of our State of New Jersey are inviting all Catholics who are in good health to return to the keeping of our obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days. Yet, the pre-pandemic question remains, “How many of our sisters and brothers appreciate (or fail to appreciate) the meaning of that obligation?”

I love the quote (or proverb), “It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” I also vaguely recall a homilist being criticized because he was “going on and on” about all the people who do not attend Sunday Mass, while (obviously) all those who were hearing the homily were there, keeping their obligation. So, how can we “light a candle” that we may lead our fellow Catholics to a deeper appreciation of Jesus’ invitation, “Do this in memory of me”?

For those who are reading these words and who are at Mass every Sunday, I invite us all to spend some time in prayer and reflection on what a privilege and blessing it is to be able to attend Mass together and receive Jesus in Holy Communion. The Feast of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is in itself an invitation to reflect on how we “live the Mass.” Let us remember, even though the words have changed over the years, at the end of each Mass, we are sent, as “missionaries” out into the world, to share the “Good News.” Let us tell our sisters and brothers, in word and action, how blessed we are to have been able to be at Mass and been able to encounter our Lord “in the Breaking of the Bread” and how our “hearts were burning within us, as he spoke to us along the way …” (Lk 24:13–35) It is possible that if each of us have a deeper love and appreciation for the Mass, for the gift of his Body and Blood, and for one another, our sisters and brothers will see it in us and will want to know where we get (receive) our compassion, strength, and peace.

For those who do not regularly attend Sunday Mass or have not been doing so lately — either because of the pandemic, or for some, for a long time pre-pandemic, please consider this a personal invitation and know that we miss you. God gives to each of us, uniquely, gifts and talents — you have something to offer! The more that we can all be there together, united as God’s family for that hour (or 45 minutes or hour and 15 minutes) — whatever the amount of time — each week, the more that we can know and share the love and peace that Jesus teaches and gives to us as we respond to his invitation, “Do this in memory of me.”