Precious Body and Blood of Christ
I Desire Mercy - Not Sacrifice
Introduction: Precious Body and blood of Christ: May
you continue to come to the Lord Jesus and feast on The Word and on His Body and
Blood so that you might be nourished and strengthened for the rest of your journey
back to the House of Our Abba-Father.
Today
we focus on the Lord Jesus’ continued presence with us, particularly through the
proclamation of the Word and the celebration of Eucharist – “giving thanks” – especially
as we receive the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation. Jesus desires to feed
us with His very Self so that we will have the wherewithal to continue to follow
Him as He leads us to the place, He has prepared for us. He wants us to be in union
with Him and with all those who partake of Him and are part of His Body. When we
gather as a faith community, we are called to remember/ re-enact/make present again
His saving events of giving of Himself totally to us and for us. Let us continue
to give thanks to our Abba for sending
the Very Best – Jesus – and let us come and share in His Body and Blood.
First Reading: Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14-16
He fed you with manna, which neither you nor your
fathers had known
Commentary: Here the Church sets before us the
model for the Eucharist, that is, God’s care in feeding his people during the
forty-year desert trek of the Exodus from Egypt. During this time the
Israelites were fed with manna; they called this ‘bread from heaven’, so that
it has become the model for the Eucharistic bread. As in all folk-tales, the
story has gradually grown in the telling, but originally manna seems to have
been the wholly unexpected and seemingly-miraculous provision of a sweet
substance exuded from a tamarisk bush. The Hebrews did not know what it was,
and, with a word-play typical of the Bible, etymologized it as ‘man-hu’, the
Hebrew for ‘What is it?’ The reading also stresses that this heavenly gift was
a symbol of divine Wisdom, God’s revelation of himself given from heaven. Hence
the saying, quoted by Jesus to Satan during his Testing in the Desert, ‘Man
does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of
God.’ The manna became the symbol and reminder of God’s unfailing care for his
people throughout their journey, just as the Eucharist is the expression of
God’s care for his people today.
Responsorial Psalm 147:12-15,19-20
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
The Psalm emphasizes the
importance of praising God, acknowledging His care and provision, and
recognizing the special relationship He has with His people. It reminds
believers to give thanks for God's blessings and to recognize His sovereignty
and wisdom in revealing His Word.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
That there is only one loaf means that, though we
are many, we form one body
Commentary: Paul, in writing to that difficult
and divided community at Corinth, chides them for their disunity and
selfishness. There were some rich members of the community, who got to the
Eucharist early, took all the best places, and proceeded to unpack their
hampers and feast, while the later comers – presumably the workers and
slaves – justifiably felt excluded and remained hungry. In the strongest terms
Paul insists that the Eucharist must be the symbol and expression of unity, and
that those who prevent it being so are making themselves ‘answerable for the
body and blood of the Lord’. Paul seems to use ‘the body of Christ’
interchangeably of both the Eucharistic bread and the Eucharistic body which is
the community, united in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. It is difficult
to see when he means one, and when the other. He obviously regards them both as
equally important and equally sacred. Later in the letter he will explain that
the community is an organism, in which everyone has their own, individually
special part to play, all living with the Spirit of Christ as the life-giving
principle. Unless this life is truly shared it is distorted and fails of its
purpose.
Gospel: John 6:51-58
My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink
Commentary: This is the last of the readings
from the Bread of Life discourse. It moves on from seeing Christ as the Wisdom
of God, who must be accepted and believed, to the sacrament of eating the bread
of life. These correspond to the two halves of the Mass, first the service of
the Word, then the Eucharistic banquet. We are all so diet-conscious nowadays
that it is quite obvious that the food we eat affects us. By eating Christ we
are assimilated into him. But, just as, if I am sick, food does me no good and
can even harm me, so if I eat Christ sacramentally without wanting to be
moulded into him, it does me no good at all. That is why Paul complained that
the Corinthians were answerable for the death of Christ. And drinking the blood
of Christ? Blood is the sign of life – if there is no blood, there is no
life – and God is the Lord of life and death. So if I receive Christ’s
blood I take on his life, his divine life, as the gift of God. That has
alarming side-effects: it means I share Christ’s life with other Christians. We
all live with the same life’s blood. Do I really share my life, my talents, my
goods with others, knowing that I share the same bloodstream?
Meditation: What is God's call on your life? Jesus chose Matthew to be his
follower and friend, not because Matthew was religious or learned, popular or saintly.
Matthew appeared to be none of those. He chose to live a life of wealth and ease.
His profession was probably the most corrupted and despised by everyone because
tax collectors made themselves wealthy by over-charging and threatening people if
they did not hand over their money to them.
God searches our heart
What did Jesus see in Matthew that others did not see? When the prophet Samuel
came to the house of Jesse to anoint the future heir to the throne of Israel, he
bypassed all the first seven sons and chose the last! "God looks at the heart
and not at the appearance of a man" he declared (1 Samuel 16:7-13). David's
heart was like a compass looking for true north - it pointed to God. Matthew's heart
must have yearned for God, even though he dare not show his face in a synagogue
- the Jewish house of prayer and the study of Torah - God's law. When Jesus saw
Matthew sitting at his tax office - no doubt counting his day's profit - Jesus spoke
only two words - "follow me". Those two words changed Matthew from a self-serving
profiteer to a God-serving apostle who would bring the treasures of God's kingdom
to the poor and needy.
John Chrysostom, the great 5th century church father, describes Matthew's
calling:
"Why did Jesus not call Matthew at the same time as he called Peter
and John and the rest? He came to each one at a particular time when he knew that
they would respond to him. He came at a different time to call Matthew when he was
assured that Matthew would surrender to his call. Similarly, he called Paul at a
different time when he was vulnerable, after the resurrection, something like a
hunter going after his quarry. For he who is acquainted with our inmost hearts and
knows the secrets of our minds knows when each one of us is ready to respond fully.
Therefore he did not call them all together at the beginning, when Matthew was still
in a hardened condition. Rather, only after countless miracles, after his fame spread
abroad, did he call Matthew. He knew Matthew had been softened for full responsiveness."
Jesus- the divine physician
When the Pharisees challenged Jesus' unorthodox behaviour in eating with
public sinners, Jesus' defense was quite simple. A doctor doesn't need to visit
healthy people; instead, he goes to those who are sick. Jesus likewise sought out
those in the greatest need. A true physician seeks healing of the whole person -
body, mind, and spirit. Jesus came as the divine physician and good shepherd to
care for his people and to restore them to wholeness of life. The orthodox were
so preoccupied with their own practice of religion that they neglected to help the
very people who needed spiritual care. Their religion was selfish because they didn't
want to have anything to do with people not like themselves. Jesus stated his mission
in unequivocal terms: I came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners.
Ironically the orthodox were as needy as those they despised. All have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
On more than one occasion Jesus quoted the saying from the prophet Hosea:
For I desire mercy and not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). Do you thank the Lord Jesus
for the great mercy he has shown to you? And do you show mercy to your neighbour
as well?
Lord Jesus, our Saviour, let us now come to you: Our hearts are cold; Lord,
warm them with your selfless love. Our hearts are sinful; cleanse them with your
precious blood. Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with your joyous Spirit. Our
hearts are empty; fill them with your divine presence. Lord Jesus, our hearts are
yours; possess them always and only for yourself. (Prayer of Augustine, 354-430)
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Matthew did not delay when called by
Jesus, by Chromatius (died 406 AD)
"The Lord,
about to give salvation to all sinners believing in him, willingly chose Matthew
the former publican. The gift of his esteem for Matthew stands as an example for
our salvation. Every sinner must be chosen by God and can receive the grace of eternal
salvation if one is not without a religious mind and a devout heart. So Matthew
was chosen willingly by God. And though he is immersed in worldly affairs, because
of his sincere religious devotion he is judged worthy to be called forth by the
Lord ("Follow me"), who by virtue of his divine nature knows the hidden
recesses of the heart. From what follows, we know that Matthew was accepted by the
Lord not by reason of his status but of his faith and devotion. As soon as the Lord
says to him, "Follow me," he does not linger or delay, but thereupon "he
arose and followed him." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW
45.1)
[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian
scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom
and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."]
COMMUNION DISTRIBUTORS
“Is not
the bread we break a sharing in the body of Christ?” —1 Corinthians 10:16
As we do this in memory of Him (1 Cor 11:24), we grow into deeper communion with Jesus. Through Jesus, we have communion with the Father and in the Spirit. We are also in communion with all those who receive Holy Communion. “We, many though we are, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” (1 Cor 10:17).
If we could receive and give communion in the deepest sense of the word,
our communions would be catalysts to change the world. Nations would be united.
Denominations would crumble, and all Christians would be one as Jesus and the Father
are one (Jn 17:21).
We would see deep unity within church congregations instead of pettiness and jealousies.
Marriages and families would be one in mind and heart. The whole world would be
radically and quickly changed into the image and likeness of God if we received
and distributed communion in the deepest and fullest way.
Prayer: Jesus, give me a desire to receive You daily in Holy Communion. “For My flesh is real food and My
blood real drink. The man who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me,
and I in him.” —Jn 6:55-56 “O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament
divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine.”
The personal action for today: What does receiving Eucharist (Holy Communion) mean to me? How do I feel when I am in “union with” the Lord Jesus and, through Him, with the other communicants? How do I remember and give thanks to GOD for sending us the Very Best? How can I take What/Who I will receive (Jesus, Himself) and share it with others when I receive the Body and Blood of Jesus? How can I be more aware of others who need to be nourished by the Lord Jesus through me?