CORPUS CHRISTI (Deut 8: 2-4, I Cor 10: 16-17 Jn 6: 51-58)  

The Church celebrates one of the deepest mysteries of our faith with the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. During the liturgical year there are at least two feasts that invite us to meditate on the mystery of the Eucharist: the Maundy Thursday and the Feast of Corpus Christi.  On Maundy Thursday, the reflection on the Eucharist is centered on the memorial of the Passover meal and the institution of the priesthood.  The feast of today gives us yet another opportunity to contemplate the mystery of the Eucharist and what it offers us. 

We believe in the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist because 1) Jesus promised it after miraculously feeding the 5000. 2) Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist during his Last Supper. 3) Jesus commanded his disciples to repeat it in his memory. 4) “Nothing is impossible for God.”

 In the First Reading Moses recalls the way in which God fed the people of Israel in the desert with manna, that miraculous food which Christians were later to see as a pre-figuration of the Eucharist.

There are three things we should always keep in mind about this wonderful sacrament: what it is, how it happens, and why Christ gave it to us.

The Eucharist is not just a symbol of Christ's spiritual presence.  It is not just a reminder of Christ's self-offering in the past. No, Jesus Christ is truly present in this sacrament.  This is why St Paul, in today's Second Reading, calls Holy Communion a "participation" in the body and blood of Christ. And this is why Jesus himself, in today's Gospel reading, repeats six times - SIX times - that his flesh is real food and his blood is real drink.

He loves us so much that he wants his own life to flow through our veins; he wants to accompany us always and everywhere, until he leads us home to be with him forever in heaven.

Most non-Catholic Christians believe that the Eucharist is, just a symbol of Christ's presence, not the real thing. But the Catholics and the Orthodox Christians believe that Christ is not just symbolically present in the Eucharist, he is truly, really present. 

Just as Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana, at every Mass he turns bread and wine into his own body and blood. Only God can do that kind of thing - only God can perform miracles. Unlike at the multiplication of the bread, at Cana a transubstantiation took place. Substance of water was changed into wine, not just multiplication or amplification of some wine into more wine.

In some cases, at Mass, not just substance but even the accidents were also changed. History is full of numerous documented cases of consecrated hosts miraculously turning into bleeding flesh. Last year when I was on the pilgrimage to Fatima, I visited a Eucharistic miracle that happened in 1200s. Still 800 years later, it is visibly present for people to observe, verify and believe.

Heb.9:22 says: there is no forgiveness of sins without shedding blood. A person’s life consists in his/her blood. You cannot take all the blood from someone and have him or her live. If that were possible, I think, blood cancer could be easily healed, by completely changing the blood. The imagery of blood also recalls the idea of sacrifice, and Jesus’ sacrifice for humanity. Among other religions, the Jewish religion also contained sacrifice. A lamb was sacrificed in the temple at Passover as an expiation, to atone for the sins of the people since the last Passover. For us, Jesus became that Lamb of sacrifice, once and for all times; uniting us with God: creating communion between us and God.

Jesus’ body brings healing and his blood brings forgiveness of sins.  The consecration words says, blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

The Holy Eucharist is given to us by the Lord in His Infinite love towards our continued and complete healing.”  Recently I heard, a lady in Canada who had toothache received Holy Communion and told Jesus I will not leave you unless you heal my toothache. And she got immediate healing. Isaiah says: By his wounds we are healed. Jesus’ body was lacerated at the crucifixion. And he heals us and gives us everlasting life by his death on the cross. But the blood that he poured out forgives our sins and frees us from all diabolic forces. So we need to ask the Father to purify us in the blood of Jesus and fill us with the Holy Spirit at the time of the Mass.

Any time we pray asking the Father to purify us in the blood of Jesus and fill us with the Holy Spirit He will drive away all fears and worries and negative thoughts from us. If you suspect somebody is against you, you may pray: Abba Father, purify (name) in the holy blood of Jesus your Son and fill him with the Holy Spirit. Then all the evil plans he would contrive against you will be neutralized by the power of the blood of the lamb. When you come into the Church you need to pray: Abba Father, purify the celebrant all the congregation in the blood of Jesus and fill them with the Holy Spirit.

Last Monday I was going for a retreat in New Jersey. From last Monday we have only one Mass here on weekdays. So, I thought, I will not concelebrate here and when I get there, if we have a mass there I will join that. You know what happened when I got to the airport at 10.30 am?  US airways flight in which I was supposed to travel, got delayed for over an hour. Then that flight was cancelled. I thought I would cancel my plan and come back here. Since Fr.Baiju was with me and he wanted to go, I stayed on for his company. Then the customer service gave us a boarding pass to for a United airways flight to Newark. After waiting for over an hour and a half the flight came. Then when we showed the boarding pass to board, I was told, I could not go by that flight as the US airways did not pay the United airways. We tried to contact the customer care but meanwhile the flight also left. Then with apology they issued another boarding pass for a flight that would come 2 hours later. Long story short we got 5 hours delayed. And during the retreat the preacher said, if we miss Mass or fail to protect ourselves with the power of the holy blood of Jesus, we are sure to meet with obstructions. And then it really came home to me why I missed all those flights.

Today is the feast glorifying the power of the blood of Jesus and the healing effect of the body of Christ. With faith and a worthy attitude let’s receive him and be strengthened in our resolve to live for him. Judas had a bad resolve to cheat the Lord when he received the communion and so he was strengthened in that evil intention, rather than abandoning that resolution. Let’s resolve to live for him who shed his blood for us and adore and joyfully receive the healer of our souls, in this Holy Mass.