26/06/2011 - Corpus Christi - Year A
1Reading Deut 8,2-3.14-16 Psalm 147 2Reading 1Cor 10,16-17 Gospel Jn 6,51-58
Last Sunday we contemplated the mystery of the life in God: today we manifest our
joy for the mystery that celebrates his presence amongst us. To give us the assurance
of his being with us, he used food, that which we need and cannot stay without,
as we turn to it every day, as we prepare it and await with joy the time to take
it, possibily in the company of others. Already with Moses the people had experienced
the love of God and his compassion when we ate and nourished themselves with food
coming down from on high, unknown to their fathers, and drank the water from the
rock. Every day the people was to remember the love of God, and was to remember
not only by memory, but eating and drinking, sustaining their lives with the reality
of food and drink.
Jesus, God's presence on earth, brought to fulness the prophecy of Moses. God does
not only give us food to show us his love, but he himself becomes food and drink
that satisfies by becoming a life eternal and full. This is truly a great and perfect
mystery. Food and drink give energy and become my life, and I change according to
that which the food contains. Jesus presents bread to his disciples, bread to which
he gives a new meaning. So that the meaning won't be only something mental, but
a new reality, he offered himself, trusted himself to be offered as the paschal
lamb so that he could say to us: "This is my body" and "This is the
cup of my blood". Those who wanted to understand didn't succeed to, those had
believed and believe, enter into a true comunion with the blood of Christ and his
body, as stated by saint Paul.
In today's Gospel Jesus tells us that the food and drink he gives are not free to
choose: who wants to inherit life eternal, who wants to be in comunion with God,
receiving and giving his love, need to be nourished. We understand that, of course,
that to nourish oneself of the body and blood of the Son of God doesn't happen by
eating his bread and drinking his wine distracted, and neither not belonging heartly
to his person. St. Paul tells us who ever eats and drinks without faith, eats and
drinks his own condamnation. As Jesus made true the meaning of the bread and wine,
we too ought to make true the eating and the drinking. I welcome within me Jesus
with all his being, with all his love for the Father, with all his love that serves
men. When I want to be one with Jesus in doing the will of the Father, therefore
my eating and my drinking his body and blood are a true transformation for me: I
become a Son of God.
The procession to which take part is the public profession of our faith. We have
nothing to hide. The mystery of God and his presence amongst us is for us a great
joy: we don't want to hide it, on the contrary, we desire to share it with all the
world. Who know whether someone who has always made fun of us, would not become
aware of the importance and the beauty of the gift of the eucharist? Whatever, Jesus
is worthyu to be given always adoration and honor everywhere, even outside the church
building. He protects us and guides us, everywhere, we in every place love him without
being ashamed of him. Let us adore Jesus publicly, even in the name of those who
live in the city or nations where it is not permitted to do it.
Good Shephers, true bread, O Jesus, have mercy on us:
feed us and defend us, lead us to eternal blessings in the land of the living!