The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) - June 22, 2025
Genesis 14:18-20; 1Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11b-17
Theme:
The Eucharist is the Spiritual Food, the Real Presence of Christ, and a
Thanksgiving to God.
A. Brief
Exegetical Analysis of Luke 9:11b-17
1.
Historical and Literary Contexts
Luke situates this Gospel
passage between two sections. The first section, which comes immediately before
our text, narrates the stories of Jesus sending his disciples on a mission with
instructions to take nothing for the journey, not even food (9:1-6), followed
by Herod’s opinion of Jesus’s identity (9:7-9). The second section, which
follows our passage, details Peter's confession of Jesus as the Messiah
(9:18-21), culminating in Jesus’ first prediction of his Passion and his
teaching on the condition of discipleship (9:22-27). Therefore, through the
story of the feeding of the crowd, Luke conveys to the believers of his Church
community that the Eucharist they celebrate and share is the spiritual food and
real presence of Christ for those who follow Jesus.
2.
Form, Structure, and Movement
This Gospel text is a
narrative account. V. 11b serves as an introduction, while v. 17b acts as a
conclusion. The main body of the text (vv. 12-17a) can be divided into two
parts. First, Jesus and the disciples discuss how to feed the hungry crowds
(vv. 12-13), and second, Jesus miraculously feeds them all (vv. 14-17a).
3.
Detailed Analysis
All four Gospels recount
this story of the miraculous feeding of over five thousand people (Mt 14:13-21;
Mk 6:32-44; Lk 9:12-17; Jn 6:5-14). Matthew and Mark include another feeding
account of over four thousand people (Mt 15:32-38; Mk 8:1-9).
V. 11b and vv. 10-11a,
which the lectionary has omitted from our Gospel text, connect this passage to
the previous story of Jesus sending his disciples on a mission (9:1-6). The
disciples returned from their mission journey and reported to Jesus how successful
it had been. Jesus withdrew with them to a private place, away from the
disturbance of the crowds, so they could rest. However, they were disturbed by
the crowds, who, hungry for the Word of God, followed Jesus. Although Jesus
needed this private time with his exhausted disciples, he did not dismiss the
crowds. Instead, he ministered to them by teaching them the Word of God and
healing those who were sick. The central topic of his teaching is the “kingdom
of God”.
Vv. 12-13. The disciples
express concern about how to feed the crowds as the day draws to a close. While
they suggest that Jesus dismiss the crowds, Jesus challenges them to feed these
people. He helps his disciples experience the fullness of how the mission
should lead to the kingdom of God, which is the central topic of Jesus’
teaching at this moment (see v. 11b)[1]. The
quantities of loaves (5) and fish (2) that the disciples possess (v. 13) total
seven, which signifies completeness and perfection. The bread has a Eucharistic
dimension, while fish carries an eschatological one.[2]
Vv. 14-17a. Jesus
instructs the disciples to have people sit down in groups of about fifty (v.
14), and they comply (v. 15). This instruction suggests that the miraculous
food is not merely a large feast, but rather a joyful banquet. Jesus’ actions
and words over the bread and fish (v. 16) evoke the institution of the
Eucharist at the Last Supper before Jesus’ crucifixion (Lk 22:19) and the
breaking of bread with the disciples of Emmaus after his Resurrection (Lk
24:30), as well as the Christian Eucharist celebrated during Luke's time. The
disciples are responsible for distributing food to the crowds. Everyone ate and
was satisfied. The collection of leftover fragments filling twelve wicker
baskets (with the number twelve symbolizing universalism) suggests that all
Israelites and all people should not perish but be saved. Therefore, this
miraculous food “foreshadows the eschatological eucharistic banquet.”[3]
4.
Synthesis
The crowds followed
Jesus, disturbing his private time and rest with his exhausted disciples, who
had just returned from their mission journey. Jesus ministered to these crowds
by teaching them the Word of God and healing those who were sick. The topic of
his teaching was the “kingdom of God." In the evening, while the disciples
suggested that Jesus dismiss the crowds because they did not have enough food
to feed them, Jesus challenged them to feed the crowds instead, helping them
experience the fullness of how the mission should lead to the kingdom of God.
He ordered his disciples to have the crowds sit down as for a joyful banquet.
The actions and words he employed over the bread and fish recall the
institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper (Lk 22:19), the breaking of the
bread with the disciples of Emmaus (Lk 24:30), and the Eucharistic celebration
during Luke’s time. The collection of leftover fragments filling twelve wicker
baskets (with the number twelve symbolizing universalism) suggests that all
Israelites and all people should not perish but be saved. In this story, the
bread has a Eucharistic dimension, while the fish carries an eschatological
one. Therefore, this miraculous food prefigures the eschatological eucharistic
banquet.
B. Pastoral
Implications
1.
Liturgical Context
The miraculous food that
the crowds ate in our Gospel passage recalls the Eucharist as spiritual food
for our souls. In our second reading, Saint Paul describes the Eucharist as the
real presence of Jesus. Finally, in our first reading, Melchisedek, king of
Salem and priest of God Most High, offered bread and wine in thanksgiving to
God for granting victory to Abram over his enemies. Therefore, the Eucharist we
celebrate at each Mass we attend is the spiritual nourishment, the true
presence of Christ, and a thanksgiving to God.
2.
What the Church Teaches Us Today
(1) Eucharist serves as
spiritual nourishment for our souls. In our Gospel, Jesus ministered to the
crowds who followed him by teaching them the Word of God, healing the sick, and
providing miraculous food. All these events take place during the liturgy of
the Mass. At each Mass we attend, Jesus teaches us the Word of God through the
proclamation of Scripture readings and the homily; he listens to our
supplications during the universal prayer (prayer of the faithful) and heals us
from the spiritual sickness caused by sin; and he nourishes us with his Body
and Blood, the spiritual food for our souls, at Holy Communion.
To avoid missing out on
these blessings, this Gospel teaches us to do four things. First, we should
continue following Jesus through the celebration of the Eucharist, as the
crowds did. Following Jesus shapes our discipleship and demonstrates how much
we love and need him. Second, we should support the Church of Jesus with our
Talents, Times, and Treasures (3Ts). In this Gospel, Jesus blessed the five
loaves and two fish of the disciples and miraculously fed all the people who
followed him. Likewise, today, Jesus wants to bless our Church members,
relatives, and people wherever we live with what we offer him. Let us be
generous. Third, through our baptism, we became servants to our brothers and
sisters. Per Jesus’s instruction, the disciples organized the crowds for a
joyful banquet and distributed food to them. Let us continue to serve our
brothers and sisters through our various ministries in the Church. Fourth,
while we serve people, we should not “waste” anyone but save all people. This
is what Jesus teaches us when he ordered his disciples to collect the leftover
fragments filling twelve baskets. The number twelve symbolizes universalism,
and collecting all the leftover fragments means saving people. Therefore, our
mission is to save everyone.
(2) In this solemnity of
the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the Church teaches us that the
Eucharist is the True Presence of Christ. This is what Saint Paul teaches us in
our second reading. He reminds us of Jesus’s actions and words at the Last Supper
meal when he instituted the Eucharist. “[Jesus] took bread, and after he had
given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in
remembrance of me’” (1 Cor 11:23-24). For the cup, he said, “This cup is the
new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of
me” (1 Cor 11:25). Thus, the bread and wine that ordained ministers consecrate
at each Mass become not “like” but the Body and Blood of Christ. Moreover, the
Mass is celebrated in Jesus’s remembrance. This means that Jesus is truly
present in the Eucharist of the Mass.
(3) In this Solemnity of
Corpus Christi, our Holy Mother Church teaches us that the Eucharistic
celebration is a Thanksgiving to God. The story of Abram and Melchizedek, which
we heard in our first reading, illustrates this point. The context of this passage
is that Abram, along with his army, succeeded in conquering the land that God
promised him. Melchizedek, king of Salem, is among the kings who came to praise
and honor Abram for his victory. He prepared a feast in Abram's honor, offering
bread and wine as a thanksgiving to God (Gn. 14:18) because he believes that
Abram fought not with his own strength, but with the power of God (Gn. 14:20).
God, who assisted Abram, continues to do the same for us every day. Therefore,
like Melchizedek, the Church exhorts us to always come together as one Church
(especially on Sundays) to offer our gift of “bread and wine,” meaning to
celebrate the liturgy of the Mass as a Thanksgiving to God for all the mighty
deeds he blesses us with. The celebration of the Eucharist (Mass) is our
Thanksgiving to God.
May the liturgy of this
Mass help us believe that the Eucharist we celebrate at each Mass is the
Spiritual Food for our souls, the True Presence of Christ, and our Thanksgiving
to God. Amen.
Fr. Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church, Jackson, MS
&
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
No comments:
Post a Comment