Posted on June 20, 2025 View all Gospel Reflection
“Do this in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:25; Luke 22:19 et al)
As we celebrate the solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Church invites us to move our hearts into reflecting on the great mystery of the gift that Jesus Christ gave to us for our earthly journey. Corpus Christi comes at the end of the Easter season as the third solemnity in a row. First, we celebrated Pentecost as the birthday of the Church, then the solemnity of the Holy Trinity which reminds us of the great mystery of the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as three persons in one God and how that communion of love between the three Divine Persons gives expression to our reality and the gift that Jesus entrusted to his disciples – to today where we celebrate that gift which is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
In a simple manner, this gift allows us to participate in the Divine communion by our receiving of the Eucharistic species. It is also a connection to how God wishes to continue to guide, feed and save His people. In order to understand that aspect we look briefly at the words of the psalmist who declares: “You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.” In a scriptural commentary that I was reading the author (Dr. Bergsma) explained how the priestly line of Melchizedek can possibly be traced all the way back to Shem the son of Noah. He explains that this priestly role is connected to Abraham and the throne of King David. We also know that Jesus is of the House of David and it is for this reason that many wanted him to become the earthly ruler of Israel. But Jesus repeatedly insists that what he has to offer is far greater than anything that can be obtained here on earth.
I think that the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes in today’s Gospel is a testament to this. Jesus said to his disciples “Give them some food yourselves.” But they knew that they had almost nothing (five loaves and two fish) with which to feed the 5,000 men (who probably came with their wives and maybe 2 or 3 children, making the total 25,000!). Even 5,000 alone is quite an impressive number. To give you a perspective, the upper church of the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC has a capacity of a mere 10,000.
I think that Jesus was setting the disciples up to realize how meager our abilities and resources are compared to what God would like to give to us. Jesus would then have the disciples have the people sit in groups of about fifty and then Jesus takes the five loads and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.” (Luke 9:16) In this miracle Jesus gave the pieces to the disciples and had them do the distribution. This is a key to understanding how the Eucharist is connected to the priesthood of Jesus Christ and the apostolic succession. The disciples for their part I am sure knew they each had very little, but when people continued to reach in and grab food. “They all ate and were satisfied.” (Luke 9:17)
It is this great miracle that foreshadows how the priesthood of Jesus Christ will provide for us the food of everlasting life, the food that will sustain us on our journey to heaven. This is why it was so important when Jesus declared “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6:51) Or in Matthew’s account where he says “Take and eat; this is my body.” (Matt. 26:26) The words in John’s account came right after the other account of the multiplication of the loaves. It was this great gift that the Lord instituted on at the Last Supper when he transformed the Passover feast to one which would allow us to pass over earthly death to life united in Christ.
Therefore, we should take great joy that in the mystery of the Eucharist which we celebrate today, the Real Presence of Jesus Christ is in our midst. It is present not only to adore in Eucharistic Adoration, but to feed and strengthen us on our heavenly journey. The Eucharist must necessarily be more than just a symbol or idea. It must truly and really be the Body of Christ since otherwise it would imply that we have the ability to feed ourselves. As Jesus reminded his followers: “Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.” (John 6:49-50) Even back then, the Israelites needed the manna to survive on their journey to the promised land, but it was temporary sustenance leading them to an earthly place. How much more fulfilling and eternal is the Eucharist since it leads us on our earthly journey to the promise of eternal life in heaven. Let us come and adore him who guides, feeds, and gives us eternal life by the great gift of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
