Sunday Meditation: Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

Today is the second of the three feasts that reveal the nature of God, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, also known as Corpus Christi.  The Gospel in Year A is one we all know.

 

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:

"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."

 

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,

"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them,

"Amen, amen, I say to you,

unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,

you do not have life within you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood

has eternal life,

and I will raise him on the last day.

For my flesh is true food,

and my blood is true drink.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood

remains in me and I in him.

Just as the living Father sent me

and I have life because of the Father,

so also the one who feeds on me

will have life because of me.

This is the bread that came down from heaven.

Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,

whoever eats this bread will live forever."

        Jn 6: 51-58

 

Jeff Cavins provides a wonderful explanation. 

Now, a tradition of a procession with the Body of Christ has been revived, and I have posted in the past on my parish’s Corpus Christi procession.  Well, we did it again in this year of the Eucharistic Revival, this time following the Saturday Vigil Mass,  Here are pictures and a video clip of our procession

 

 

 

And you can see us coming out of the church with an Italian Marching band playing some hymns.

 We had a few children who had received their First Communion last month to sprinkle rose petals ahead of the Blessed Sacrament. 

 

“This is the bread that came down from heaven…whoever eats this bread will live forever.”