The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
By Lorenz S. Centino, Jr.
John 6: 51 - 58
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;
54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.
58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS:
A BLESSED CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAY TO ALL!
EATING TOGETHER (SALO-SALO) is a Filipino way of expressing the Filipino natural tendency for celebration and fellowship. Every gathering and fellowship is always cemented with the “eating-together” that characterize how Filipinos acknowledge, cherish and celebrate the presence of each other. The eating-together is a magnificent cultural symbol of Filipinos on how each one accepts each other.
The Gospel today provides us the original context of our special CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at Mass. In the celebration of the Holy Eucharist we have our “spiritual meal” that unites all of us Christians together regardless of race, gender, age, nationality, etc. By sharing the ONE BODY of Christ, we become ONE BODY, ONE FAMILY. In the Gospel, Jesus is exhorting the Jewish people to “eat” his “FLESH” and “drink” his “BLOOD” for them to have LIFE- a life to ETERNITY. However, it was this kind of exhortation that turned-off many away from him, including some of his followers. It was a very hard command for them to take and understand. They could have thought how can one eat Jesus' flesh and drink his blood without becoming a murderer or, at least, a cannibal. However, Jesus was making such command in view of their history wherein their forefathers were fed by God in their long wandering in the desert before they occupied the Promise Land. The MANNA in the wilderness which came down from heaven nourished them to continue with their journey, yet they all have died. But now Jesus is providing them with a new BREAD, a LIVING bread, that comes down from HEAVEN- his own BODY. It is a living bread that will bring them to EVERLASTING LIFE!
The Gospel today gives us a way to understand why the celebration of the Holy Eucharist is the SUMMIT of our Christian Prayer and Worship. Jesus himself gives the whole import why we have to remember him through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. In such celebration, we have our intimate COMMUNION and FELLOWSHIP with him and with ALL of his FOLLOWERS/DISIPLES everywhere. Whenever we receive him in the form of the BREAD and WINE, we are NOURISHING ourselves for ETERNITY.
However, when Jesus exhorts us to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he was asking us too to make him be the CENTER of our LIVES, the FOUNDATION of our DESIRES and DECISIONS. To eat his flesh and to drink his blood is to ACCEPT him in our lives and become ONE with him in MIND, HEART and ACTION. To receive Jesus is to RECEIVE and LIVE by his WORDS. For, as the first reading clearly declares, we do not live by bread alone but also by WORDS of GOD. It is this kind of COMMUNION with Jesus that leads us to ETERNAL LIFE. And such nourishment will inspire and bid us to also break our BODY and shed our BLOOD for others so for them also to find the fullness of life, which is to find Jesus as the BREAD that comes down from heaven.
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