CORPUS CHRISTI (A)

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.

Jn 6:51-58

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds…

The traditional translation would be: “Jesus said to the Jews….” It is as if Jesus and his disciples were not Jews. It would seem that when John wrote his gospel, Christians were already aware that they had an identity of their own. They were not a religious group within the Jewish religion.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

The Jewish hearers of Jesus would know that the bread that came down from heaven was manna. It was this bread that kept their ancestors alive during their wandering in the desert. Jesus asserts that he is the true manna (for he is 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.

And just as the manna of the Old Testament kept the Israelites alive in the de-sert, so also this manna which is his flesh will give life to those who eat it. Obvi-ously, Jesus is talking here about the Eucharist.

Giving his flesh refers to his death on the cross. For the life of the world is another way of saying “saving mankind”. In other words, the death of Jesus is salvific.

Life is a favourite theme in John’s gospel. In his encounter with the Samaritan woman, he offers to give her living water. When Jesus went to see Lazarus who had died, he tells Martha that he is the way, the truth and the life.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

The word “eat” here is literally “chew” or “masticate”. John may want to underline the fact that the Eucharist is REALLY partaking of the body and blood of Jesus.

Jesus also tells us that the Eucharist is contains within itself the promise of resurrection to those who believe.

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

Food and drink sustains life. Since the Eucharist is real food and drink, it follows that it gives life, eternal life.

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.

To live is to enter into communion with the Son and with the Father. The Eucharist is a special sign of this communion. Hence, the Eucharist when received is called Holy Communion.

GOD’S HUNGER

Is God hungry for food? Certainly not. God does not need to eat.

Does he long for money? Obviously not. He doesn’t need to buy anything.

Is he longing for companionship because he is lonely? Certainly not. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Heaven is populated by choirs of angels and saints. Obviously God can not possibly be lonely.

Is God hungry for our attention? Does he long to have some time with us? The answer is yes. Because God has decided to create us and because God has decided to establish a relationship with us, God wants some time with us. He wants some attention. How can there be a relationship without time and attention?

How do we give our time and attention to God? Through prayer as life and through prayer as exercise. Prayer as exercise means setting aside a specific time just to talk to him. Prayer as life means thinking of God now and then in the midst of our activities during the day.

God longs for our loyalty. God wants to be sure that if we have to make a choice, we will surely choose him. Temptation then becomes an opportunity to make a choice for God.

Finally, is God hungry for our love? In June 1675 during the feast of Corpus Christi, while praying before Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, Jesus revealed His Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and said: "Here is the Heart that has so loved men as to spare nothing for them, exhausting and consuming itself in order to prove its love for them; and in return I receive, from most of them, only ingratitude." It is as if the Sacred Heart of Jesus is saying: “I have loved but have not been loved in return.”

Does God long for our love? The Bible (Deuteronomy) says: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.

And how do we show our love? Jesus said: “If you love me, keep my commandments.”