Today, June 2, 2013, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. The Gospel is on the miracle of the five loaves of bread and two fish. In Israel, there is a place called Tabgha, traditionally venerated for this miracle. The altar of the church is built on a large rock upon which Jesus gave thanks and said the blessing on the traditional food of common people. There is an interesting mosaic design on the floor depicting the loaves and fishes. Instead of five, there are only four (4) loaves of bread. As I looked at the mosaic intently, I was puzzled by the missing loaf. I tried to recall the Bible passage again and again until I was certain that the the words stated, " five loaves of barley bread and two fish." How could they miss it? I thought it could not be possible to be a mistake overlooked by the people who commissioned the work nor of those who made it. I made my way to the front pew, sat, still pondering about it while gazing at the mosaic and then at the simple elegance of the altar- back and forth, a few times. My mind continued to search for the answer. I talked to myself about the two aspects of Mass- Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist. And then, the revelation flashed with great vigor, "bread blessed on the altar table at every Mass represent the fifth loaf!" Then I understood that since the early days of the Church, the Eucharist has been linked to the miracle of the multiplication of the bread and fish. It seems that today, many people put more emphasis, though rightly so, on the Eucharist being associated with the Last Supper and the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
In the Bible, we find a number of instances when Jesus said or did significant things with food or during a meal. During the Exodus, Yahweh fed the people with "manna" to appease their hunger as they spent forty years in the wilderness while on their journey to the Promised Land. According to the expectations of Israel, the Messiah would gather His people in a fraternal banquet. In the New Testament, Jesus performed His first miracle during a wedding feast when He changed water into wine. It was during a party when a woman poured precious perfume on Jesus' feet indicative of His "anointing" for sacrifice on the cross. And the incident is remembered forever! It was in the Upper Room during the Passover meal that Jesus instituted the Eucharist and said, "This is my Body...This is my Blood. Do this in remembrance of Me." Also, it was on the shore of the Sea of Galilee that Jesus prepared a simple meal for the apostles after His resurrection.
The Gospel today, the multiplication of the bread and fish, has a deeper meaning than food for the stomach. Deeper than what the people conceived Jesus to be as an earthly Messiah who would come with power and authority to crush their foreign rulers. Yes, they acknowledged the extra-ordinariness of the miracle but they failed to understand the true identity of Jesus. He has really come to be our Eucharist, the Bread of Life, the One we Truly Need!
From the Catholic Encyclopedia, we gather that around the year 860 AD, four hundred years before the time of St. Thomas Aquinas, we have the writings of St. Paschasius Robertus, Abbot of Picardy, France who wrote the first treatise on transubstantiation (although the Latin word was not specifically used until the 13th century). Robertus used the word "substance" on his book, "The Body and Blood of the Lord." He taught, echoing the words of the Church Fathers, that after the words of Consecration, through the conversion of the substance, there is present on the altar, the Eucharistic Body of Christ which is identical with His Historic Body. The 9th Century theologian used the word, "substance" to mean the reality that makes a thing what it is: so after Consecration, it is true to say, as Jesus said. "This is my Body." So it is with deep reverence that we should receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus in Holy Communion - an encounter which deepens our union with Him. Now, are you worthy of Him? Do you receive Him worthily?
The Catholic Church teaches that through "substantiation," Christ is really, truly and substantially present in the remaining appearances of bread and wine and that the transformation remains as long as the appearance remains. For this reason, the consecrated elements are preserved, generally in a church Tabernacle for giving Holy Communion to the sick and the dying and also for the purpose of the "adoration of Christ" present in the Eucharist.
The Ecumenical Council of Trent held in Italy between December, 1545 to December, 1563 is considered one of the most important achievements of the Church. It was convened by Pope Paul III. Among many of its accomplishments was the reaffirmation of the Seven Sacraments and the pronouncement that the Eucharist is a Sacrament in which the bread and wine are changed into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ through "Transubstantiation" - that Christ is "really, truly, substantially present" in the consecrated form. In giving the apostles the command to "Do this in remembrance of Me," Jesus Christ conferred upon priests a sacerdotal power.
It is my hope that this humble reflection on "Corpus Christi" will help in some way towards the strengthening and appreciation of your faith, greater reverence for the Eucharist and a more enlightened awareness of your own need for "worthily receiving" Holy Communion at Mass.
AMEN.
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