THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST (CORPUS CHRISTI) : Sunday 11th June 2023

The first reading has a verse, “Man does not live on bread alone, but that man lives on everything that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3) that Jesus will echo in the first temptation He encounters (cf. Mt. 4:4 and Lk. 4:4). The strength to resist the “worldly bread” that does not last but to depend on God is telling. Jesus points out this transient satisfaction of the “worldly bread” in the Gospel today. He offers the living bread.

Bishop Robert Barron explains further: “All of us are on a spiritual journey from sin to salvation. Like the Israelites longing for a return to Egypt, many of us occasionally desire our old addictions, providing the anxious ego with comfort and security. Far from Egypt, the Promised Land is the spiritual space of complete dependence upon God. But the Israelites are not there yet. They need to eat the manna from heaven. For Catholics, this is the Eucharist. It is the means to getting God’s divine life within us.”

Through the Eucharist, we are physically and intimately connected to Jesus and each other, for Jesus draws “life from the Father”. Our Lord sustains us through His love for us and by helping that love grow within us. As we partake and share with this one loaf of bread, we are in communion with one another – with the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and one another. The one loaf is broken into many parts for us, and we who partake of this become the one loaf.

Come, Good Shepherd, bread divine, show us Your mercy. Amen.

Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus – Fourth Day (11th June): Generous Heart