Food for the Soul ~ Reflection for Corpus Christi, June 10, 2012

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Ex 24:3-8

Ps 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18

Heb 9:11-15

Mk 14:12-16, 22-26

Today we celebrate Jesus' precious gift of Himself to us in the Eucharist.  No longer would people sacrifice animals to God in reparation for the sins of the people as the Israelites did long ago.  Instead, Jesus revolutionized such actions by offering Himself as the supreme sacrifice in an act of love that brought Him to Calvary and death on a cross meant for criminals.

When describing how in the old covenant the blood of goats and bulls sanctified those who were defiled, the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews expressed beautifully how much more so "...the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God" would "cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God."

 In Mark's gospel, we hear again the story of that first Eucharist in the upper room where Jesus said: "This is my body...This is my blood of the new covenant which will be shed for many..."  The disciples ate and drank what they had received; and to this day, we follow their example because this Eucharist is truly food for our soul.  This Communion with the Lord helps us to satisfy the hunger that only He can fill.

Material things will disappear but the life of the soul is eternal.