OMELIE / Omelie EN

23 giu 2019

23/06/2019 - The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - C 

23/06/2019 - The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - C 

Reading 1 GN 14,18-20 * Psalm 109 * Reading 2 1COR 11,23-26 * Gospel LK 9,11-17

Now that Easter time is over, we go back to contemplate the mystery of God’s love that is staying with us in a visible, palpable way in the sacramental form. In fact, in every church is kept the Body of Christ, so, every time a Christian enters it, he can meet more than just a symbol of His presence, he can meet Him! Not only the readings, but also, above all, the procession following the holy Mass, are making us focus on this Sacrament that is always with us and is accompanying us every day.

Today’s preface makes us pray in this way: “Nourishing your faithful by this sacred mystery, you make them holy, so that the human race, bounded by one world, may be enlightened by one faith and united by one bond of charity. And so, we approach the table of this wondrous sacrament, so that, bathed in the sweetness of your grace, we may pass over to the heavenly realities here foreshadowed”.

We are nourished and made holy by this mystery, taking part in the Eucharist.

Nourishing: our life needs nourishment, and not only food for the body, but also motivations for us to keep making efforts, food for our need of affection, a healthy and holy nourishment for the thoughts that are keeping our mind busy. This nourishment is anticipated by the one Jesus has given to the five thousand people following Him in desert land. He knew that the man cannot find in himself the resources to keep following Him, but he needs to receive them. He gives them bread coming from His love, from His prayer, from His faith in the Father! That bread feeds the crowd, which, thanks to this, can still remain with Him to listen to His word and receive his Spirit.

Make holy: in us, through the Sacrament, comes the living and real Presence of the Lord Jesus, the Holy One of God. He, in this way, establishes a communion between us and the Father through His Spirit, therefore we become a divine reality, truly saint.

We are nourished and made holy to take on a service to all men. Through us, become dwelling of the presence of the Lord, His light can as a matter of fact spread and reach everybody we meet, and so God’s love, which thanks to Him lives in us, attracts to Him many others.

We approach then joyfully the table from which, out of Jesus’ very own hands, we receive His Body and Blood. We get closer joyfully because our life, more than being fed by Him and being united to His, through this exactly, acquires new value and significance, truly great: we become instrumental to Jesus, Saviour and redeemer, meeting other men who need His forgiveness and His salvation. Nourished by the Body and the Blood of Jesus, we become carriers of those spiritual goods which every person is hungry and thirsty for. We will be similar to the disciples who divided the five loaves of bread and the two fish among the five thousand people. Those five thousand, being open to take and eat Jesus' bread, have become an organised people, a peaceful and restful community, able to look at Jesus' eyes lifting fully trustfully and full of love up to the father, and to listen to His voice sharing God's wisdom.

The Body and Blood of Jesus are His sacrifice: He has given Himself up for us, has shed His blood, as the prophet Isaiah says, for our iniquities. Therefore, we celebrate Him thankfully. In addition, every time we eat the Body of Christ, we cannot forget that we take part in His sacrifice, and therefore we are offering our body too, and our whole life to the Father to fulfil His will and realise His kingdom. This sacrifice happens through the signs of the bread and the wine, very meaningful signs since Abraham's experience. The great patriarch of that people that was chosen by God to be a blessing for all the peoples, was in His turn blessed with the offering of the bread and the wine coming from Melchizedek, priest of God Most High! Today it is us, we let ourselves to be absorbed by the bread and the wine that Jesus’ holy hands are handing us. He is the new priest who makes us the altar which He sets the victim on, Himself again!

As noted, we will leave together and we will walk down the streets, praying and singing, down those streets that will bring us to be always busy doing different things, or busy and distracted by many other tasks. We will accompany the sacramental sign of Jesus’ presence: we will show then to the world our faith, by being truthful. In everyday situations, from time to time we are not able to show our faith, because many worries are hiding it; today we carry out an act of justice. Jesus deserves that we show everybody what kind of food we eat and what Master we listen to: so, whoever appreciates our love and our hope, knows that he needs to address himself to Jesus in order to find the serenity, peace and love that are shining on our face and in our actions.