This Sunday, the Church commemorates the solemnity of the Corpus Christi (Latin, it means the Body of Christ). The body of Christ is the living bread from heaven which he gave to us during the last supper. When we eat this bread, we proclaim the Lord’s death and resurrection until he comes again. The assurance of Jesus to us is that if we live our lives following God’s will and receive Jesus as our bread of life, we will be with God forever.

The Feast of Corpus Christi is a celebration of Jesus’ hospitality. As we continue to struggle with the Coronavirus pandemic, the assurance of Jesus’ presence in and around us is our hope. As we listen to today’s Gospel, we encounter the welcome of Jesus who prepares a feast for us all.  While we concentrate on the fact that Jesus is the Bread of Life, we also proclaim that Jesus lives within each one of us who are baptized into His Body, the Church.

In the Holy Eucharist and through our Baptism, Jesus takes up residence within each one of us. We become the very presence of Christ in our world. We carry Him into the real world every time we receive communion. We proclaim that the Lord continues to come into the world, through us. We are the Body of Christ.

Every time there is a Eucharistic celebration, the Body of Christ is made accessible and available to us. We celebrate the Eucharist as a community of faith, hope, and love. Corpus Christi is not just a memorial celebration but an experience of God’s love. 

Jesus’ presence does make a difference in our lives when Christ becomes the center and focus of our every longing.  Jesus offers us the gift of himself to lead, guide, and protect us in our journey of faith.  What an awesome gift we have in Jesus. His farewell gift to the Church is that he will be with us always until the end of time.