I am the living bread from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever!”

It seems to be an ancient human custom to collect treasures and display them for others to see. We have art galleries, precious stones set in gold or silver jewels, or we have pictures of beloved persons in a locket. All these are signs of our love for beauty and people we adore. Today’s feast seems to express a similar sentiment. Jesus gave us his Body and Blood as a memorial of his love for us. The Eucharist is the most precious sacrament and  the presence of Christ among us fulfills his promise, “I will be with you until the end of time”.

Vatican II states “For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself. That’s why we celebrate the Eucharist every day of the year. That’s why we surround it with the jewels of prayer and the gold of hymns and music. That’s why we receive Christ in holy communion so that we become a living altar enshrining Christ in our Christian life.

Out of the celebration of the Eucharist flows a custom since medieval times to enshrine the Body of Christ in a monstrance and display him for adoration. Because people felt not worthy to receive Christ in communion they would go and look at him at the elevation at mass or at the adoration in the monstrance in the church or at public  processions.

This feast of Corpus Christi invites us again to show our appreciation for our redemption by attending mass and receiving holy communion as often as we can, to attend  adoration hours, benediction on Sunday evening when possible, visitation of the Blessed Sacrament at the tabernacle, but above all become a loving tabernacle ourselves in  our world of today.

May Christ in the Blessed Sacrament
bless you abundantly.