Homily for Corpus Christi - 22 June 2025

SPECIAL FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI

This special feast of Corpus Christi today is a celebration of the gift of the Eucharist to us, who are the Church. The Mass, as we have come to call it, is a re-presentation, a making present of the Last Supper which itself was a presentation of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. We are not just remembering what happened there, we are making it present again.

When we come together as we have now, to celebrate the Mass, we are part of an ancient tradition going back to that first Mass on Holy Thursday evening, when Jesus took bread and wine and changed it into his Body and Blood, sacramentally making present what he was to do the following day by giving his Body and Blood on the Cross, out of love for us and for our salvation.

Jesus, by presenting bread and wine, shows himself to be a priest like Melchizedek, whom we hear about in the first reading from the book of Genesis. Melchizedek was the king of Salem and priest of God Most High, who offered bread and wine and blessed Abram. Remember that this was long before the Old Testament priesthood that began with Aaron, the brother of Moses after the escape from Egypt. And yet, here we have a priest of God who makes an offering of bread and wine.

And in the psalm we prayed, we hear of the coming of the Messiah who will be a priest like Melchizedek of old. The psalm speaks of his priesthood and that he is a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.

JESUS THE MESSIAH IS THE FULFILMENT

The second reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians shows how Jesus the Messiah is the fulfilment of this Old Testament prophecy. Jesus, at the Last Supper, took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’

St Paul wrote this Letter about 25 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. He recalls that this command of Jesus at the Last Supper, that this offering of bread and wine should be done as a memorial of him, was already a firm practice in the Church. St Paul says he received this tradition and he passed it onto the Corinthians and, presumably, the other churches which he founded on his missionary journeys.

St Paul’s account of the institution of the Eucharist is the oldest written testimony we have to the words of Jesus at the Last Supper. And they are the words we use still every time we celebrate Mass, as we will do again now at this Mass. By meeting to celebrate the Eucharist, the offering of the Body and Blood of Jesus under the appearance of bread of wine, we are fulfilling the command of Jesus to do this in memory of him.

The Gospel reading for this Mass recalls the great story of the feeding of the five thousand with the five loaves and two fish. Jesus blessed and broke the loaves and provided sufficient food to satisfy the whole crowd. It is a story which foretells and predicts the Eucharist. The language of Jesus, raising his eyes to heaven, saying the blessing over the loaves and fish, breaking them and handing them to his disciples to distribute to the crowd, is eucharistic language, and is meant to recall for us the Last Supper, and every Mass since.

As at the feeding of the five thousand, as at the Last Supper and as at every Mass since, it is Jesus who gives us the Eucharist which is his Body and Blood, and it passes into the hands of his disciples, the priests, who distribute it to the people of God.

PARTICIPATE MORE ACTIVELY

If I could wish one thing, ask one thing, for you and me, at this celebration of Corpus Christi, it would be that we would deepen our understanding of what it is we are doing when we celebrate Mass, and that we would know who it is we are receiving when we receive Holy Communion. That is the essential point of this solemnity that we observe today.

Knowing the four presences of Christ; and the four movements or dialogues during the Mass, can help us to be more aware of what is happening and participate more actively.

When we celebrate the Mass, Jesus is present to us in four ways. He is present to us in the proclaiming of the Scriptures, the Word of God. During the Mass, it is Jesus who speaks to us when the Scripture texts are proclaimed. For everyone present, Jesus speaks to touch our hearts, to convert us, comfort us, challenge us and form us.

Secondly, Jesus is present in the Eucharistic elements. The bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus, Corpus Christi. This is no mere symbolic presence. In the words of St Francis of Assisi 800 years ago, “Let the whole world tremble; let heaven exult when Christ, the Son of the Living God, is on the altar in the hands of the priest ...that the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation he hides himself under a little piece of bread.”

Thirdly, Jesus in present in the priest who acts in his name and person. When the Mass is celebrated, it is Jesus who says the words, “Take this all of you and eat of it, for this is my body,” ... and, “Take this all of you and drink of it ... this is my blood.” During the Mass, the priest acts in the person of Jesus.

Fourthly, and so significantly, Jesus is present in all those gathered to celebrate the Mass. This is the one that people are most likely to forget. All 4 of us are priests by baptism, and we are called to a full, active, conscious celebration of the Mass. There are not meant to be any spectators here. We participate actively by arriving early and being prepared, by our attention, our gestures, our singing, and our responses. Remember the words of the priest when he invites the whole congregation to pray that “my sacrifice and yours be acceptable to God the almighty Father.” We all offer the sacrifice of the Mass.

Then, there are four movements or actions or dialogues during the Mass. We speak to God; he speaks to us; we offer gifts to God; and he gives gifts to us. Let the awareness of these four movements help you to participate more meaningfully in what is happening in the Mass. We start the Mass by addressing God and asking for forgiveness, praising him in the Gloria, and then collecting all our prayers together in the Collect Prayer.

Then in the next movement, God speaks to us in the proclaiming of the Scriptures and through the breaking of the Word in the homily. In the third movement we present our gifts to the Lord, gifts of bread and wine and money, symbolising the gift of our lives, in the same way that Abram offered a tenth of everything, the origin of the tithe.

Finally, the Lord gives gifts to us. He takes our gifts and transforms them into his Body and Blood, which he gives to us for our nourishment and communion with him. We become part of him, and he becomes part of us. St Paul says in his First Letter to the Corinthians, the cup that we share is a communion with the Blood of Christ, and the bread that we break is a communion with the Body of Christ.

So, find a point of entry into the Mass, to understand the sacredness of what is happening, to participate fully, actively, and consciously. Know what it is you are doing and who it is you are receiving. Know the extraordinary beauty of the gift of the Eucharist.