If this solemnity was celebrated on Thursday: Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Information about the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
Catechism Links [1]
CCC 790, 1003, 1322-1419: The Holy Eucharist
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| “Communion” by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, 1712 |
In those days, Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine,
and being a priest of God Most High,
he blessed Abram with these words:
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
the creator of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
who delivered your foes into your hand."
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
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Commentary on Gn 14:18-20
The Melchizedek story in this chapter of Genesis drives the interpretation of the entire chapter. Using the lens of this passage, the chapter becomes a testament to the power of God and the irresistible nature of his plan.
Placed against the tapestry of God’s involvement with mankind, Melchizedek, priest-king of Jerusalem (Salem is likely a reference to the same geographical place) is probably celebrating a covenant meal with Abram following his great victory.
CCC: Gn 14:18 58, 1333, 1544
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4
R. (4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
"Rule in the midst of your enemies."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
"Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
"You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
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Commentary on Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4
We are given the reference point used in Hebrews 5:1-10. The psalmist, David, reflects upon the call to service of the people. The final verse specifically mentions the high priest Melchizedek. Melchizedek was the ancient king of Salem (Jerusalem) who blessed Abraham (Genesis 14:18-20). Like other kings of the time, he also performed priestly functions.
Psalm 110 thanks God for earthly authority, recognizing that it is only through the Lord's strength that authority is exercised. The psalmist uses Melchizedek as an arch-example. He was a secular king in the time of Abraham who ruled on the spiritual side as well. Though he was not of the Hebrew race, he was nonetheless chosen by God to be priest, but not of the line of Aaron. Since the ancient text refers neither to his lineage nor his death, his office is seen as eternal, “You are a priest forever.”
CCC: Ps 110 447; Ps 110:1 659; Ps 110:4 1537
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Reading II: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Brothers and sisters:
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread, and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 11:23-26
St. Paul gives us the earliest written account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper. This account is used by many Protestant denominations to define their understanding of this event as symbolic rather than efficacious, that is, they believe the Lord’s actions did not transubstantiate the bread and wine, but that the action was simply a “remembrance.” The Church looks at the whole body of Scripture, especially St. John’s Gospel, and understands the sacrament as the gift of Christ’s Body and Blood.
CCC: 1 Cor 11:23-26 1339; 1 Cor 11:23 610, 1366; 1 Cor 11:24-25 1356; 1 Cor 11:24 1328, 1329; 1 Cor 11:25 611, 613; 1 Cor 11:26 671, 1076, 1130, 1344, 1393, 2772, 2776
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Gospel: Luke 9:11b-17
Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God,
and he healed those who needed to be cured.
As the day was drawing to a close,
the Twelve approached him and said,
"Dismiss the crowd
so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms
and find lodging and provisions;
for we are in a deserted place here."
He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves."
They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have,
unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."
Now the men there numbered about five thousand.
Then he said to his disciples,
"Have them sit down in groups of about fifty."
They did so and made them all sit down.
Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,
and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing over them, broke them,
and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up,
they filled twelve wicker baskets.
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Commentary on Lk 9:11b-17
The story of “Feeding the Multitude” from St. Luke’s Gospel serves as the image for the Eucharist. The statement: “Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them,” is a clear reference to the institution of the Eucharistic (see Luke 22:19, cf Mark 14:22).
Interestingly we see Jesus asking them to sit down in small groups (fifty) we can speculate that this was to foster community among his followers. This is, in recent years, a method being recommended to accomplish the same ends.
The symbolism of the twelve baskets of fragments left over is also clearly a reference to the apostolic mission. The Apostles were asked: "Give them some food yourselves," a task they eventually took up with the help of the Holy Spirit.
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Reflection:
upon the hearts of the faithful that our Lord instituted
this sacrament at the Last Supper. As he was on the point
of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating
the Passover with his disciples, he left it as a perpetual
memorial of his passion. It was the fulfillment of ancient
figures and the greatest of all his miracles, while for those
who were to experience the sorrow of his departure, it
was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.
-Opusculum 57,in festo Corporus Christi, Lect. 4
We note also that Melchizedek’s signature offering was, like our Lord’s, bread and wine. His blessing was from God, as Jesus was a blessing from God, who sent his Only Begotten Son to become the perfect sacrifice of atonement that takes away the sins of the world.
St. Paul reminds us of that fact in the second reading from 1 Corinthians as he recalls the Last Supper, and how the Lord blessed and broke the bread, and how he took the cup and likewise blessed it. It is one of faith’s great foundations that we gather to recreate that supper each time Holy Mass is celebrated. As St. Paul concluded in the second reading: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.”
Finally our Gospel reminds us of another Eucharistic meal as Jesus feeds the multitudes. They were fed first by his words, and then with real food. In the same way we are fed first with the Word of God, and then with real food which strengthens us.
There is another important aspect of the miracle story in the Gospel that we must also take to heart. Notice that when the disciples come to Jesus initially they tell him:
"Dismiss the crowd
so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms
and find lodging and provisions;
for we are in a deserted place here."
What we receive in the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is not just physical food, but rather spiritual food. It is a gift we are called to share with others. When the Eucharist is received in faith and piety, the grace of God infuses us with great strength. When we accept the gift passed down from the Last Supper and recreated by all the faithful and presided over by our priest who stands in persona Christi (in the person of Christ), we once more recall that this gift was given not just for the few but for all, who are children of God.
Today we celebrate once more the holiest gift left to us by Jesus. We see in the Word of God how our eternal High Priest and King, Jesus, was prefigured in Melchizedek, once more reminding us of what St. Augustine said over a thousand years ago: “The New Testament is concealed in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the new.”
In this year of Faith and Year of Prayer, let us renew our faith in the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ and pray that through the grace we receive from it, we may be what the Lord intended us to be, a Eucharistic people, leaven for the world.
Pax
In other years on this date: Optional Memorial for Saint Romuald, Abbot
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture used today is “Communion” by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, 1712.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture used today is “Communion” by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, 1712.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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