(Corpus Christi)
 |
“The Last Supper”
by Jacopo Bassano, c. 1546 |
Readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible[3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Exodus 24:3-8
When Moses came to the people
and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD,
they all answered with one voice,
"We will do everything that the LORD has told us."
Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and,
rising early the next day,
he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar
and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites
to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls
as peace offerings to the LORD,
Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls;
the other half he splashed on the altar.
Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people,
who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do."
Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying,
"This is the blood of the covenant
that the LORD has made with you
in accordance with all these words of his."
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Commentary on Ex 24:3-8
Following the presentation of the precepts of the Law, Moses gets consensus from all of the people whom God has brought out of bondage, the children of Israel (Jacob), that they will follow the law handed down to them. Moses erects pillars, one for each tribe, and makes a sacrifice to seal the covenant. He then sprinkles the people with the blood of the (old) covenant sacrifice. "References to this solemn ratification of the covenant with blood is also found in Zechariah 9:11 and Hebrews 9:18-20. Likewise was the New Covenant to be ratified in blood, i.e. Christ's blood (cf. Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25)" [5]
CCC: Ex 24 2060; Ex 24:7 2060; Ex 24:8 613
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18
R. (13) I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18
Following the presentation of the precepts of the Law, Moses gets consensus from all of the people whom God has brought out of bondage, the children of Israel (Jacob), that they will follow the law handed down to them. Moses erects pillars, one for each tribe, and makes a sacrifice to seal the covenant. He then sprinkles the people with the blood of the (old) covenant sacrifice.
CCC: Ex 24 2060; Ex 24:7 2060; Ex 24:8 613
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Reading II: Hebrews 9:11-15
Brothers and sisters:
When Christ came as high priest
of the good things that have come to be,
passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle
not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,
he entered once for all into the sanctuary,
not with the blood of goats and calves
but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls
and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes
can sanctify those who are defiled
so that their flesh is cleansed,
how much more will the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from dead works
to worship the living God.
For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant:
since a death has taken place for deliverance
from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.
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Commentary on Heb 9:11-15
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews contrasts the tradition of Jewish animal sacrifice or sin offering with what Jesus has done for us. He describes, in detail, how Christ becomes the sacrifice that seals the new covenant. Using this specific Mosaic Law and imagery, he explains how the Lord came as the ultimate offering for our salvation.
"Do you want to know how effective the blood of Christ is? Let us go back to the symbols which foretold it and remind ourselves of the ancient accounts of (the Jews in) Egypt. Moses told them to kill a year-old lamb and put its blood on the two doorposts and the lintel of each house [...]. Would you like an additional way to appreciate the power of Christ's blood? See where it flowed from, what its source is. It began to flow from the very Cross and its source was the Lord's side. For, as the Gospel says, when our Lord was already dead, one of the soldiers went up to him with a lance and pierced his side and at once there came out water and blood--water, the symbol of Baptism; blood, the symbol of the Eucharist. The soldier pierced his side, he opened a breach in the wall of the holy temple, and there I discover the hidden treasure and I rejoice at the treasure I have found" (Chrysostom, "Baptismal Catechesis", III, 13-19). [6]
CCC: Heb 9:11-28 1476, 1564; Heb 9:11 586, 662; Heb 9:12 1085; Heb 9:13-14 2100; Heb 9:14 614; Heb 9:15 522, 579, 580, 592
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Gospel: Mark 14:12-16, 22-26
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,
Jesus' disciples said to him,
"Where do you want us to go
and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"
He sent two of his disciples and said to them,
"Go into the city and a man will meet you,
carrying a jar of water.
Follow him.
Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,
'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room
where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'
Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.
Make the preparations for us there."
The disciples then went off, entered the city,
and found it just as he had told them;
and they prepared the Passover.
While they were eating,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, gave it to them, and said,
"Take it; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.
He said to them,
"This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you,
I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
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Commentary on Mk 14:12-16, 22-26
This selection is part of the passion narrative from St. Mark’s Gospel. The disciples prepare to celebrate the Passover and follow Jesus’ instructions. It is likely that the “man carrying a water jar” was a prearranged signal, for only women carried water jars; however, the Greek version says it is a person, not necessarily a man.
This passage skips over a section of narrative and describes the institution of the eucharistic meal. “The actions and words of Jesus express within the framework of the Passover meal and the transition to a new covenant the sacrifice of himself through the offering of his body and blood in anticipation of his passion and death. His blood of the covenant both alludes to the ancient rite of Exodus 24:4-8 and indicates the new community that the sacrifice of Jesus will bring into being (Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25).” [7] The Passover meal concludes with a hymn of praise (Psalms 114-118).
CCC: Mk 14:12-25 1339; Mk 14:18-20 474; Mk 14:22 1328; Mk 14:25 1335, 1403; Mk 14:26-30 474
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Reflection:
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Latin it was called simply Corpus Christi – the body of Christ. While we remember the institution of the Eucharist at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening, and recall Jesus’ sacrifice for our salvation, eating his body and drinking his blood each time we celebrate Holy Mass, this solemn feast is the time we focus our faith most intensely on the most holy sacrament of the altar.
Many of you may not know this but one of Fr. Roger Prokop’s last acts as our former long time pastor was to approve the installation of our glorious tabernacle as a central focus of our worship. He wanted this icon of our faith to represent the centrality of our reverence for the Body and Blood of Christ whose real presence sustains us in our faith and strengthens us so we can face the world, marked as his disciples.
Sacred Scripture recalls for us how we, as a people of faith, came to be God’s special possession by the efficacious symbols of the Body and Blood of Christ. In the first reading from the Book of Exodus, we are reminded of the old covenant, the covenant of Moses. After he had given the people the book of the law, the Torah, he sacrificed young bulls, a holocaust, meaning the bodies were completely burnt, the smoke rising as incense to God. The blood, however, was saved. Blood, we must remember, was considered the life force of all animals, including mankind. There was a special mystery associated with the sprinkling of what amounted to the life God gave.
This act ratified the old covenant, made it binding on all the faithful. The promises of the covenant were set in stone. Just as the old covenant was ratified in the blood of a sacrifice, so too was the new covenant, the covenant that replaced the old. All the promises were made new in the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus, who scatted that blood upon us as he was scourged, beaten, and crucified so that we might have life. He gave his body and his blood so that the eternal life that was his, might be ours.
It was our new birth – a birth we celebrate at the very dawn of our faith. I recently came across a quote from one of our Church Fathers, St. John Chrysostom. Once more I found that no matter how many times I have an epiphany of faith, one of our early predecessors in faith had that same realization and expressed it better than I ever could. Here is what St. John Chrysostom says about our baptism rooted in the Blood of our Savior:
"Do you want to know how effective the blood of Christ is? Let us go back to the symbols which foretold it and remind ourselves of the ancient accounts of (the Jews in) Egypt. Moses told them to kill a year-old lamb and put its blood on the two doorposts and the lintel of each house [...]. Would you like an additional way to appreciate the power of Christ's blood? See where it flowed from, what its source is. It began to flow from the very Cross and its source was the Lord's side. For, as the Gospel says, when our Lord was already dead, one of the soldiers went up to him with a lance and pierced his side and at once there came out water and blood--water, the symbol of Baptism; blood, the symbol of the Eucharist. The soldier pierced his side, he opened a breach in the wall of the holy temple, and there I discover the hidden treasure and I rejoice at the treasure I have found" (Chrysostom, "Baptismal Catechesis", III, 13-19).
If we listen to our hearts as we rejoice in God’s gift of life in the Body and Blood of Jesus, we should also listen to the wisdom of the Church to which he entrusted that sacrament. Hear what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about our dedication to this mystery:
1323 At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.[8]”
And again later, we are told the following:
1374 The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend." In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained."
"This presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present." [9]
The world cannot understand our reverence and awe at this wondrous gift, just as they could not understand the Lord himself.
So what do we do with this inestimable gift that God left for us? Shall we consume it as we would a snack from our kitchen? Shall we take a sip to quench our thirst as we would from a water bottle? Giving no more thought to what we eat and drink than we would ordinary food and drink?
This precious gift is one we should cherish. Coming to receive the Eucharist without an attitude of awe and reverence is like putting down a priceless painting as a drop-cloth when we are going to do a craft project on the kitchen table.
No, our attitude must be one of profound reverence. The hand we extend should be cupped as a throne to receive the most precious gift possible. The chalice containing the Precious Blood should be taken with the care we would give to a new-born babe.
Today we recall the greatest gift given, the promise of eternal life and peace, in the form of bread and wine. We give thanks and rejoice for the Lord has given himself to us once more.
Pax
In other years: Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
In other years on this date: the optional Memorial of Saint Norbert, Bishop.
[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 is “The Last Supper” by Jacopo Bassano, c. 1546.
[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.
[5] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc.© 1968, 3:68, p. 61.
[6] The Navarre Bible: Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 211.
[7] NAB Footnote on Mark 14: 22-24.
[8] CCC 1323[9] CCC 1374
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