THIS IS THE BREAD COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN
INTRODUCTION
At the Last Supper, Jesus taught his disciples to offer bread and wine in his memory. Taking the bread, he told us, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me”
Luke 22:19. Offering the chalice, he said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you” Luke 22:20
Before the consecration at Mass, the priest in persona Christi calls on God to send the Holy Spirit to change this bread and wine into the Body and Blood of His Son the same way the Spirit overshadowed Mary at the Annunciation.
BACKGROUND
For 700 years and more, the Church has celebrated with great joy the Feast of Corpus Christi, the great gift of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, given to us at the Last Supper.
The feast of Corpus Christi was established on September 8, 1264 by Pope Urban IV as a universal feast of the Church, to be celebrated on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday. Today, in the United States, the feast is celebrated on the following Sunday.
For centuries after the celebration was extended to the universal Church by Pope Urban IV, the feast was also celebrated with Eucharistic processions. The faithful would venerate the Body of Christ as the procession passed by. In recent years, this practice has almost disappeared, though some parishes still hold a brief procession around the outside of the parish church.
BREAD OF LIFE DISCOURSE
I am the living bread from heaven…whoever eats this bread will live forever…whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day…whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” John 6:48
JESUS INSTITUTES THE EUCHARIST AT THE LAST SUPPER
Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the new covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28.
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
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.
1360 The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all His blessings, for all that He has accomplished through Creation, Redemption, and Sanctification. The word Eucharist means first of all “thanksgiving.
Accidents” are those things that appeal to our senses, touch, sight, taste, etc. The host looks like bread, tastes like bread etc. The “substance” of the Eucharist is changed (into the Body and Blood of Jesus. (transubstantiation)
The real presence of Jesus’ Body and Blood remain as long as the “accidents” remain. This is why the Blessed Sacrament may be reserved in the tabernacle for sick calls and adoration.
O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine,
All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine
The Eucharist is one and the same sacrifice on Calvary extended through time to us at Mass. Some think Catholics say Jesus is sacrificed again and again during every Mass. No, it is the one sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary which is RE-PRESENTED through time to us in every Mass
REFLECTION
If we want to be intimate with Jesus he tells us how, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” John 6:54
We receive the Holy Eucharist with sublime humility and gratitude. God, in whom the fullness of power, and glory dwells, humbled Himself that He became like one of us in every way but sin that we may share in His Divinity.
When we receive the Eucharist in Holy Communion, the Priest says, “the Body of Christ” and we say “Amen.” Our “Amen” means we recognize and acknowledge the real presence, body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament, in all the tabernacles of the world. Yes, in our parish. He awaits us. Let us go to meet him in adoration. Filled with humility and faith we pray for this world, making amends for the many sins against Him and His Church. Let our reparation for sin and adoration never cease! Let us commit to Eucharistic Revival in our lives!
TAKE AND RECEIVE,
THIS IS MY BODY, THIS IS MY BLOOD