Holy Blood of Christ

Solemnity of the Most Holy Blood of Christ (6/26/11) Fr. Peter Fernandes,sfx

"I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever." In a unique mode, Jesus wished to live in our midst, to be our nourishment and encouragement on our journey to the Kingdom of God. Through the mystery of the Eucharist, the God of surprises continues to battle the mortals. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" "This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live forever."

This bread was offered on the altar of the Cross. Indeed, the mystery of the Eucharist is the gift of God to His children - the church. It is the memorial of the Lord's Passover. Therefore, the Eucharist is to be celebrated with faith and thanksgiving.

"All creatures depend on you to feed them through the year: you provide the food they eat, with a generous hand you satisfy their hunger." (Ps. 104,27-28). Without a doubt, God our loving Father takes care of His entire creation, and even more so of men, whom He created in His own image and likeness. It was only right that God would share His very own life with us to restore our fallen image and likeness having been trapped in the pit of sin and disgrace, once again to grace and holiness.

Jesus, who is Christ the Lord, offers Himself as food to us in three ways. We cannot reach the Promised Land without nourishing ourselves with the food that Jesus offers. Jesus comes to us as food through faith; through His word and in the form of bread and wine, which transforms into His own Body and Blood. Therefore our response should be, "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life and we believe; we know that You are the Holy One of God."

Let the Eucharist truly transforms us into the Body of Christ! For when we partake of one bread and one cup, we form one Body of Christ. Let us truly believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist with proper worship and adoration.

Visit: www.therealpresence.org