Sunday Readings for June 6-7, The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
By Fr. Jack Treloar, SJ | For On Mission
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ has two major themes manifested in the readings for the celebration. The first theme occurs in the notion that God feeds his people. This is evident in the reading from Deuteronomy when God provides the manna in the desert. The second theme occurs when Jesus identifies himself as the living bread come down from heaven. Once again, God feeds his people, but this time he gives them not only temporal nourishment but his very self as everlasting nourishment.
The Old Testament reading emphasizes that the people found the manna to be something new. It was not their ordinary food, and they knew it was provided directly from God. It did, however, function as ordinary food and nourished them just as the food they left behind in Egypt. They ate it, and it became a source of sustenance for their bodies. Since this food was provided directly by God, it showed the people that they live not by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
When we turn to the Gospel reading, we find Jesus making a whole series of astounding claims concerning God’s nourishment of the people. He claims to be “the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” This is a promise of eternal life. And, finally, “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51). In other words, this is his own flesh, it is eternal bread, and it is for the life of the world. That is, it is meant for everyone.
Jesus is pushing the notion of God feeding his people to a whole new level of understanding. God not only feeds us bread, but he also gives us a bread that transforms our very life into an eternal existence. St. Augustine references this movement when he says that when we consume ordinary bread, we transform it into our human flesh and blood. When we consume the Eucharist, it transforms us into a unity of existence with Jesus himself. We become sharers in the very life of Christ himself. This means that we, too, become living bread; we will live forever; we become life for the world in which we live.
As we celebrate this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we commemorate the gift as one which nourishes us as the manna nourished the ancient Hebrews. But there is so much more. We become the very food we receive. We become part of Jesus’ continuing life in the world. This Eucharist gives us eternal life. It allows us to become other Christs as we care for family, friends, and all the others in our world who yearn to be nourished and satisfied in their hungers.
The readings for Sunday, June 7, can be found at The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ | USCCB.