Corpus  Christi "II am the living bread which came down from heaven" ENTRANCE ANTIPHON The Lord fed his people with the finest wheat and honey; their hunger was satisfied. Introduction In the liturgy of today we celebrate the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. In celebrating this mystery of the Eucharist we celebrate the mystery of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection. The Eucharist is the most visible and sensible presence of the Risen Lord with us. Our encounter with the Risen Lord at each Eucharistic celebration is moment of healing, liberation and commitment. PENITENTIAL RITE The Eucharist is not something we come to watch; rather it is something we come to do, to share and to commit. Let us reflect: What thoughts brought us to this celebration? Why and how do we participate in the Eucharist? Does the celebration of the Eucharist make us better Christians? Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord, Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. OPENING PRAYER Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, you gave us the eucharist as the memorial of your suffering and death. May our worship of this sacrament of your body and blood help us to experience the salvation you won for us and the peace of the kingdom where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. FIRST READING (Moses reminds the people of Israel to recognize God’s saving power enabling them during their journey to the Promised Land.) A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy (8:2-3,14-16) Moses said to the people, “You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. “Do not forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know.” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (147) Response: O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! Zion, praise your God! He has strengthened the bars of your gates, he has blessed the children within you. He established peace on your borders; he feeds you with finest wheat. He sends out his word to the earth and swiftly runs his command. He makes his word known to Jacob, to Israel his laws and decrees. He has not dealt thus with other nations; he has not taught them his decrees. Alleluia! SECOND READING (St Paul explains how the participation in the Eucharistic celebration can become the strength of Christian solidarity and oneness.) A reading from the First Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians (10:16-17) The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Jn 6:51) Alleluia, alleluia! I am the living bread which came down from heaven, says the Lord; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever. Alleluia! GOSPEL (Jesus is the living bread which alone gives us eternal life.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St John (6:51-58) Jesus said to the Jews, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.” This is the Gospel of the Lord (Homily) I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, as the Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life, let us pray to our heavenly Father, that like Christ we may share our lives with others as we pray for the needs of the world and the Church. Response: Father, hear our prayer. 1. Nourished by the Body of Christ, the Church may become an effective and tangible sign of God’s love, justice and peace in the world. 2. Healed by the Body of Christ, we may give joy to those who are sad, peace to those who are troubled and forgiveness to those who offend us. 3. Saved by the Body of Christ, the Catholic movements and associations may work together in the efforts of evangelization and peace. 4. Strengthened by the Body of Christ, our charitable, social and media institutions may try to collaborate to make this world a place of love, good health and happiness. Cel: Almighty God, we believe that Jesus Christ your Son is really present in the pilgrim Church through the sacrament of the Eucharist. May his presence with us work wonders in the world for your glory. We make this… Prayer over the gifts Lord, may the bread and cup we offer bring your Church the unity and peace they signify. We ask this… PREFACE (47) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the true and eternal priest who established this unending sacrifice. He offered himself as a victim for our deliverance and taught us to make this offering in his memory. As we eat his body which he gave for us, we grow in strength. As we drink his blood which he poured out for us, we are washed clean. Now, with angels and archangels, and the whole company of heaven, we sing the unending hymn of your praise: All: Holy, hoy, holy… Communion antiphon Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will live in me and I in him, says the Lord. Prayer after communion Lord Jesus Christ, you give us your body and blood in the eucharist as a sign that even now we share your life. May we come to possess it completely in the kingdom where you live for ever and ever. LITURGY AND LIFE The most precious gift we have received in our life is life itself. It has four dimensions – physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual. Stagnation, development, death and decay can affect all the four dimensions. When Jesus said, “I came to give you life and life in its fullness”, he meant life in its totality. One of the important lessons that Jesus taught humanity regarding life is that we gain life only when we give life. He said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (Jn 12:24-25). This saying of Jesus goes against the popular belief of the modern society – ‘the less you give, the more you have’. But to achieve the most valuable things in life which we long for – love, peace, joy, happiness, meaning – one cannot follow this popular belief, but the paradoxical teaching of Jesus who said, “the measure you give will be the measure you get” (Jn 14:5). Jesus ratified his teaching by offering his body and blood during the Last Supper. The Last Supper was only the culmination of all that Jesus said and did during his life time. The liturgy of today recalls to our mind all that Jesus did to give us life, especially the offer of his body and blood. Body and blood signify the whole of his life. Jesus gave his time, talents, gifts, strengths, understanding, and life itself for the salvation of the world. He ensured the physical wholeness of people by freeing them from the enslaving sicknesses. He taught them with authority and power to enrich them intellectually. He offered them his unconditional love, support and compassion which healed them emotionally. And finally, he showed them a spirituality – his loving contact with God – the practice of which would make them whole. The Eucharist reminds us of all these and much more. The Eucharist is a memorial meal as it recalls to our minds all that Jesus did for us. It is a sacrificial meal as it is a sacrifice of Jesus’ life. It is a thanksgiving meal as we remember and thank God for the abundance of blessings received. It is a meal of unity as it unites us with Christ and with one another. It is a complete meal – unlike the meal at the wedding feast at Cana – as it strengthens us physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. The celebration of the Eucharist implies serious challenges and obligations for Christians. More than a mere participation in the Eucharist, what is required from each Christian is a Eucharistic-life. It implies: — A felt need to participate in the Eucharist as an expression of our gratitude to God — Meaningful and fruitful celebration of the Eucharist — Reminding oneself that participation in the Eucharist is not an obligation that we fulfil for God’s sake, but for our God-ward journey — Reminding oneself that a Eucharistic celebration is incomplete unless we try to live the celebration in life — Willingness to make self-sacrifices, by offering our gifts, of time, talents, etc., for the well-being of others — Mending broken relationships and strengthening the existing ones — Above all else, following the command of Jesus “do this in memory of me” which would mean to love as he loved, to care as he cared, to be compassionate as he was compassionate, etc. – Fr Devasia Puthi, ssp