Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. We focus our attention on these two precious gifts which have been given to us by our Lord. The details concerning the origin of these gifts are explained in Saint Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. He says: the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me'. In the same way, he took the cup ... after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me' (1 Cor 11:23-25). Each time we gather, each time we repeat these words, the Eucharistic celebration is a homecoming for us, a chance to touch the body of Christ, to receive this special food that keeps us united to Jesus, food that nourishes our faith.
Even in the beginning weeks of this new parish of ours, we need to understand the importance of nourishing ourselves with the body and blood of Christ. This heavenly food will help us to go out into the community week after week and to spread the light that Jesus instills in our hearts with others by sharing the joy of this moment with those we encounter.
We can do this because Jesus has already shown us how to go about it. At the end of a day of speaking with the crowds about the kingdom of God, and healing those who needed to be cured (cf Lk 9:11), the disciples wanted to send the people away, but Jesus had a different plan. Jesus often has another plan for us, and we must always try to be attentive to his plan because his plan is always for our good and for the good of those around us.
The disciples were tired, the people were tired, Jesus too must have been tired, but he wanted to show the disciples that even when we are tempted to give in to human limitations, God's possibilities are always limitless. When we are involved in doing God's work, there is always enough energy to accomplish what is needed. Jesus knew that it was possible for the disciples to provide what was needed. You give them something to eat, he said (Lk 9:13), and when they looked at him with questioning eyes, he astonished them with a miracle.
Jesus needed the disciples to help him that day. He asked them: Make the people sit down in groups ... (Lk 9:14). Jesus always knows what we are capable of, and he invites us to do what we can to prepare the way so that he can perform miracles in our midst. Because they cooperated with him that day, he was able to feed the multitudes. Today, he invites us to do what we can, and then to be attentive to the miracles that take place all around us. Our God is always ready and willing to respond to our needs. When we are hungry, he wants to feed us with special food and with encouraging words so that we can be refreshed and made ready for the journey that lies ahead: a journey of encountering those who are hungry, always ready to share with them the gift that we ourselves have received.
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