This Sunday we celebrated the tremendous gift of the Eucharist; the Body and Blood of the Lord. We also celebrate the New Covenant sealed in His Precious Blood..
In the first reading we hear how the Old Covenant was established by the Lord with the people of Israel and sealed with the blood of a sacrifice. This Covenant was repeatedly renewed in Jewish worship through the sacrifice of animals. Their blood was shed in the hope of atoning for sin. But when God became man in the Person of Jesus, He chose to be that sacrifice, to shed His Blood, in order to establish and the new and everlasting Covenant.
In the second reading, we are reminded how infinitely greater is the sacrifice of Christ, whose Blood was shed in atonement for sin. In ancient religions, sacrifices were made and then partaken of by eating the food of animals sacrificed. This expressed communion with the deity, to which the sacrifice was made.
We now partake of the partake of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Each Mass is Jesus offering Himself to the Heavenly Father for the redemption of the world. This Sacrifice holds back divine justice!
Sunday’s Gospel explains how Jesus established the new and eternal Covenant at the Last Supper, which would be sealed with His sacrifice on the Cross. It was at the Last Supper that Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist and the Holy (Ministerial) Priesthood. This solemnity reminds us of the Real Presence of Jesus under the appearance of bread and wine.
Where faith has been on the wane in the history of Church, the Lord, has provided wonderful Eucharistic miracles, to remind us of His Real Presence. One of the most amazing happened in about the year 700. A monk who was losing his vocation, was celebrating Holy Mass at Lanciano in Italy. During the consecration the Host turned into Flesh and the wine into Blood. This miracle was formally approved by the Church. If you visit Lanciano today 1324 years since the miracle, you can still see the Flesh in the monstrance and beneath the monstrance in a glass chalice, the Blood which has congealed into five clots. In 1971 and 1981 laboratory tests were done on the Flesh and Blood and it was discovered to be myocardium heart muscular tissue (The Sacred Heart) and the Blood to be group AB. The Face Cloth of Christ (Sudarium), and also the Shroud of Turin (Burial Cloth of Christ) were also to be the same AB blood group.
The Church strongly encourages Eucharistic Processions and Adoration, in order to honour Our Lord and to also strengthen our faith in the Real Presence. There is a great tradition of Corpus Christi Processions in Germany. The Eucharist is carried in procession throughout the parish, town, or city. All Catholics in the area join the Procession which is like a religious parade. They are dressed in their finest clothes, carrying flowers, presents; singing and praying. They make four stops at beautifully decorated Altars, prepared ahead of time for each of the four stops. Each of the Altars faces one of the four directions: North, South, East and West. When the Procession arrives, the Monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament is placed upon the Altar. Prayers are said, hymns are sung in Adoration and Benediction is given. Some places even give the Lord a military salute by firing off guns or canons at each Altar.
In our world today, Catholics often try to solve their problems by themselves and leave the Lord alone in the Tabernacle. Many don’t come to Him during the week either to attend Mass or talk things over with the Lord and adore Him. We must remember what Jesus said in the Gospel:
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. (Mt 11:28-30).
Our Lord takes the weight of worries off our shoulders and gives us peace of heart. He also gives us the necessary light to solve the many problems. He is our greatest Friend! The Lord has remained with us in the greatest degree: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Sacrament of Love. [Please read this weeks Bulletin on the Power of the Holy Hour or check out this website: https://perpetualeucharisticadoration.com/).
If we grow in our relationship with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, He will bring us joy, serenity, peace and inner healing. Don’t wait for Heaven in order to realize the value of the Holy Hours made upon earth, start now during our journey to our Heavenly Homeland. Our Lord will never be outdone in generosity. O Sacrament Most Holy, O sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine.