First Reading: Genesis 14:18-20 Responsorial: Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4 Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Gospel Passage: Luke 9:11b-17
Participation by Msgr. Richard Henning
Although we find ourselves back in Ordinary Time, the “aftershocks” of the Easter season continue to reverberate in our Sunday celebrations. The effects of the Easter mysteries now spill over into the everyday life of the Church. We concluded the Easter season with the celebration of the Spirit’s presence in our midst and we followed that with the acclamation of the mystery of the Trinity. In that celebration, we recalled God’s revelation of God’s Own Self in human history and above all in the Christ event. We also learned that in the revelation of God’s interior communion, we encounter the full meaning and purpose of humanity: to be drawn by grace into that communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Both of these feasts bespeak the fundamental truth that the Lord Jesus remains present in our midst. He may no longer walk the hilly paths of Galilee, but His words are proclaimed, His ministry is exercised, and His commandments are lived. In the Feast of Corpus Christi, we give thanks for this presence of the Lord in our communities and His ongoing gracious care of His people. With the gift of the Eucharist, there is something new in the world, but it emerges from the ancient, even timeless, truth that God desires life and blessing for His people.
Looking back to the story of salvation, the first reading this Sunday is a brief mention of the ancient king of Salem, Melchizedek. When Abraham found himself at war with local Canaanite kings over the abduction of Lot, Melchizedek, the priest king of the city that would become Jerusalem demonstrated inspired insight. He recognized Abraham as one blessed by the true God. He saw God’s hand in Abraham’s victory and offered him tribute and gifts of bread and wine. The actions of this outsider were so remarkable and unexpected that they have been remembered through the ages.
The Psalm response, originally used for the enthronement of the kings, demonstrates that the Psalmist saw Melchizedek, king of ancient Salem, as a forerunner of the Davidic kings of Jerusalem. They inherit his royal and priestly mantle. Early Christians gave the story a new layer, especially in light of Jesus’ gift of bread and wine to his disciples at the Last Supper. Jesus, the unexpected Messiah, is now the blessed one and the one who fulfills and completes the kingly and priestly roles prefigured in Melchizedek. That which was promise has become reality in the one who is priest forever.
In the reading from Corinthians, Paul offers a rare glimpse of the early Christian celebration of the Eucharist. Writing less than twenty years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul is speaking of something that predates him, something that he has received. The Eucharist had already become part of the practice and tradition of the Church.
The passage from the Gospel of Luke relates Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the crowds. This miracle, related in all of the Gospels, is among the more memorable moments of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and it is rich with meaning. Luke tells this account with language redolent of the Sinai experience and the early Church’s Eucharistic celebration. In details like the blessing and breaking, we see that Luke wishes us to link this story with our Eucharistic encounter with the Lord. In His healing, teaching, and feeding, Jesus demonstrates compassionate care of the people “in the wilderness.”
There are few things more intimate and caring than to share food with another. In our wilderness, the Eucharist becomes our miraculous feeding. The Lord gathers us and cares for us with the compassion of One Who loves us. But this old reality has been made new, for this food is more than bread and wine, it is the Lord Himself. It is His sacred presence within us and among us.
The Body and Blood of Christ constitute Jesus’ greatest gift to His people. This gift of Himself, made possible by the power of the Spirit, is the origin of the Church and the sustenance for her life “until He comes.” And it is a gift that requires our participation. After all, Jesus commands us to eat and to drink of the chalice. In doing so, we invite Him into every cell in our body, every word on our lips, and every choice or action that we undertake. In taking from the chalice of His suffering, we proclaim our faith that His love is enough in any and all circumstances.
To paraphrase Melchizedek: Blessed be Jesus Who delivered even the foe death into our hands! Let us joyfully take His Bread of Life and receive from the chalice of His blessing. As He has partaken of our suffering, may we participate in His grace.
