FIRST READING: Genesis 14:18-20. Melchisedec king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. And he blessed Abram and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hands!" And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. EXPLANATION: This incident in the life of Abraham has been chosen for our first reading on this, the Feast of Corpus Christi, because of the reference to the offering of bread and wine. Abraham was returning victoriously from a battle against four invading kings from the east who had raided eastern Canaan and taken off much booty. He met Melchisedec, the King and chief Priest of Salem, a pagan city at that time (it was later called Jerusalem, and became the capital of Israel), who came out to meet and congratulate him. brought out bread and wine: That there was some sacrificial significance intended by this action---it was not just an ordinary meal offered to Abraham and his troops---seems clear from what follows.
for he was a priest of the Most High God: Melchisedec could have formed an alliance with Abraham, and the bread and wine, part of a sacrifice, sealed the alliance (see Ex. 24: 11).
Most High God: This does not mean Yahweh the true God, the God of Abraham. This title the "most high" (Elyon) was applied by the Canaanites to their various gods. The Israelites later used these titles for Yahweh, who alone was the Most High.
He blessed Abram: As a priest he asked his God to bless this stranger with whom he had now formed an alliance.
maker of heaven and earth: This title belongs to the true God of Abraham only, and the author of these verses implies that Melchisedec is referring to the God of Abraham here, as Abraham himself does in verse 22: "I salute the Lord God Most High, maker of heaven and earth." Abraham would hardly reverence a pagan god.
who...delivered your enemies...your hand: Melchisedec would hardly suggest that his local god had helped a stranger win a battle some hundred or so miles outside of Jerusalem. The pagan gods had very local jurisdiction and power. APPLICATION: Because Psalm 110 saw in Melchisedec a figure or type of the future Messiah: "You are a priest of the order of Melchisedec and forever" and "royal dignity was yours from the day you were born" (Ps. 110: 4; 3), the New Testament (Hebrews 7), and the Fathers read a messianic meaning into this meeting of Abraham with Melchisedec. Clement of Alexandria saw in the bread and wine offered by Melchisedec a figure of the Eucharist. He was followed by others and eventually this offering by Melchisedec found a place in the Canon of the Mass. That Melchisedec was a king and a priest, and that he offered bread in some form of sacrifice, makes him worthy of mention in the Canon and in today's feastday. Christ was King and Priest and he offered himself, and continues to offer himself daily, as a true sacrifice to God the Father on our behalf, under the, form of bread and wine in the blessed Eucharist---the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. That Christ who was the Son of God in human nature could do this we cannot doubt. He who, during the years of his life on earth, hid his divinity, "emptied himself of it," as St. Paul says, can hide his divinity and humanity under the form of food, bread and wine, is less surprising and certainly not impossible for one who is God. The fact that he did so is clearly established. In St. John's Gospel, we are told of his promise to do so (Jn. 6). In the Synoptics and in St. Paul, the occasion (the Last Supper) and the words he used, as well as his command to his disciples to continue doing this, are given us. The Acts of the Apostles and the practise of the Church from its very beginning show that the Apostles understood what he had done, and what they were commanded to do. He did what he commanded them. The mystery of the Blessed Eucharist, that is, that Christ is present, for our spiritual nourishment, in the bread and wine after the consecration in the Mass, is not whether it could be done, but rather why the infinite love and thoughtfulness of the Son of God for us led him to do so. But though our small minds cannot understand divine love, they can do something to show their gratitude for this proof of God's love. Christ wished to remain with his Church until the last human being leaves this earth. He wished to remain under a form which would help us on our way. To live his earthly life man needs food. He also needs spiritual food which Christ has provided in the Eucharist. Not only is Christ in his divinity and humanity present in us every time we receive the Blessed Eucharist, but he deigns to remain under the sacramental species in our churches to welcome us and to encourage us in our daily struggles, when we call to visit him. Surely, if the Chosen People of the Old Testament could exclaim: "What great nation has its gods so close to it, as the Lord our God is to us" (Dt. 4: 7), with how much more conviction and certitude can we not say this? He comes personally to each one of us when we receive him in Holy Communion. He remains personally in all our churches throughout the world in order to help us on the road to heaven. Today, the feastday of Corpus Christi, Christ in the Blessed Eucharist reminds us again of all that God has done and is still doing for us. What am I doing for him in return? I could visit him more often as a sign of my appreciation. I could receive him more often with greater love and fervor. I know I am not worthy of this supreme honor, but if he says the word, "I shall be healed." I shall be made worthy.
SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26. I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also 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." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. EXPLANATION: St. Paul had preached the doctrine of the Blessed Eucharist to his Corinthian converts. The custom of the early Church was to imitate the Last Supper, during which our Lord had his last meal with his disciples, and then instituted the Eucharist. The Christians used to have a community meal (the Agape, meal of love and unity) after which they received the Holy Eucharist. Some abuses concerning the community meal cropped up in Corinth---lack of true charity among the congregation; the rich had abundance, they did not share with the poor, some went so far as to drink too much wine at the community meal and made themselves unworthy of receiving the Lord. Paul corrects these abuses in this letter and then goes on to emphasize once more what the Eucharist really is.
I received from the Lord: This can, but does not necessarily mean that the doctrine of the Blessed Eucharist was directly revealed to him by Christ. He was taught the Christian doctrine in Damascus and later in Jerusalem, but which ever way he received it, he had the true doctrine. Of this he had no doubt.
What I...to you: What he had learned, he had taught to his converts.
on the night...he was betrayed: Holy Thursday night on which he had his last meal with his disciples---when Judas went out to betray him to his enemies.
took bread...broke it...said: The bread used on the feast of Passover was unleavened bread. "He gave thanks," the Jewish custom before every meal, and then divided the bread to have a portion for each.
This is my body: By his divine power the bread became in a mysterious way his body, himself.
which is for you: Which is to be offered up (on the cross next day) for all men.
do this in remembrance of me: A command and a commission. He is hereby giving them (and their successors) the power to do what he was doing, the power to change the bread into his body, into himself.
In the same way...the cup: He then took the chalice or cup of wine "saying"
this cup is the New Covenant: The Old Covenant (and all covenants in ancient times) was sealed and ratified by the offering of a sacrifice, and the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrifice on the object of the pact and on the contracting parties (see Ex. 24: 8 on the similar procedure in the making of the Old Covenant between God and the Israelites).
in my blood: Moses used the blood of the sacrifices offered to ratify the Old Covenant. Christ's blood is the seat and ratification of the New Covenant between God and the Chosen People, Christ's followers. The blood represented the life of man or animal.
in remembrance of me: As the Passover supper was a solemn reminder to the Israelites of their deliverance from Egypt, so the new Passover, the Blessed Eucharist, is a solemn reminder to Christians of their liberation through the death of Christ.
as often as...bread...cup: This Eucharistic celebration was to be repeated later by Christians. It was, and Christ intended it to be, a recalling to mind, a reenactment, of his death on the Cross, the culmination of the perfect obedience of the Incarnate Son of God. It earned for us the privilege of divine adoption.
until he comes: This reenactment of the death (and resurrection) of Christ is to be continued until Christ returns on the last day. It is to be the central act of worship (the sacrifice of Christ for us) of the Church until the end of time. APPLICATION: These words of St. Paul to the Corinthians, written in 57 A.D., can leave no doubt in our minds as to the belief of the great Apostle and that of his converts in the reality of the gift of himself which Our Lord gave to us in that central sacrament of our Christian faith, the Blessed Eucharist, or the Body of Christ, as today's feast calls it. The meeting for "the breaking of bread," that is, the celebration of the Eucharist, was the chief act of divine worship performed by the Christians. It was also the bond of love which kept them united from the very first days of the Church. They knew that in the consecration of the bread and wine, the Mass as it was later called, they were repeating, in an unbloody but real manner, the salvific action of Christ in his death and Resurrection. He returned to heaven in his glorified humanity to take his place as the God-man at the right hand of the Father. But in his love for us, he found a way in which he could still remain with us, and re-offer the sacrifice of the cross through us and for us. As an essential part in all the sacrifices of the Old Testament (and in pagan religions too) the priests and the laity offering the sacrifice ate part of the sacrifice offered. It was a sign of their union with God and with one another. Thus Christ gave us the re-offering of himself, "his body and blood," under the form of food and drink so that we could partake of it and thus become united to God and to one another. The Mass and the receiving of Holy Communion are the full participation in the re-enactment of Calvary. By offering the Mass we are giving infinite honor and satisfaction to God, and by receiving part of what is sacrificed we become intimately united with God and with one another---we are members of the one divine family, partaking of the same divine meal. This community participation in the eucharistic sacrifice was stressed and practiced very much in the early Church and down through the first centuries. This is being stressed again in recent years, and so it ought to be. We give honor to God by being present and participating in the Mass, in the offering of Christ's sacrifice to the Father. But we participate fully and receive the full benefits of this sacrificial act only when we partake of the sacrifice with our fellow-worshippers by receiving Christ in Holy Communion. There are many, of course, who feel they are not worthy. They are not worthy if they are conscious of serious sins which are unforgiven. But the means of forgiveness, left to us by Christ in another sacrament, are so easily available that to neglect to make use of these means shows a lack of interest, not only in our own salvation, but in the good God who is offering himself to us as our spiritual food on the road to heaven. For those not conscious of any serious offence, an act of love of God will cleanse them of any minor faults or failings. Then the Good Lord will make them worthy. He is willing and anxious to enter their humble and lowly homes. The ideal to be aimed at is that everyone present at the Mass should also gather around the communion table and take part in the community, sacrificial meal. This will then strengthen the bonds of love that unite them with God and with one another.
GOSPEL: Luke 9:11-17. Jesus spoke to the crowds of the kingdom of God, and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away; and the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away, to go into the villages and country round about, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a lonely place." But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish---unless we are to go and buy food for all these people." For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Make them sit down in companies, about fifty each." And they did so, and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what was left over, twelve baskets of broken pieces. EXPLANATION: Jesus had been preaching for some months in the district around the Lake of Genesareth. His fame had spread all over these regions because of the many miracles he was performing. Wherever he appeared huge crowds gathered to hear him, but especially to obtain favors. In the incident we have just read, the crowds remained all day listening to him speak of the kingdom of God---"and he healed all who were in need of healing." As night was approaching, the Apostles suggested to him that he should tell the crowd to go away for the night, and to seek food in the neighboring villages. They were evidently in some uninhabited region without shelter or food.
you give them something to eat...: Jesus must have known that the Apostles had not nearly enough supplies to feed such a large number (five thousand men alone), nor could they go and purchase so much food. His purpose, therefore, in asking them must have been to prepare their minds to see the miracle, for it was humanly impossible to provide food there for such a multitude.
no more...five loaves and two fish: Scarcely enough for an evening meal for themselves.
unless...go and buy: Their question expects a negative answer. They had not enough money to buy so much food, nor could they carry it back.
sit down...fifty each: To help the distribution of food, and to estimate the number, and therefore the magnitude, of the miracle.
he looked up...to heaven...the crowd: Our Lord took the loaves and fish, and giving thanks to God he blessed the loaves, broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. St. Luke mentions the prayer of thanksgiving to God, the blessing, the breaking, and the distributing of the loaves (and fish) using the identical formula followed by Christ at the institution of the Eucharist, at the Last Supper. It is noteworthy that this is the only miracle given in all four gospels and that each of the four Evangelists connects the miracle with the announcement of his Passion by our Lord (see Luke 9: 22). There is more than a hint in this of the sacrificial character of the Eucharist.
all ate...left over...twelve baskets: Five thousand hungry men, not to mention the women, ate of the multiplied loaves and fish, and twelve baskets-full of the fragments left over were collected. There can be no doubt as to the authenticity and the magnitude of such a miracle. It was a miracle performed out of sheer divine generosity---these people could have gone home or could have found food on their way. St. John, who does not mention the institution of the Eucharist, connects Christ's promise of the Eucharist (himself, namely, "the true bread of life who has come down from heaven") with this multiplication of the loaves (see Jn. 6: 1-15; 27-35). APPLICATION: It should not surprise us that Jesus, who miraculously fed over five thousand people out of sheer generosity, to prevent them feeling any pangs of hunger on their return journey home, could and would find a miraculous way to feed his faithful followers on their way to heaven. Many, if not most, of that five thousand had little or no interest in his teaching (he said so next day; see Jn. 6: 26), but were ready to take all the earthly benefits he would give them. Yet he wanted to prevent them from suffering any undue hardship. We, his followers, have learned and appreciated his teaching and the supernatural future life which he has earned for us and promised us. We are trying to live Christian lives according to the rules he gave us. We are struggling along towards heaven, each in his own way, fervent at times, careless or cold often, perhaps but still most anxious not to miss the glorious future he has prepared for us. With this proof of his kindness and generosity in helping this more or less indifferent multitude in the matter of earthly food, it is much easier for us to see him provide generously for the spiritual nourishment of his followers on their journey to their true and lasting home. That he did so we have the certainty of the centuries-long tradition of generations of Christians, based on his own words recorded in the inspired writings. Christ has arranged to remain with us under the form of food for our spiritual sustenance in the sacred sacrifice of the Mass, in which we can partake of his sacred body and blood, soul and divinity. This is, we can receive the Incarnate Son of God in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. How he could do that is only a small mystery for our finite minds. He was God as well as man. But why he should do this for us unworthy creatures is the greater mystery by far. Infinite love, which we finite beings cannot even begin to understand, is the answer and the explanation. Instead, then, of wasting any time on trying to solve this mystery, which we know to be a fact, let us try to thank him for it and use this gift of his love as often as possible. This will be the greatest proof that we appreciate this divine gift. We know that we are not worthy to receive our divine Lord "under our roof." Perhaps, we are even more unworthy than the pagan Centurion who was first to use these words. But we also know that Jesus can and will make us worthy if we ask him in all sincerity: "to say but the word" and we shall be healed. "It is not the healthy who need the doctor but the sick," Christ said when accused of being too friendly with sinners (Mt. 9: 12). We Christians are more often spiritually sick and dead than healthy. However, we have our doctor and he cares for us. It is only by following his advice, and by using the spiritual medical nourishment he prescribes for us, that we can overcome our illnesses and weaknesses and keep on the straight and narrow road to heaven.-c223
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