Corpus Christi
Fr Dominic’s Homily
Jesus makes the claim which only God can make in that he is the living bread from heaven. This is the true bread which can truly satisfy the hunger in our hearts.
The manna in the wilderness sustained the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. But it could not produce eternal life for the Israelites.
In other words the Jewish Law by itself will never get people into heaven. It’s utterly incomplete. It’s only through the person of Jesus Christ that we achieve this. In accepting that Jesus is really and truly the Messiah and not just a really holy man that had some really nice things to say.
The bread which Jesus offers his disciples gives us the abundant supernatural life of God which sustains us both now and for all eternity.
We must turn away from other forms of food and stop feeding on things that will never satisfy us - and instead eat the banquet that God provides.
We spend our whole lives searching for food that doesn’t satisfy and eating junk food for the soul that maybe give us a quick fix.
We mustn’t fill ourselves with what the world offers - instead we must fill ourselves with the bread of Christ.
Now that doesn’t mean that I don’t like going out for good meals now and then. But Jesus comes first. Spiritual bread before Physical bread. This is what truly heals and nourishes our souls.
All of us experience difficulties from time to time. Sufferings and problem are part of life.
It is said that throughout life the only thing that ever teaches us anything ultimately is suffering. Because it emulates the love and suffering of Jesus. It does two things:
It makes us actually stop and listen. And when we properly listen we learn.
And the other thing is that this brings hope. If all is going too well in our lives then there is a danger we lose hope and faith in God.
St John of the cross reminds us that the only way we can ever achieve true spiritual wisdom is through the thicket of suffering.
Sure we can become knowledgeable about a subject. We might even be pretty intelligent. But this is a far cry and often diametrically opposite to spiritual wisdom.
When we receive the Eucharist we unite ourselves to Jesus Christ, who makes us sharers in his body and blood and partakers of his divine life.
We must nourish our souls with a deeper relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. This supernatural food is healing for both body and soul and strength for our journey to heaven. Only Jesus who is the true bread of life alone can satisfy the hunger in our hearts.
At the Last Supper, on the night when he was betrayed, Jesus instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. He did this in order to maintain the sacrifice of His death on the Cross until he should return.
A few weeks ago we had the road to Emmaus - a place that never actually existed. A Roman garrison town. This represented the disciples running away from Jerusalem, running away from Jesus.
Then of course this stranger accompanies them on the road. They don’t recognise him – because when you are walking the wrong way in life you don’t see clearly and the spiritual life is all about seeing.
He asks them about their discussions. They say you must be the only person who doesn’t know what’s been going on! Irony. He’s the only person who knows.
They invite him to stay. He breaks the bread and disappears. Why – because he is now fully present in the Eucharist. We have no need to see him physically in human form anymore.
He is now the true bread from heaven, the source of life and nourishment that we need to sustain us on our journey to the promised land of heaven.
Let us always remember to feed our souls on the person of Jesus who is that true bread of heaven.
Then we can see clearly what he is doing for us in our lives as well as the path we should take. Let us place all our hope and trust in Him.