Presence and Word

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, ( Corpus Christi), celebrate the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist as food for our full life.

Pursue our Journey

The reading from the Book of Genesis recalls Melchizedek, king of Salem, who brought out bread and wine.

* [14:18] Melchizedek, king of Salem (Jerusalem, cf. Ps 76:3), appears with majestic suddenness to recognize Abraham’s great victory, which the five local kings were unable to achieve. He prepares a feast in his honor and declares him blessed or made powerful by God Most High, evidently the highest God in the Canaanite pantheon. Abraham acknowledges the blessing by giving a tenth of the recaptured spoils as a tithe to Melchizedek. The episode is one of several allusions to David, king at Jerusalem, who also exercised priestly functions (2 Sm 6:17). Heb 7 interprets Melchizedek as a prefiguration of Christ. God Most High: in Heb. El Elyon, one of several “El names” for God in Genesis, others being El Olam (21:33), El the God of Israel (33:20), El Roi (16:13), El Bethel (35:7), and El Shaddai (the usual P designation for God in Genesis). All the sources except the Yahwist use El as the proper name for God used by the ancestors. The god El was well-known across the ancient Near East and in comparable religious literature. The ancestors recognized this God as their own when they encountered him in their journeys and in the shrines they found in Canaan. (Genesis, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 110 proclaims God who assures the king that his enemies are conquered.

* [Psalm 110] A royal Psalm in which a court singer recites three oracles in which God assures the king that his enemies are conquered (Ps 110:1–2), makes the king “son” in traditional adoption language (Ps 110:3), gives priestly status to the king and promises to be with him in future military ventures (Ps 110:4–7). (Psalms, PSALM 110 | USCCB, n.d.)

The reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul relates the tradition of the Institution.

* [11:23–25] This is the earliest written account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper in the New Testament. The narrative emphasizes Jesus’ action of self-giving (expressed in the words over the bread and the cup) and his double command to repeat his own action. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand.

* [9:16] Then taking…: the actions of Jesus recall the institution of the Eucharist in Lk 22:19; see also note on Mt 14:19. (Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Andy Alexan­der, SJ sus­pects that some of us, like he, at var­i­ous times in our lives, took the Eucharist for grant­ed and lost a sense of the sacred, the inti­mate bond of this gift of his entire self to/for us, and we lost a sense of how the Eucharist mis­sions us to share that self-giv­ing love for others.

Can this grace of a feel­ing close to our Lord be restored?  Can we open our hearts to receive that pow­er­ful, per­son­al expe­ri­ence of love he offers us with his very self being bro­ken and poured out for us?  Can we imag­ine a renewed spe­cial moment when the min­is­ter offers us his Body and his Blood, while we stretch out our arms with a big smile and say “Amen,” mean­ing “Yes,” to the whole gift: “Yes, I desire to receive you into my heart.  Yes, I so desire to let you heal me with your love and I real­ly want to feel mis­sioned by this sacra­ment to love as you’ve loved me”?

I believe this is pos­si­ble because I’m expe­ri­enc­ing a bit of it more and more these days, deal­ing with my dimin­ish­ment. That jour­ney has led me to re-dis­cov­er an impor­tant tool Ignatius offers us, that is, locat­ing and ask­ing for the grace we desire.   To ask for this gift of a “holy com­mu­nion of love” we receive in the Eucharist is sure­ly to ask for a grace our Lord dear­ly wants to give us. (Alexander, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Christ has yet to feed them with stronger food,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

"The order of the mystery is preserved everywhere. The first healing is bestowed on wounds through the remission of sins. Then the nourishment of the heavenly table abounds, although this multitude is not yet refreshed with stronger foods, nor do hearts hungry for more solid faith feed on the body and blood of Christ (Hebrews 5:12-14). He says, 'I gave you milk to drink, not meat. For you then were not strong, nor are you yet' (1 Corinthians 3:2). The five loaves are like milk, but the more solid meat is the body of Christ, and the stronger drink is the blood of the Lord (Luke 22:19-20). Not immediately at first do we feast on all foods, nor do we drink all drinks. 'First drink this,' he says. Thus there is a first, then a second thing that you drink. There is also a first thing that you eat, then a second, and then a third. At first there are five loaves, then there are seven (Matthew 15:34). The third loaf is the true body of Christ. So, then, let us never abandon such a Lord. He agrees to bestow on us nourishment according to the strength of each, lest either too strong a food oppress the weak or too meager a nourishment not satisfy the strong."(excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 6.71-72) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 9:11-17 comments that whether we experience a Eucharistic miracle or not, Jesus is still present at every Mass. Just as he multiplied the five loaves and two fishes that day, he takes something so small—a simple piece of bread—and transforms it into his very flesh, to feed his people.

Today, offer Jesus your very self. Yes, the little that you have to offer him is enough! Give him your worries, your cares, but also your blessings and gifts. Trust in his miracle-working love and power to do amazing things in and through you.

“Jesus, nothing is too small for you. I worship you in the Eucharist, and I offer you the little that I have. Come and work your wonders in me!” (Meditation on Luke 9:11-17, n.d.)

Harry Elias SJ, assistant in the Hurtado Jesuit Centre in Wapping, East London, reflects on the communion with Christ into which we and all of creation are welcomed through the Eucharist.

At the Last Supper, Christ took bread and wine, blessed them (gave thanks to God for them) and declared the bread and wine to be his own body and blood, his sacrificial body, the embodiment of his sacrificial offering. He then gave them to his disciples to share. Earliest church tradition attests that the bread and wine were not merely a sign of Christ’s sacrificial body but actually were his body: the bread and wine had become a new creation. By becoming Christ’s flesh and blood, their identity was that of the Word of God (John 1:1). In offering the bread and wine, and in their being eaten and drunk, we come to communion (koinonia) with Christ in spirit, and through him with the Father, ‘so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life’ (Romans 6:4). Through our faith in Christ handed down to us by the Church, the joy and spiritual strength of hope we receive from the bread of life, the heavenly manna (John 6:50-51), enables us to endure the misfortunes in the wilderness of our lives. The Lord invites each one of us to his supper, to relax, rest and be refreshed in his personal love and in the Father’s love. (Elias, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the passage in Genesis where Melchizedek offers bread and wine as sacrifice in response to Abram. He is seen as a foreshadowing of Jesus “the king of righteousness” as outlined in the Letter to Hebrews. The first written version of the Last Supper, in Corinthians preceded by two decades the accounts in the New Testament. Friar Jude notes the different expressions of “blood” or “Covenant” in accounts and the different understanding in Greek or in Aramaic of Jesus Words.

Brian McLaren explores Jesus’ call to live by the collective values of justice and solidarity, becoming salt and light for the world. Jesus advocates an identity characterized by solidarity, sensitivity, and nonviolence. He celebrates those who long for justice, embody compassion, and manifest integrity and nonduplicity. He creates a new kind of hero: not warriors, corporate executives, or politicians, but brave and determined activists for preemptive peace, willing to suffer with him in the prophetic tradition of justice. 

Our choice is clear from the start: If we want to be his disciples, we won’t be able to simply coast along and conform to the norms of our society. We must choose a different definition of well-being, a different model of success, a new identity with a new set of values….  

If we seek the kind of unconventional blessedness he proposes, we will experience the true aliveness of God’s kingdom, the warmth of God’s comfort, the enjoyment of the gift of this Earth, the satisfaction at seeing God’s restorative justice come more fully, the joy of receiving mercy, the direct experience of God’s presence, the honor of association with God and of being in league with the prophets of old. That is the identity he invites us to seek. (McLaren, n.d.)

We ponder the declaration in the beginning of the Gospel of John that the Word is made flesh and dwells among us as we receive Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The Chosen episode offers an interesting interpretation of Jesus and the loaves and fishes.

References

Alexander, A. (2025, June 22). Daily Reflection June 22, 2025 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-22-2025 

Elias, H. (n.d.). Corpus Christi transforming creation. Thinking Faith: The online journal of the Jesuits in Britain. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/corpus-christi-transforming-creation 

Genesis, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/14?18 

Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?11 

McLaren, B. (n.d.). Acting from Our Identity. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/acting-from-our-identity/ 

Meditation on Luke 9:11-17. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/06/22/1310938/ 

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/11?23 

Psalms, PSALM 110 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/110?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). All Ate and Were Satisfied. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jun22a 

Priestly Ministry

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to place healing and mercy in first place in our relationships with others in our environment.

Our Ministry for Life

The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews places Jesus in the Priestly Order of Melchizedek.

* [7:1–3] Recalling the meeting between Melchizedek and Abraham described in Gn 14:17–20, the author enhances the significance of this priest by providing the popular etymological meaning of his name and that of the city over which he ruled (Heb 7:2). Since Genesis gives no information on the parentage or the death of Melchizedek, he is seen here as a type of Christ, representing a priesthood that is unique and eternal (Heb 7:3).

* [7:15–19] Jesus does not exercise a priesthood through family lineage but through his immortal existence (15–16), fulfilling Ps 110:4 (Heb 7:17; cf. Heb 7:3). Thus he abolishes forever both the levitical priesthood and the law it serves, because neither could effectively sanctify people (Heb 7:18) by leading them into direct communication with God (Heb 7:19). (Hebrews, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 110 offers Assurance of Victory for God’s Priest-King.

* [Psalm 110] A royal Psalm in which a court singer recites three oracles in which God assures the king that his enemies are conquered (Ps 110:1–2), makes the king “son” in traditional adoption language (Ps 110:3), gives priestly status to the king and promises to be with him in future military ventures (Ps 110:4–7). (Psalms, PSALM 110 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus ministers to Crowds of People and heals the Man with a Withered Hand.

* [3:1–5] Here Jesus is again depicted in conflict with his adversaries over the question of sabbath-day observance. His opponents were already ill disposed toward him because they regarded Jesus as a violator of the sabbath. Jesus’ question Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil? places the matter in the broader theological context outside the casuistry of the scribes. The answer is obvious. Jesus heals the man with the withered hand in the sight of all and reduces his opponents to silence; cf. Jn 5:17–18.

* [3:6] In reporting the plot of the Pharisees and Herodians to put Jesus to death after this series of conflicts in Galilee, Mark uses a pattern that recurs in his account of later controversies in Jerusalem (Mk 11:17–18; 12:13–17). The help of the Herodians, supporters of Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, is needed to take action against Jesus. Both series of conflicts point to their gravity and to the impending passion of Jesus. (Mark, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

Cindy Costanzo comments that Jesus modeled love during his time on earth and taught us to love one another. He demonstrated his love for life as written in today’s reading. Boldly stepping forward within a situation and performing a miracle against the rules and laws of the time. Deliberately sending a message to the Pharisees that life matters and love for each other is most important. Cindy reflects on 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:8 The Gift of Love. 

Lord, grant us the ability to love and humbly stand before you to ask for your guidance in all our decisions, especially those concerning life. (Costanzo, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The tender compassion of the Lord,” by John Chrysostom, 547-407 A.D.

"Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, 'Come here.' Then he challenged the Pharisees as to whether it would be lawful to do good on the sabbath. Note the tender compassion of the Lord when he deliberately brought the man with the withered hand right into their presence (Luke 6:8). He hoped that the mere sight of the misfortune might soften them, that they might become a little less spiteful by seeing the affliction, and perhaps out of sorrow mend their own ways. But they remained callous and unfeeling. They preferred to do harm to the name of Christ than to see this poor man made whole. They betrayed their wickedness not only by their hostility to Christ, but also by their doing so with such contentiousness that they treated with disdain his mercies to others." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 40.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 3:1-6 comments that by being quick to accuse, we can overlook God’s command to love. And every time we do that, we “destroy” that person a little more (Mark 3:4). That’s why Jesus told us not to call someone “fool” or to harbor anger against anyone (Matthew 5:22). We need to guard our hearts against these temptations lest we miss out on Jesus’ gifts of new life, healing, and salvation.

God doesn’t want any life destroyed. Instead, he wants everyone to receive gifts of life and salvation. And he invites us to join with him in this work through our prayers of intercession. Throughout the United States today, people are interceding for the protection of unborn children. They are praying that their laws would save and protect all human life, from conception to natural death. But no matter where you live, you can pray that every child, born and unborn, would be safe and loved, welcomed and protected. You can pray for all mothers and fathers. And you can pray that we would bring life and blessing to everyone we meet.

“Lord, fill our hearts with awe and wonder at your gift of life. Protect all children and lead them to you.” (Meditation on Mark 3:1-6, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the declaration of Jesus' priesthood being in the line of Melchizedek, who was not a Jew and who offered bread and wine and prayed to Canaanite gods. If Jesus waited “just one more day” to heal the withered hand He would be in harmony with the Pharisees' idea that healing on the Sabbath was only appropriate if one was at the point of death. Friar Jude reminds us that when we receive the Love of God in Sunday worship, we need to share it with others.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, explores our human and religious temptation to hide qualities we think of as negative or “less than” in order to make ourselves seem better than we are. 

In different ways, we humans falsely divide the world into the pure and impure, the totally good and the totally bad, the perfect and imperfect. It begins with dualistic thinking and then never manages to get beyond it. Such a total split or clean division is never true in actual experience. We all know that reality is a lot more mixed and “disordered” than that; so, in order to continue to see things in such a false and binary way, we really have to close down. That is the hallmark of immature religion. It demands denial, splitting, and mental pretense. It moves from the first false assumption of purity or perfection toward an entire ethical code, a priesthood of some sort, and various rituals and taboos that keep us on the side of the seeming pure, positive, or perfect—as if that were even possible.  

I mean this next point kindly: Organized religion is almost structurally certain to create hypocrites (the word literally means “actors”), those who try to appear to be pure and good, or at least better than others. Jesus uses the word at least ten times in Matthew’s Gospel alone! We are unconsciously trained to want to look good, to seek moral high ground, and to point out the “speck” in other people’s eyes while ignoring the “log” in our own (Matthew 7:3–5). None of us lives up to all our spoken ideals, but we have to pretend we do in order to feel good about ourselves and to get others of our chosen group to respect us. (Rohr, n.d.)

When we ponder how to exercise our Baptismal anointing as “priest” we consider how the example of Jesus giving up human life for us might apply to our ministry.

References

Costanzo, C. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/012225.html 

Hebrews, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/7?1 

Mark, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/3?1=#49003001 

Meditation on Mark 3:1-6. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/01/22/1184895/ 

Psalms, PSALM 110 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/110?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Unworthiness Is the Ticket. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/unworthiness-is-the-ticket/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Is It Lawful... to Save Life or to Kill? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jan22