Fr Ruben
Jn. 6 L51-58
I am
the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live
forever.
Theme: THANKSGIVING, REMEMBRANCE, and
FRATERNAL SHARING.
In the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and
Blood of Christ, sometimes called the Feast of Corpus Christi, we note three
words that summarize the event --- THANKSGIVING, REMEMBRANCE, and FRATERNAL
SHARING.
THANKSGIVING.
Most reason for having big celebrations,
and sumptuous meals is THANKSGIVING --- for memorable events like birthdays,
weddings, and anniversaries. Precisely, the word Eucharistia in Greek means “thanksgiving”. We thank the Lord for the gift of human life
in Birthdays and the gift of spiritual life in Baptism, which includes us in
the family of God, and sharing in his bountiful table called providence. God gifted us with life and sustains it.
Above all he does not want us to die and become fertilizers, but shares with us
his divine life. In fact, he says: I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
The Eucharist is a Sacrament that guarantees us eternal life,
immortal life, life without end.
REMEMBRANCE.
We remember important moments of our life,
and history. And we love to retell these
stories to the persons close to us --- especially the stories of our pains and
successes, of our failures and triumphs, of our hardships and glory. Stories intertwine us into a family, and a
community. For God, it is the Calvary
Event that binds us most intimately into the body of Christ. In fact, Jesus says: “No greater love than
this that a man should lay down his life for his friends. And more than just friends, we belong to the
family of Jesus. The redemptive blood of
Jesus flows in our bodies for “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life.” We become what we eat and
drink.
FRATERNAL SHARING:
Like the little boy who was asked to donate
rare blood to his sister suffering from leukemia; aft first, he hesitated to
give, but he was finally persuaded that only his blood could save his sister.
So, even though they quarrel at times, he loves his sister very much. After
donating his own blood, he asked the doctor, “when will I die?” The doctor said, you will not die, but you
have just shared life.
In this Eucharistic banquet, we give thanks
to the Lord our God for all the blessings we have received from him. We remember his divine providence for our
kettles never run out of rice and noodles, because it is in fraternal sharing,
and in family giving where we do not count the costs, and because redemptive
love means “no one is too heavy to carry, for anyone can be my brother or
sister, father or mother.”
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