Eat the Passover | Word from the Shepherd No. 132 | Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi Year B
Exo.24:3-8; Heb.9:11-15; Mk.14:12-26

St Margaret Mary Alacoque had a vision at Mass. She saw Jesus in the host, stretching out His arms eagerly to unite with those present there, yet He could not embrace. Margaret Mary asked Jesus for an explanation.
This was what Jesus told her:

  1. That He willingly entered the hearts of those who took pains to please Him; who came prepared for the Eucharist.
  2. That He resisted the lukewarm, the unprepared, those who were casual about their faults and imperfections and those who made no effort to resist.
  3. That He still entered the Sacrifice of the Mass because of His promise at the Institution of the Holy Eucharist.

The Body and Blood of Christ reminds us of three truths:

  1. That our God seeks to be with us in covenant, through the communion sacrifices, heeding and obeying the commands and ordinances found in the books of the covenant, by pouring the blood of the covenant on the altar and towards the people.
  2. That our God is total in His giving, by shedding His blood to seal a covenant and a completely burnt offering signifying total giving. Christ’s total giving is the offering of His body and blood on the Cross.
  3. That our God calls us to “eat the passover”, again the gathering of followers observe, obey the commands, keep the covenant and ‘eat the passover’. It means eating the bread of life and breaking the bread of self. It is an invitation to eat the bitter journey to eat the sweet fruit.

But how do Catholics view the Body and Blood of Christ, the Eucharist?

  1. Gallup Polls 1992 found that only 30% believed that it is real presence of Christ. The others felt that it was a symbol or remains plain bread and wine.
  2. New York Times & CBS News 1994 conducted a survey and discovered that only 34% believed that the bread and wine changed to the Body and Blood. The others rejected the words of Jesus “the bread that I give is my flesh for the life of the world”.
    ( There are many end-time signs but 2 outstanding and often ignored are the words of Jesus: when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith or love. When there is no more faith and no more love in the church, miracles fade, Catholic communities become powerless and the Covenant is disregarded.)

At Medjugorje, on the 25th Sept. 1995, Mary reminded the watchers about the 2 effects of being in communion with the Blessed Sacrament: ‘Fall in love with Jesus, adore Him in the Blessed Sacrament. You will be united with the entire world; you will be united with Him – you will find joy, witness to His love and the love He has for all creatures”.

The Lord is here. He is available to us. Are we available to Him?