02 June 2024 – Corpus Christi (The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ) (Year B)

by Fr Stephen Lim

The history of Corpus Christi is God’s love in action.

You know even though we love coming to church but upon arriving we see so many staring faces, we have to look for our safe hiding spot. Do you feel like that? I do and I am very sure Father Venus feels the same. But how are we to convince Deacon Andrew that the spot under the tabernacle is not as safe a hiding spot? We are grounded there forever. 

You know the act of Christ giving Himself is a mystery. And for us human, it is shocking. How can God give His body and blood?

It is not only non-Christians who doubt that. There are even Christians who doubt that. And the Feast we celebrate is to assure us that no amount of doubt can ever diminish the real presence of Christ in consecrated bread and wine.

Do you know why?

Because there was this young priest, Father Peter of Prague. You know what was his struggle? It is not preaching a good homily. It is at the consecration altar.

When he holds the bread, he asked himself all the time:
Is this truly the living body of Christ?

And when he consecrate the wine, he asked:
Is this really the living blood of Christ?

As a priest, he struggled with that. You know in catechism and also in church law or any law or any ethics, he ought to be punished or even ostracised. Let me ask you. As a priest, having this doubt at the very altar, at consecration, did God send lightning to strike him down? 

Being a sincere priest, he struggled, he went for spiritual direction. The Spiritual Director got fed up and insisted that he must take this pilgrimage to go to Rome. Actually not to Rome. His directive was to go to the tomb of Saint Peter, hoping there at the tomb he could solve his doubt and his skepticism.

But even before he could reach Rome, in the middle of Italy, in this iconic town of Bolsena, he celebrated Mass. And at consecration, yes he believed but there is still doubt.

Is it true that the bread he is holding is the living body of Christ?

Consecration happened. His doubt remained. But then everything changed. The moment he took the consecrated bread and break the bread, in his very own eyes, the bread that he broke, blood flowed. Flowed through his hands onto the corporal, the altar and the sanctuary floor.

He could not continue the Mass. He rushed over to the city of Orvieto where the Pope was residing and he told the Pope. That year was 1263 and the Pope, in 1264, declared Corpus Christi as a universal Catholic celebration.

This celebration of Corpus Christi is very dear to us because this is God’s respond, Christ’s respond, to His priest who is struggling. Struggling that whether is it true every time he consecrate host and wine, it becomes the body and blood.

That miracle of Corpus Christi is Christ affirming, loving and treasuring this priest who struggles to celebrate the Eucharist.

Isn’t that amazing? 

I must insist that we have our difficulties. We have our doubts. And I must assure you that no amount of difficulty including all our pains lumped together or our doubts all lumped together can ever diminish the presence of Christ at consecration.

Bread before our eyes, wine in our presence become the body, becomes the blood, not because you and I are here. Not because you and I believe. Bread becomes the body, wine becomes His blood for one simple reason alone: Christ IS present. Christ IS present.

That changes everything. For us, it is no longer to verify that He is present. Our focus now is on us. He is present. in His presence who do I become? Who do I become?

You know when we talk of church and now especially, parish of the Holy Spirit, this Cathedral, we have been focusing on solidarity, on Synodality, sense of belonging. This is not just an event happening once a year. It is the reality each time you and I are gathered here. We are in church. Let us be clear. Not because we get well with one another. Isn’t it true?

We are gathered here because we are the living body of Christ. We are here because we are the living body of Christ. Let me translate to you in practical living.

What it means is this. You know like family, members do hurt and put each other down, very badly. Hurt runs deep yet family stays, family remains.

Family stays and remain not because they forget. Actually we never forget. Yet in spite of the hurt and the grudge and resentment, the family stays. The family stays because every member wants to forgive. Every member forgives.

Therefore, our coming together as Catholics, especially on Sunday for the Eucharist is a manifestation that you and I, though we hurt one another, we forgive each other.

And this is made obvious everytime we come to celebrate the Eucharist. Let us take a step back. How we begin this Eucharistic Celebration?

We come in the name of God.

And in the presence of God, what do we do? The first thing that we always do at every Mass, ‘I confess to God and YOU, my brothers and sisters.‘

We always forget the second part. We think that when we come together, in reconciliation, we confess to God only. Go back to the prayers:

I confess to Almighty God and to YOU, my brothers and sisters.

We are not just confessing to Lord God Almighty. We are confessing to each other whom we hurt everyday. That is the power of the Eucharist.

What it means is this: You and I need to take away from this altar of bread and wine that becomes the living blood and body of Christ, that we be conscious that we are the body of Christ.

When Jesus gives Himself, He didn’t give His body to perfect saints. He took the bread, broke the bread and gave it to Judas. Who is Judas? The one who betrayed Him.

Did Jesus condemn him? No. Jesus offered him the bread of life. Isn’t that a great act, pure act of loving?

Now in being loved by God, this is the power of God’s love, it is not just that we feel good. The power of God’s love is this:
That the place where we are is being transformed.

In receiving the body of Christ, we become His living members. Remember this.

In receiving Christ, you and I are actually living members of the body of Christ.

What it means is this. How we relate with one another is very important. That is why in the Holy Spirit Cathedral, there is so much emphasis on being hospitable, being kind with one another. This is not just etiquette. This is our essence.

We are the body of Christ as a church. But imagine someone coming in and we give them a look that can kill? Are we the body of Christ? (shakes head).

Instead what we become, in God’s presence, we become a stumbling block.

In receiving Christ, to become His living member is that each of us, because Christ is in me, His body and blood nourishes and animates, rejuvenates me, I will be like Him. I will be bread for others.

What it means is that in our daily living, can we be more conscious? Instead of being an obstacle, can we just be a simple stepping stone?

When someone comes to our Cathedral, can we be conscious to be a stepping stone for them so that they can encounter our Lord and encounter God’s love in our midst? 

This is the miracle of Corpus Christi. You and I are empowered to make obvious, here and now, God loving us.

Corpus Christi is not just about the body and blood of Christ. It is about you and me. In receiving the body of Christ, who do we become to one another at home, at workplace, and in our church? Do we stand as a stumbling block or do we make this conscious effort just to be a stepping stone for one another?

You and I can be a stepping stone for one another for one simple reason alone because Christ became our stepping stone. He died so that He can give His body, share His blood with us so that we can make obvious God’s love, God’s presence, for ourselves and for all.

To this loving God, we praise and thank Him.

Click below to listen to homily and watch video:-

Click to live-stream Mass on 02 June 2024