Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Missal May-June 2022

Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (S) (C)
Proper

FIRST READING

From the Book of Genesis (Gen 14:18-20)
In those days, Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High and he blessed Abram with these words: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” And [Abramo] gave him a tenth of everything. The Word of the Lord. 

Commentary on the First Reading

Melchizedek is a mysterious figure who appears unexpectedly in the biblical narrative and is mentioned only a few times in Sacred Scripture. He is king of Salem and, in his priestly role, prefigures the priestly mission of the Son of God: this aspect will be taken up in the New Testament by the Letter to the Hebrews. Yet, despite the difficulty of determining who this man was historically, his importance is truly great. He gives Abraham bread and wine: his is a simple yet solemn gesture. He wishes to give the ancient patriarch his priestly blessing and finds no better way to do so than by giving him these gifts. The patristic tradition saw in this gift of bread and wine a prefiguration of the Eucharist. From the dawn of time, the Most Holy Eucharist had been announced in various ways and under different images, but only with the Incarnation did God’s plan come to light. We are among those who have received the grace and privilege of fully understanding its scope and meaning; therefore, let us not squander this gift.

SECOND READING

From the First Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1 Cor 11:23-26)
Brothers and sisters, I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread and, after giving thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper, he also took the cup, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. The Word of the Lord. 

Commentary on the Second Reading

Saint Paul says something that has exceptional significance for us. From the very beginning, the faith of the early Church focused its attention on the importance of the Eucharistic sacrifice. The Christians of Corinth, gathering to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, enter into the paschal mystery, connecting themselves with that solemn night when Jesus Christ gave his entire self: celebrating the Eucharist immediately recalls the sacrifice of the cross and the gift of the body broken and the blood poured out by the Son. The Apostle to the Gentiles recounts to the Christians of that community what had been handed on to him. The words he uses are connected with solemn formulas that, evidently, in the early Church were learned by heart, prayed, and meditated upon. This is the content of our faith; yet how much weary habit can there be in our relationship with the Eucharist! We no longer manage to understand that this is the greatest gift God has given us and, in our superficiality, we do not even realize the responsibility we bear. Let us take part in the Eucharistic banquet as though it were the first time and allow ourselves to be transformed by the bread of life.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 9:11b-17)
At that time, Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God and healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, “Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and food, for we are in a deserted place here.” Jesus said to them, “You yourselves give them something to eat.” But they replied, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.” There were about five thousand men. Then he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty.” They did so and had them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were gathered up, they filled twelve wicker baskets. The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the Day

Tired, poor, and sick. These were the people who had gathered around Jesus that day. He cares for everyone’s life: he teaches with his word, heals physical and inner illness, and satisfies hunger by giving food in abundance. He is the true shepherd who does not leave even one sheep behind and makes humanity one family gathered around a single table served by the disciples, but provided by him. Before Jesus, that shapeless gathering of people becomes one people. The Master, faced with the need for nourishment of those who follow him, responds by raising his eyes to heaven, blessing the little we have, and satisfying every hunger. What the Son gives is bread that never runs out or ceases to satisfy those who receive it with faith and love: it is Eucharistic bread, through which the Lord remains among us. It is important to nourish ourselves with this bread, but it is also essential to pause before it in devout adoration. It is there that the greatest and most difficult miracle takes place, one that only God can accomplish: our conversion. Indeed, the Lord transforms us inwardly and gradually as we remain with him and strengthen our friendship with him.