Food and drink for our journey

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Tifkira Solenni tal-Ġisem u d-Demm ta’ Kristu                       

Missalin B 331

Reading 1                             Exodus 24:3-8

When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, "We will do everything that the LORD has told us." Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and, rising early the next day, he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD, Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls; the other half he splashed on the altar. Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do." Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words of his."

L-Ewwel Qari          mill-Ktieb tal-Eżodu  24, 3-8

F’dak iz-zmien,  Mose’ niżel igħid lill-poplu kulma qallu l-Mulej u kull ma ordnalu.  Il-poplu wieġeb b'leħen wieħed u qal: "Kull ma qalilna l-Mulej nagħmluh." Mose' kiteb il-kliem kollu tal-Mulej, u filgħodu qam, bena altar  taħt il-muntanja, u waqqaf tnax-il plier għat-tnax-il tribu' ta' Israel. Imbagħad  bagħat xi żgħażagħ minn ulied Israel biex joffru sagrifiċċji  u joqtlu ogħġiela bħala  sagrifiċċji tas-sliem lill-Mulej. Mose' ħa nofs id-demm u qiegħdu fi bwieqi, u  xerred in-nofs l-ieħor  fuq l-altar.   Imbagħad ħa l-ktieb tal-Patt, u qara minnu hekk li  seta' jisimgħu l-poplu.  U huma qalu:   "Kulma qalilna l-Mulej nagħmluh,  u nisimgħu minnu." Mose' mbagħad ħa d-demm u, hu u jroxxu fuq il-poplu qal: "Hawn hu d-demm tal-Patt li l-Mulej għamel magħkom skont dan il-kliem kollu."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                      PSALM 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18

R. (13) I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.

How shall I make a return to the LORD

for all the good he has done for me?

The cup of salvation I will take up,

and I will call upon the name of the LORD.    R

Precious in the eyes of the LORD

is the death of his faithful ones.

I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;

you have loosed my bonds.                            R

To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,

and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

My vows to the LORD I will pay

in the presence of all his people.                    R.

Salm Responsorjali                       Salm 115 (116)

R/  Ngħolli l-kalċi tas-salvazzjoni u isem il-Mulej insejjaħ

Xi  rrodd lill-Mulej

għall-ġid kollu li għamel miegħi?

Ngħolli l-kalċi tas-salvazzjoni

u isem il-Mulej insejjaħ.                                  R/

Għażiża f'għajnejn il-Mulej

hi l-mewt tal-ħbieb tiegħu.

Jien qaddej tiegħek, bin il-qaddejja tiegħek.

Int ħallejtli l-irbit tiegħi                                      R/

Lilek noffri s-sagrifiċċji ta' radd il-ħajr,

u isem il-Mulej insejjaħ.

Intemm  lill-Mulej il-wegħdiet tiegħi,

quddiem il-poplu tiegħu kollu.                         R/

Reading 2                             Hebrews 9:11-15

Brothers and sisters: When Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God. For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

It-Tieni Qari        mill-Ittra lill-Lhud  9, 11-15

Huti,  Kristu ġie bħala qassis il-kbir tal-ġid li diġa ġie. Hu daħal minn Tinda aqwa u aktar perfetta, li mhijiex  maħduma b'idejn il-bnedmin, jiġifieri mhijiex ħolqien  ta' din l-art;  hu daħal darba għal dejjem fis-Santwarju,  mhux bis-saħħa tad-demm tal-mogħoż u tal-għoġiela,  imma bis-saħħa ta' demmu stess, u hekk kiseb fidwa għal dejjem. Għax  id-demm tal-mogħoż u tal-gniedes u l-irmied ta' l-għoġiela,  mraxxax fuq dawk li  huma mniġġsa jista' jqaddishom billi  jagħtihom l-indafa tal-ġisem, kemm aktar  id-demm ta' Kristu, li bl-Ispirtu ta' dejjem offra lilu nnifsu vittma safja lil Alla, jista' jnaddaf il-kuxjenza tagħkom mill-għemil mejjet biex taqdu lil Alla ħaj? U għalhekk  hu medjatur ta' patt ġdid, testment ġdid, biex, wara li seħħet  il-mewt għall-fidwa mill-ħtijiet li saru fi żmien  il-patt ta' qabel, dawk li huma msejħa minn Alla  jiksbu l-wirt ta' dejjem li hu wegħidhom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                   Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"' Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there." disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover. While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 

L-Evangelju      Qari skond  San Mark 14, 12- 16, 22-26

Fl-ewwel jum ta' l-Ażżmi, meta kienu jissagrifikaw il-ħaruf tal-Għid, id-dixxipli qalu lil Ġesu':."Fejn tridna mmorru nħejju biex tiekol l-ikla tal-Għid?" Imbagħad hu bagħat tnejn mid-dixxipli tiegħu u qalilhom: "Morru l-belt, u tiltaqgħu ma' raġel iġorr ġarra ilma. Morru warajh, u għidu lil sid id-dar ta' fejn tarawh dieħel: "Qallek l-Imgħallem:  Fejn hi l-kamra tiegħi ta' l-ikel li  fiha nista' niekol l-ikla tal-Għid mad-dixxipli tiegħi?" U hu jurikom  kamra kbira fuq, imgħammra u lesta. Ħejjulna hemmhekk."   U d-dixxipli marru u daħlu l-belt,u sabu kollox kif kien qalilhom hu; u ħejjew l-ikla tal-Għid. Huma  u jieklu, ħa l-ħobż f'idejh, qal il-barka, qasmu  newwilhulhom u qal:  "Ħudu dan hu ġismi."   Imbagħad  ħa l-kalċi f'idejħ, radd il-ħajr, u newwilhulhom, u  lkoll  xorbu minnu.   U qalilhom: "Dan huwa  demmi, id-demm  tal-patt, li jixxerred għall-ħafna.   Tassew,  ngħidilkom,  li ma nixrobx iżjed mill-frott tad-dielja sa dak in-nhar li nixrob inbid ġdid fis-Saltna ta'Alla." Imbagħad kantaw is-salmi u ħarġu lejn l-Għolja taż-Żebbuġ. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Food and Drink for the Journey

A reflection by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB

Sunday's Gospel [Mark 14.12-16,22-26] links Jesus' death with Israel's great feast of liberation, the Passover.  At the first Passover, the blood on the doorpost prevented the death of the firstborn. The bread broken at the Last Supper symbolizes the disciples' sharing in Jesus' self-offering. Drinking from the cup of his blood creates a new and dynamic common bond. Jesus' blood sanctifies and revitalizes each of us. The Eucharist has something that distinguishes it from every other kind of memorial. It is memorial and presence together, even if hidden under the signs of bread and wine.

Our Eucharistic liturgy proclaims the one bond of life between God and his people. Just as blood that flows outward from the heart unites all the bodily members in one flow of life, so too are we united intimately with God through the precious body and blood of Jesus. The very nature of the Eucharist implies a bond with God and with the community. Our destinies are intertwined with God's own life. We cannot be loners, for blood is a common bond.

As we celebrate the solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord this year, we realize two things: this feast is a daily one. Yet we set aside one day in the year to celebrate a feast of those  feasts which we celebrate every day. Not only do we celebrate the bread and wine which become the body and blood of the Lord, we celebrate the new identity given to those who share among them Jesus' body and blood and then become what they eat and drink.

Faith in Jesus' resurrection can itself be an unproductive or dangerous ideology if it does not stimulate us actually to share bread with our brothers and sisters who are hungry. We are not engaging in social and political action but in sacramental celebration, a memorial or commemoration: the recollection of Jesus' life and death, in the conviction of faith of his

resurrection as Lord, sitting in God's place of honour as the advocate of poor and oppressed people who have no bread. When we receive the Eucharist, we partake of the one who becomes food and drink for others. Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, do we realize that the Eucharistic Christ is really present as bread for the poor?

Christianity, Catholicism, the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, are not theological concepts, courses, things, ideas, passing fancies, symbols -- they are a living person, and his name is  Jesus.

At many moments of crisis and turbulence in Christian history, the Lord has confirmed his real presence in the Blessed Sacrament in some rather miraculous ways. Most of these Eucharistic miracles involved incidences in which the Host has "turned into human flesh and blood." The miracles in Bolsena and Orvieto in Italy quickly come to mind, and there is, of course, the well known Eucharistic miracle story from Lanciano, Italy. Such stories seem to be far removed from our own experiences and are often times quite hard to believe. In recent times such miracle stories have receded from the front burners of contemporary theology and spirituality and are often relegated to the realm of eccentric piety and devotion. As Catholics we believe that the consecrated Host is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord, under the appearances of bread and wine. Therefore, Jesus, through the Eucharistic miracles, merely manifests his presence in a more tangible way. Some tell us that we don't really need the extraordinary manifestations to confirm what we already know and believe. They say that extraordinary miracles are not the essence of true Eucharistic piety, devotion, and understanding. I would like to reflect on an extraordinary Eucharistic event that deeply marked the Church in Canada and touched many parts of the world as well.

Quebec's Eucharistic congress

For one week from June 15th to 22nd, 2008, I rediscovered what extraordinary Eucharistic miracles are all about, only this time it wasn't in churches of old Europe. Along with 15,000 other people from throughout Canada and 75 other countries of the world, I saw the Eucharist come alive in a very powerful way in a hockey arena in Quebec City's Pepsi Coliseum during the 49th International Eucharistic Congress.

In his homily for the opening of the congress, the 84-year-old Slovakian Cardinal Jozef Tomko, papal legate to the event, said that "Jesus is the gift of God, he is the food that feeds us and fulfills us and allows us life in eternity. The Eucharist is a person, not an object, not a dead gift. Maybe we should ask not what is the Eucharist, but who is the Eucharist?" The answer to this question, Tomko said, is Jesus in the sacramental form of bread and wine "to indicate he wanted to become our food and sustain our life."

One of the very memorable and profound catechesis sessions of the Quebec congress was on the theme "The Eucharist, the life of Christ in our Lives," given by Bishop Luis Tagle of Imus in the Philippines, now Cardinal-Archbishop of Manila. Cardinal Tagle spoke about Eucharistic adoration outside of Mass:

"Beholding Jesus, we receive and are transformed by the mystery we adore. Eucharistic adoration is similar to standing at the foot of the cross of Jesus, being a witness to his sacrifice of life and being renewed by it."

Cardinal Tagle pointed to the example of the Roman centurion who guarded Jesus on the cross as a "model of adoration": "We learn from the centurion to face Jesus, to keep watch over him, to behold him, to contemplate him. At first the centurion spent hours watching over Jesus out of duty but ended up contemplating him in truth. What did the centurion see? We can assume that he saw the horror of suffering that preceded Jesus' death. But I also believe that in Jesus the centurion saw incredible love, love for the God who had failed to remove this cup of suffering from him, and love for neighbours." The prelate concluded his powerful catechesis: "I wish that Eucharistic adoration would lead us to

know Jesus more as the compassionate companion of many crucified peoples of today. Let us adore Jesus who offered his life as a gift to the Father for us sinners. Let us adore him for ourselves, for the poor, for the earth, for the Church and for the life of the world."

In his 2003 encyclical letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Pope John Paul II wrote: "The Eucharist builds the Church and the Church makes the Eucharist."