Gospel Reflection 2021/2022

“Have you eaten?”

“Have you eaten?” – is a very Asian greeting. In the olden days of scarcity, famine and war, our ancestors did not always have enough to eat. Asking whether someone has had a meal yet is the Asian way to show that you care about their wellbeing. If you have eaten something today, you are considered extremely blessed. Indeed, eating is both a joy and a blessing. In all cultures, food unites people; meals bring people together.

Amongst all, potluck is considered as one of the easiest, simplest and hassle-free meal-gathering. It is a family or communal gathering where the guests bring their own food to be shared. Every guest will contribute a dish or more, according to his or her ability.

Abraham and Melchizedek. [Gn 14: 18-20]

After Abraham had returned from defeating the enemies, the king-priest Melchizedek came and offered bread and wine to God, and he blessed Abraham. And Abraham gave him a tithe (tenth) of everything. At the ‘gathering’, there was an exchange of gifts between God and Abraham: God gave Abraham abundant blessings; and in return, Abraham offered to God a tithe of everything.

This was the first time, the title ‘priest’ was used in the Old Testament – Melchizedek was the king of Salem and the priest of God – the prefigurement of Jesus Christ, the Universal King of the new Jeru-Salem and the Eternal High Priest.

Abraham gives up his son. [Gn 22]

Later, God put Abraham to the test: He instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son, his only son, his beloved Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering to God. Though Abraham did not understand and was extremely saddened, he followed God’s instruction and brought Isaac up to the mountain to sacrifice him.

God saw his unwavering faith and stopped Abraham from killing his son. So instead of killing Isaac, Abraham sacrificed the ram that God had provided – the ram was killed that Isaac may live.

The story of God’s providence did not end with the killing of the ram, instead in the fullness of time, God gave us His only begotten Son – our Lord Jesus Christ, the Unblemished Lamb – who died for us that we may live.

God is a not a sadist, neither is He a grabber. God does not need anything from us, and even if He takes something from us, He will always give us something even better, or best. At this ‘gathering’ of God and Abraham, there was another exchange of gifts: Abraham wanted to sacrifice his son out of great faith in God, but instead God sacrificed His Son for all of us.

Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. [1 Kgs 17: 7-16]

When there was a drought in Israel, Elijah was sent by God to seek food and lodging from a widow in Zarephath. Even though the widow had very limited food resources for herself and her son, she prepared some bread and water for the prophet. She shared from the little that she had, and God worked a miracle through Elijah: “the jar of meal shall not be spent, the jug of oil shall not be emptied, before the day the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.” [1 Kgs 17: 14] And indeed, the limited food resources were not spent or emptied, just as the Lord has promised through Elijah.

Jesus feeds the five thousand. [Lk 9: 11-17]

In the Gospel reading of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi this Sunday, we hear of the miracle of Jesus: the feeding of the five thousand men.

The crowds were coming to Jesus to listen to Him and to be cured by Him. It was late afternoon, and the disciples had wanted to disperse the crowd so that the crowd could go elsewhere to find food and lodging.

To the disciples’ surprise, Jesus told them [Lk 9: 13], “Give them something to eat yourself.” But they only had five loaves and two fish – a pitifully small amount of food to feed such a large hungry crowd.

Jesus, the Eternal High Priest, TOOK the five loaves and two fish, raised His eyes to heaven, BLESSED them, BROKE them, and GAVE them to His disciples to distribute among the people.

At this ‘gathering’ of the five thousand men, there was an exchange of gifts: the disciples shared the little they had (the five loaves and two fish), and our Lord multiplied the little and worked marvels with the little that they had shared. Everyone ate to his heart’s content, with the remaining scraps filled twelve baskets.

At every Mass, God and men at table are sat down.

Like the journey to Emmaus [Luke 24:13-35], Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand men is pointing us to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist – “Took… blessed… broke… gave” – these are words Catholics will hear thousands of times in their lives, at every Eucharistic Celebration.

At every Mass, God and men at table are sat down. It is, as it were, ‘a heaven-on-earth potluck’ where God and men feast together. We bring and share what we have with God and with one another.

We bring ourselves, our hopes and dreams, our joys and sorrows, our holiness and brokenness, our health and sickness, our cares and worries, our burdens and anxieties, our minds and hearts, our gifts and offerings, the work of our hands and the fruit of our labour, and the lowly bread and wine – and offer them through the hands of our priests who share their ministerial priesthood in Christ Jesus – to God our Father.

At every Mass, as the lowly bread and wine is transubstantiated into the REAL BODY and REAL BLOOD of Jesus, we are also transformed and changed by His REAL PRESENCE. At every Mass, as we give ourselves to God, God gives us His Son – His Body and His Blood – to feed us and to nourish us.

Jesus has told us that [Jn 6: 53-56], “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat My Flesh and drink My Blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for My Flesh is true food and My Blood is true drink. Those who eat My Flesh and drink My Blood abide in Me, and I in them.”

The consecrated bread and wine is the REAL PERSON and REAL PRESENCE of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus), we are reminded once again that the consecrated bread and wine – the Holy Eucharist – is truly and really the REAL PERSON and REAL PRESENCE of Jesus.

Our Lord Jesus has not given us only part of Himself, He has given us Himself in entirety. In the Holy Eucharist, Jesus is present FULLY and TOTALLY: His Body and Blood, His Soul and Divinity.

St Augustine of Hippo (354AD-430AD) teaches, “Recognize in this bread what hung on the cross, and in this chalice what flowed from His side... whatever was in many and varied ways announced beforehand in the sacrifices of the Old Testament pertains to this One Sacrifice which is revealed in the New Testament.”

May we always recognise Jesus, adore Jesus and behold Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ [Jn 1:36]!

Let our fervent prayer be:

“Lord Jesus Christ, by our reception of Your precious Body and Blood, may we delight for all eternity in the share of Your divine life.” [cf. Prayer after Communion]

Let us also pray with and pray for Ukraine that:

“The weapons of war be silenced, the evil of the aggressors be stopped, and those who hold the fate of the world in their hands may spare us from the horror and madness of war.”