THE EUCHARISTIC ENCOUNTER

THE EUCHARISTIC ENCOUNTER
Meditation for the Solemnity of Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), Year C
(Gen 14:18-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Lk 9:11-17)

The Eucharist is the center of the life of the Church, and the life of believers revolve around the Eucharist. For those who participate actively, it is not a matter of argument, but the testimony of their lives. Every explanation of this mystery is only a pointer or symbolic, leading one forward to it. Indeed, the Eucharist is a place of encounter! And it is only the one who encounters the divine presence in the Eucharist who truly understands it.

The Eucharist as a place of encounter offers us a lot of opportunities. One of them is the example of Abraham in the first reading. Think about how Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God the Most High, offered bread and wine! These, the priest offered in thanksgiving to God for delivering Abraham from his enemies, and he called down God’s blessings on him. And Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. This is a clear pre-figuration of the Eucharist in which Jesus Christ offers His Body and Blood in the form of Bread and Wine. In the Eucharist, we offer thanksgiving and glory to God, receive divine grace and blessings, and our aspirations are offered up to God.

Thus, in the Eucharist we encounter Jesus, who commanded us to do this in memory of Him. The second reading says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the chalice, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” Having shared in the life of the Cross through the Eucharist, this PROCLAMATION becomes our living manifestation of the grace that has nourished us. A life that is powered by the energy generated from the Cross overcomes every suffering and conquers every opposition. Above all, the Eucharist floods the soul with heavenly contentment and peace.

The miracle of the loaves exemplifies the satisfaction that this living Bread and Wine gives. By having compassion on them in their hunger, Jesus gave Himself to the multitude in love, and by multiplying bread for them, He satisfied each person uniquely. Though there were many and they had different degrees of hunger but the one nourishment satisfied them all. “And as there is one loaf, so we, although there are many of us, are one single body, for we all share in the one loaf” (1 Cor 10:17).

Therefore, in the Eucharist, we equally encounter one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. So, what started as a divine encounter now translates into love for my neighbor. We now know how the Eucharist has become the center of the life of the believer. It gives us the silent strength to live a holy life and to love one another. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday June 19^th, 2022.
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Solemnity of Corpus Christi