Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
June 7, 2015
Gospel Mk 14:12-16,
22-26
On the first day of
the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb (1), 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." The 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.
The difficult words
(1) The Passover lamb was the sacrifice
that God commanded the Israelites to kill and eat to celebrate the night that
God set them free from slavery in Egypt. They marked their doorposts with the
lamb’s blood so that the angel of death would “pass over” the house and save
them.
This week’s spotlight
Sacrifices in the Jewish religion
At the time of Moses,
the Jews offered sacrifices. They would kill a lamb or another animal on an
altar which would be sprinkled with the blood, all to honor God. Jesus is
called the "Lamb of God” because he offered himself up on the cross as a
sacrifice. The Jews thought that the blood of sacrificed animals purified them
from sin. Jesus purifies us with the blood he shed. By sacrificing his life for
us, he also teaches us that God does not want any more animals to be sacrificed.
The sacrifice he asks of us is for us to always show love for God and one
another.
The Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament
is the bread and the wine which, when consecrated through the action of the
Holy Spirit, become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. During each Eucharist
when the priest consecrates the wine in the chalice and the hosts on the Paten,
we believe that Jesus is truly present with us in his body and blood. His body
is the bread of life which helps our faith grow. Through his resurrection.
Jesus continues to be present in this world. He is invisible because he is
within each one of us and he is also visible in the hosts that are contained in
the ciborium (a special container), stored in the tabernacle.
Reflection
Celebrating the happiness to come
Why
should you go to Mass? Out of habit? Because you feel like it? Out of fear of
punishment? We certainly go to Mass because God commands us, but it is so much
better when we go out of love. Catholics go to Mass because God invites them to
his table! At every Mass, Jesus gives us his body and blood as food for our
souls. Today we celebrate this amazing truth with the feast of “Corpus
Christi,” the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. We remember that Jesus
gave us the Eucharist at the Last Supper so that we can share in his saving
death and resurrection. Sunday Mass is one way that we can offer thanks to God
for all the good he has done for us. As we offer bread and wine through the
priest, we offer our entire lives to God. Just as God changes the bread and
wine into the body and blood of Christ, we ask him to change us into people
more like Christ. If we remember how beautiful the Mass is, we will want to
come always out of love!
Discussion
questions
1. According to today’s Gospel, what feast are they
going to celebrate?
2. What did Jesus say to the disciples when he broke the bread?
3. In the same way, what did Jesus say when he give the cup to the
disciples?
4. What sacrament does today’s Gospel remind us of?
5. When did Jesus establish the sacrament of the Eucharist?
Praying after Communion
After receiving Holy Communion, you can
say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. May this
communion with the body and blood of your Son nourish us and keep us in joy.
Teach us how to participate in the life of our parish so that we may become
witnesses of faith.
Crossword Puzzle
Source: http://www.usccb.org - Magnifikid - Living liturgy for Sundays and
Solemnity - www.sermons4kids.com
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/15_06_07.mp3
http://usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/15_06_07.mp3
http://usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm