June 7, 2026

Two weeks ago, we celebrated Pentecost – the final day of the Easter season, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, that Jesus promised he would send to be with us to the end of time. Last weekend we celebrated The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, our belief in a trinitarian God – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Today, we celebrate Corpus Christi – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. A special day for us to thank God for offering the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins and the precious gift of the Holy Eucharist that we celebrate at each and every Mass – the Body, and Blood of Our Lord. We partake of him every time we receive Holy Communion; and in the Eucharist, our Lord sacramentally remains with us always for our consolation and adoration.

In today’s First Reading Moses reminds the people of Israel, just before their entry after forty years into the Promised Land, that the Lord fed them in their need, just as he feeds us through the Eucharist. The manna that the Lord sent to the Israelites during their wandering in the desert is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist. Manna was unknown to the ancestors of the Israelites. The Eucharist is a food unheard of in human history before the coming of Christ, and nothing will ever match it because it is God himself.

As we heard in the Gospel, Our Lord describes the bread that he will give as something even greater than the manna the Israelites received in the desert because manna did not give them eternal life as the Eucharist does. Despite Israel’s infidelity and mistrust, the Lord fed them something they’d never seen before. When the first flakes of manna appeared, they had to ask what they were. If manna caused confusion in the desert, we can only imagine how mind-blowing it was to Our Lord’s listeners when he taught them that he himself was food sent from Heaven, the food they’d have to eat to live forever.

In today’s Second Reading, Paul reminds us that Holy Communion enables us to participate in Our Lord’s sacrifice of his Body and Blood and in doing so, draws us into communion with God and with each other. In ancient religions, sacrifices were made and then partaken of to express a communion with the deity to which the sacrifice was being made. In Christian worship, God sacrifices himself to achieve communion, and we participate in that sacrifice in order to participate in that communion. Our Lord reconciled us with the Father through the sacrifice of his Body and Blood, and taught us we need to eat and drink that Body and Blood in order to have communion with him.

Breaking bread with someone is a gesture of peace and fraternity. Our Lord let himself be that Bread, let himself be broken so that we could restore communion not only with the Father, but with each other. In every celebration of the Eucharist that bread is blessed and broken again for us. Throughout the world, wherever it is celebrated, believers are spiritually one body because through partaking of the Body of Christ in the Eucharist they become united with God and with each other.

In today’s Gospel, Our Lord teaches us that he is true food and true drink that nourishes us so much that those who partake of him will live forever. Our Lord is the Word of God, and without him, there is no life. He is not only truly the Word of God that is necessary for eternal life; he is the bread of life too. Attempts have been made to interpret Our Lord’s words today figuratively, but he is very clear: “my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” This is the Scriptural basis, among other passages, for our belief that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ.

Through eating his flesh and drinking his blood we remain in communion with Christ and, through him, we remain in communion with the Father. Through eating his flesh and drinking his blood, we not only remain on good terms with the Lord; we receive ongoing spiritual nourishment that will one day lead us to eternal life – if we remain in Christ. Jesus taught this to his disciples and it required faith to accept this teaching, as it does today for each of us. Faith in the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

It was at the Last Supper that Jesus’ disciples really understood that bread and wine would become his Body and Blood. That Last Supper became the first of many celebrations of the Eucharist, including the one we celebrate today, but they are all thanks to Our Lord and his sacrifice, making himself true food and drink for us.

For Catholic Christians the Eucharist is the greatest expression of Christian Unity, which is why a common celebration of the Eucharist is the goal we strive for in ecumenical dialogue, while realizing that we have much work and prayer ahead of us to make this a reality. Through this dialogue and prayer, one day we can all celebrate the Eucharist as one holy, catholic (universal), and apostolic Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian Life. It signifies that the Liturgy and Eucharist are the primary source from which the Church’s gifts flow and the summit which all its activities are directed. This is the reason we make a commitment to get to Mass as often as possible, in unity with our fellow believers. Each time we receive the body and blood of Jesus, we should feel his presence and the peace that he wants each of us to experience. Each time we spend time in adoration, it is an opportunity to deepen our relationship with Jesus and listen for ways that he is prompting us to sow peace internally and externally with everyone we encounter.

As we continue to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, let us make this life-giving food, the Eucharist, known to everyone we meet. Moses drilled into the Israelites that manna was a food unknown to their fathers. He was reminding them never to forget the gift they had received. Even among Catholic Christians, there is a misunderstanding regarding the true significance and importance of the Eucharist. If we truly understood the Eucharist for what it is, or, rather, for who it is, every Mass would be full; as would every sign-up sheet for Eucharistic adoration.

It all starts with simply sharing, even with our fellow Catholics, the fact that Our Lord is the Eucharist and he wants to be with us. In the Eucharist, God is always with us. How many people do you think we would amaze by saying, “I know where God is, come see”? Jesus will reveal himself to anyone who gives him a chance in faith.

Every day, outside of Mass, we have the perfect opportunity to celebrate the true presence of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is available here round the clock, 365 days a year. Our adoration chapel is straight up the hallway as we exit this sanctuary space. What better way to thank Jesus for his sacrifice, than to spend time quietly adoring him and praying for the needs and the unification of fellow Christians throughout the world.

Even more exciting, today at 5 pm in downtown Conway, we will gather as a faith community for a Eucharistic Procession. Fr Oscar and multiple deacons will take turns leading the procession with the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance, pausing at various altars that have been built to pray before and adore the Blessed Sacrament. What better way to thank Jesus for his sacrifice and bring his presence out to the local community. To let our fellow sisters and brothers know that they too are invited to the table of the Lord and to a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior.

Let us make it our mission to bring Jesus to those who have fallen away from the faith, those who do not accept the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, or those who do not yet know Jesus. Let us celebrate often and with confidence Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, the heavenly banquet that we are called to at each and every Mass, and the gift to spend quiet time with him in the Blessed Sacrament during Adoration.