Ex 24:3-8; Hb 9:11-15; Mk 14:12-16, 22-26
The mother Pelican pierces its breast, opens her side and lays herself
across her young pouring out her blood over the young. The young ones feed on the mother's blood and revive strength and come back to life. This symbol of pelican was used by the medieval church to indicate the sacrifice of Jesus. Today we are celebrating the feast of the Body and blood of Christ. This feast reminds us of the great sacrifice of Jesus and His command to his disciples, “Do this in memory of me."From the time of the election of the Israelites God's presence was
manifested in various ways among them. Moses received 10
commandments in Mount Sinai. As he brought it to the people they made a
Tabernacle and placed the Tablets in it. The presence of God lingered
over the tabernacle.
God's presence has always been with His people in various ways. He
manifests himself through the astounding beauty and immensity of creation
itself. Through the voice of the prophets, through the wisdom of the
sages, and finally God manifested Himself in human form through Jesus.
Jesus at his departure instituted the Eucharist to continue his presence
with his people. St Francis of Assisi who had a profound experience of Jesus
declared, "Just as He appeared before the holy Apostles in true flesh, so
now He has us see Him in the Sacred Bread. For in this way our Lord is ever
present among those who believe in him, according to what He said: "Behold,
I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world." (Mt. 28,
20)
In addition to the presence of God, throughout the Old
Testament God expresses His concern for the people.
During the exodus when the people craved for food God sent
them the heavenly bread, "Manna" which people ate and they were
satisfied. The Scripture says, "He provided Manna which neither you nor
your fathers had experienced before (Deut
8:3 ). When they were thirsty
God asked Moses to strike the rock and water gushed forth. Prophet
Jeremiah preached to the people (Jeremiah 9:15) “Therefore, thus says the
LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, and give them
water". In the New Testament we have numerous instances where
Jesus expressed his concern for the poor and hungry. The miracle of multiplication
of bread to feed the crowd is an instance of Jesus' concern for them.
The Eucharist, therefore, is the symbol of God's presence. St
Maximilian Kolbe wrote, “God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of
the Altar." It is the symbol of God's concern and God’s immeasurable
love. St. Peter Julian Eymard expressed it as, “The Eucharist is the supreme
proof of the love of Jesus. After this, there is nothing more but Heaven
itself." Jesus is present among us in Eucharist. And we keep
the Eucharist most venerably in the tabernacle.
When we receive the Holy Communion we become the tabernacle where Jesus
is present. So Maximilian Kolbe says, “If angels could be jealous of men,
they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion." Hence, it is
binding on us that we should keep the tabernacle, ourselves, holy.
St Francis de Sales preached to the people, "When you have received Him,
stir up your heart to do Him homage, welcome Him as warmly as possible, and
behave outwardly in such a way that your actions may give proof to all of
His Presence." Blessed Damian dedicated his life for the service
of the lepers. It was a hard choice. He said, "Blessed Sacrament is,
indeed, the stimulus for me to forsake all worldly ambitions."