The Sacrament of Love and Service

Homily of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Solemnity

By Fr Oluwafemi Victor Orilua CSSp

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. We give thanks for the precious gift of Himself which the Lord Jesus has given us as nourishment for our souls.

The Lord said,

“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live for ever.”

The Body and Blood of Christ, which the Church calls the Holy Eucharist, refers to the Sacrament through which Jesus offered Himself in thanksgiving to His Father-who is also our Father. It is the total gift of self in loving service to God for the salvation of our brothers and sisters. It is the sacrament of love and compassion, which does not end with the liturgical celebration; rather, it is what we are called to live out daily.

We receive the Lord sacramentally, become one with Him, and are then sent forth to share His life with others. When the priest says, “Go forth, the Mass is ended,” he is essentially commissioning us to carry Christ into the world through our lives.

Through this sacrament, the Lord Jesus continues to dwell among us. However, receiving His Body and Blood without allowing Him to transform us risks reducing the Eucharist to mere consumerism. Christ desires not only to be received, but to work in us and through us.

Jesus, living in the Blessed Sacrament, God-made-man, present among us, though hidden under the appearances of bread and wine, is a Person. He is not an abstract concept. No one can fully explain the mystery of His being, and no one has exclusive access to Him. He is open to all who believe in Him. While He makes Himself known and encountered in the Church, He also desires to journey with us on the streets of daily life, where we are called to transmit His life to others.

More so, at the Eucharistic table, we are one, because we all share in the body and blood of Christ. Our communion is a testimony of love and unity. A family that eats together, stays together. It is a family where trust should be celebrated and sharing made a habit.

Let us pray for the church of Christ may be true taste of God’s kingdom here on earth, that we may always represent the Lord through our lives. Amen.