Homily for Corpus Christi – The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Year B)
June 6, 2021
Holy Trinity, Tabor – 8:00 AM
St. Francis, Fisher – 10:00 AM
Sacred Heart, EGF – 5:00 PM

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Today, we celebrate the great feast of Corpus Christi – the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

Today, we also reinstate reception of Holy Communion under both forms.  Today, the chalice returns for the faithful after 15 months.

The Church teaches that,
in receiving Communion under the form of bread alone,
in receiving the host alone,
or in receiving communion under the form of the wine,
a person receives the fullness of the Eucharist, the whole Christ,
Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

At the same time,
the Church also teaches that the fulness of the sign is more perfect when we receive both.

Jesus said, “Take and eat…this is my Body.  Take and drink…this is my Blood.”

It is interesting to me that, in order for a Mass to be a valid Mass, the priest must receive both the Body and the Blood consecrated at that Mass.  He cannot receive just one or the other. 

In light of this day that so many of us have waited for, I would like to reflect today on the Blood of Christ.

There is power in the blood. 

Blood carries the life force of a person.  If a person loses a lot of blood, they grow weak and will soon die.  Lost of blood can equal loss of life.

In such cases, a blood donor is needed.  Blood donors save lives.  The person losing blood is given a blood transfusion and their life is restored.

There is power in the blood.

Cain slew his brother Abel, and God said to him, “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.”

Pilate washed his hands and told the Jews, “I am innocent of this man’s blood.”

The life of the flesh is in the blood. 

There is power in the blood.

Before the angel of death was sent to go through Egypt, to inflict the final plague by which God would force Pharaoh’s hand to let his people go, the Israelites were to sacrifice a lamb and smear the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their houses.  Seeing the blood on the doorpost, the angel of death would pass over the house and spare those in it. 

There is power in the blood.

Blood indicates family ties.  Blood is thicker than water, they say.  In some times and cultures, blood brothers are forged by two men cutting the palms of their hands and shaking hands.  They share in the blood and family ties are forged.  Covenants are sealed in blood. 

Today, the Israelites offer holocausts and sacrifices as peace offerings to God.  Moses takes the blood from the sacrifices.  He splashes half on the altar, which represents God.  The other half is sprinkled on the people.  A covenant is made.  Family ties are forged. 

There is power in the blood. 

Take this, all of you, and drink from it. 
For this is the chalice of my blood,
the blood of the new and eternal covenant,
which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. 
Do this in memory of me.

Christ sheds his blood, his life force, so that our lives might be spared.

There is power in his blood.

His blood anoints our lips at the same time that his blood is presented before the Father in the Holy of Holies that is Heaven, just like it was sprinkled on the people at the same time that it was splashed on the altar, sealing a covenant between God and man.  That covenant is sealed between God and this man or God and this woman in Holy Communion. 

There is power in his blood.

The blood that once anointed the doorposts of the Israelites now anoints the lips of believers, and the angel of death passes over us like he passed over the houses where they were.  Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.  Ours was the blood that should have been shed but he offered his instead. 

There is power in his blood.

Last month at Sacred Heart School, the juniors had their class retreat.  We had Mass outside at Turtle River State Park.  It was a windy day.  I received communion and proceeded to distribute communion.  Carrying the paten in one hand, and covering it with the other so that the hosts would not blow away, I went to each person and gave them communion.  There were 5 hosts remaining.  I turned back toward the picnic table which served as our altar, consumed the remaining hosts, and then looked up.  That was when I saw him: the altar server.  His face fell.  I had forgotten to give him communion. 

I picked up the chalice that was on the altar, handed it to him, and said, “the Blood of Christ.”

He received a drop.

And that was all he needed. 

One drop of the precious blood of Christ would have been sufficient to redeem the world.

There is power in the blood.