Readings and meditation on the Word of God on Sunday
Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
June 6, 2021.
1st reading is delivered by Brother Kiky, SDB, 2nd reading is delivered by Brother Stefanus, SDB (from the Salesian Post Novitiate community in Jakarta, Indonesia), Gospel reading and meditation delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB (SDB SosCom in Jakarta, Indonesia).
The reading is taken from the book of Exodus
When Moses came to the people
and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD,
they all answered with one voice,
“We will do everything that the LORD has told us.”
Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and,
rising early the next day,
he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar
and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites
to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls
as peace offerings to the LORD,
Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls;
the other half he splashed on the altar.
Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people,
who answered, “All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do.”
Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying,
“This is the blood of the covenant
that the LORD has made with you
in accordance with all these words of his.”
The Word of the Lord.
The reading is taken from the Letter to the Hebrews
Brothers and sisters:
When Christ came as high priest
of the good things that have come to be,
passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle
not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,
he entered once for all into the sanctuary,
not with the blood of goats and calves
but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls
and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes
can sanctify those who are defiled
so that their flesh is cleansed,
how much more will the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from dead works
to worship the living God.
For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant:
since a death has taken place for deliverance
from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.
The Word of the Lord.
The reading is taken from the Holy Gospel according to Mark
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,
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 Gospel of the Lord.
Our meditation on this Sunday, the soleminity of the Body and Blood of Christ has the theme: The Body of Christ… Amen! There was a man from village who liked very much to gamble in cockfighting. There were five fighter cocks and they were all great. If one was not strong enough to compete, there were still four others who were made ready to replace.
During the time of bird flu outbreak, those 5 fighter cocks were tormented with sickness. The man was so afraid of the state of his gambling business. Then he was aware that he should go to the Church to pray to God. He decided to attend the Holy Mass on the coming Sunday. Upon receiving the Holy Communion in that Mass, as he was listening tothe priest’s voice: “The Body of Christ,” he answered with low voice”Amen” but he added something more as he said: “To my 5 heroes who are sick.” He decided to give the Holy Communion to his five fighter cocks.
Obviously that man has performed a grave sin. He has committed sacrilegious, which is a mortal sin of desecration holy persons, symbols and objects, places and other sacred acts that have been ordained to God. We remember Jesus’ statement to an unbeliever, when He said: “It is not proper to give the bread that is prepared for the children to the dogs” (Mark 7,27).
We believe and we agree that we do not want to sin against the Body and Blood of Christ. We know that those two elements are the presence of the person of Jesus Christ who had willed to sacrifice Himself for our salvation. He Himself held the Last Supper as a sacred celebration, in which He affirmed that the bread was His body and the wine was His blood.
He then commanded us to always celebrate in the manner of the Eucharist to remember Him and to what He had done in the Last Supper. This act of remembrace must manifest itself in a concrete celebration that involves two main elements of the members of the Church, which are the head, namely Christ and represented by the ordained priest, and the body which is represented by all the people of God present.
This solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ leads our meditation on the sacrifice of Christ’s blood. Everytime our response to the priest’s exclamation: “The Body of Christ” with “Amen”, let’s be convinced that the Body of Christ is the real person of the Lord Jesus, including His blood pouring out for our sake.
His sacrifice of sheding blood is the highest act of love. He had ever said: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15,13). Every time we celebrate the Eucharist we renew our faith that we can do also sacrifices for the salvation of our neighbors. We should always be grateful for the gift of the Eucharist for all of us.
Let’s pray. In the name of the Father… O God, may through the Eucharist that we celebrate, we are always filled with Your grace and power. Our Father who art in heaven… In the name of the Father …