✝️ Homily – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), Year C

📖 Readings: Genesis 14:18–20 | Psalm 110 | 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 | Luke 9:11b–17
Theme: “You Give Them Something to Eat”

😊 1. More Than a Meal

A young boy once asked after Mass, “Father, why do we kneel during Communion?”
The priest answered, “Because we’re not just eating bread—we are meeting the King.”

Today’s solemnity, Corpus Christi, reminds us that the Eucharist is not a symbol or tradition—it is the real, living presence of Jesus Christ, given to us in love, and calling us to be broken and shared for others.

🍷 2. The Word of God – Melchizedek’s Mysterious Offering

Genesis introduces us to Melchizedek, priest and king of Salem. He brings bread and wine—not for a feast, but as a blessing.

He prefigures Jesus, the eternal High Priest, who would one day take bread and wine and transform them into His Body and Blood, becoming the source of blessing, strength, and salvation for His people.

📜 3. Second Reading – The Sacred Tradition of the Eucharist

St Paul passes on what was given to him:

“The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread…”

This is not just a ritual. It is the Church’s most sacred memory—the moment when Christ gave us His whole self, in a meal of love.

Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we proclaim not only His death, but also our hope in His resurrection.

🥖 4. Gospel – Luke 9:11b–17: “You Give Them Something to Eat”

The disciples see a hungry crowd and say, “Send them away.”
Jesus replies:

“You give them something to eat.”

He takes five loaves and two fish. He blesses, breaks, and gives.
This is the same pattern at every Mass:

• Jesus takes our offerings and lives,

• blesses them with grace,

• breaks us open in love,

• and gives us to the world.

This miracle points beyond itself—it foreshadows the Eucharist, the true Bread of Life, broken and multiplied so that none go hungry.

🇿🇦 5. Our Local Hunger and Hope

In South Africa, many are hungry—not only for food, but for dignity, opportunity, justice, and healing.
Corpus Christi reminds us that Jesus still wants to feed the multitudes—through us.

He still says to the Church:

“You give them something to eat.”

We who are fed by Christ must feed others—not just materially, but spiritually, emotionally, and sacramentally.

🕊️ 6. Jubilee Year of Hope – The Eucharist as the Source of New Life

In this Jubilee Year, we do not simply look back—we walk forward with hope.
The Eucharist is our compass and our fuel.

It is the place where:

• the broken are healed,

• the lonely are embraced,

• the hopeless are filled,

• and the Church becomes Christ in the world.

If we believe in the Eucharist, then we must also become Eucharist—broken for love, shared for peace, and offered for the healing of the world.

✅ 7. Practical Eucharistic Living

• Attend Mass not out of habit, but with heartfelt reverence.

• Let your daily actions reflect the presence of Christ you receive.

• Offer your own “five loaves and two fish” – your time, talent, and presence.

💬 8. Reflection Quote

“In the Eucharist, Jesus does not give us a thing, but Himself—His body, His soul, His life, His love.”
– Pope Benedict XVI

🙏 9. Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,
In Your Body and Blood, You feed the world with eternal life.
Help us to approach You in the Eucharist with awe and thanksgiving.
May this great sacrament transform our hearts,
so that we may feed the hungry, love the outcast,
and bring hope where there is despair.
Make us, Lord, living tabernacles of Your grace.
Amen.

🌈 10. Final Blessing – Sent in Hope

Let us go from this Mass not just filled—but sent.
You are the Body of Christ in your home, in your family, in your workplace.
Be broken. Be shared. Be Eucharist.