Corpus Christi 2025

Meals have a very special place in our lives. We are invited to join a whole bunch of people at a meal filled with divine compassion that responds to hunger with overwhelming abundance. A great crowd has followed Jesus, longing to hear what he has to say and to be healed by his touch. As the day fades and the people grow weary and hungry, the disciples are concerned because they have very little food to share. But Jesus only sees the hunger of the crowd and responds not with frustration, but with love.

He blesses and gives thanks for the five loaves and two fish, and shares them with the people. And somehow, there is enough. In fact, there is more than enough. Everyone eats and is satisfied. But this is not just a wonderful story about physical nourishment, it is a powerful sign of what Jesus offers us in the Eucharist: his very Body and Blood.

The Eucharist is the greatest gift we can receive on this earth. Jesus himself, fully present, comes to dwell within us. At every Mass, we hear the familiar words: He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it. These are the same actions Jesus performed that day on the hillside, and they are the same actions he would perform at the Last Supper, the night before he died. In the Eucharist, Jesus gives us everything of himself: his love, his mercy, his very self.

We may not fully understand how simple bread and wine can become Jesus, but that is part of the wonder. The Eucharist is a mystery of love. Jesus doesn’t wait for us to understand perfectly. He simply asks us to come, to believe, and to receive. And in that most sacred moment of Communion, we are united with him in a way that is beyond words.

Feel the gentleness in this gift. Jesus chooses something so humble—bread and wine—to meet us where we are. He doesn’t overwhelm us with glory; instead, he comes in stillness and silence, entering our hearts and lives quietly, like the whisper of a friend. And yet, in that small host, all the power of heaven is present. In that chalice, the blood that was poured out for our salvation is made real.

When we receive the Eucharist, we receive the same Jesus who fed the crowd, who healed the sick, who calmed the storm, who died for our sins, and who rose again. We receive his life, his love, his strength. He becomes part of us. We become more like Him.

Let this mystery lift your heart in praise. Let it fill you with joy and wonder. Jesus sees your hunger and need and answers with Himself. He wants to be close to you—closer than your own breath. In the Eucharist, He says, “I love you. I am with you. Always.”

Luke tells us that “They all ate and were satisfied” (Luke 9:17).

So too are we. We are fed and filled with the glorious, tender love of Jesus in the Eucharist.

by Fr Thomas O'BRIEN a.a