All praise and all thanksgiving
“O Sacred Sacrament, / O Divine Sacrament, / All honor and all gratitude, / Be each moment yours!”
Numerous parishes join together in reciting this prayer following the reception of Communion. It is a lovely prayer, perfectly suitable for the solemnity of Christ’s Body and Blood celebrated on Sundays. What may be most striking about this prayer is its direct reference to the Eucharist as if speaking to God: “all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!” Through these expressions, we speak to someone: We honor and praise the Eucharistic Lord.
In this inaugural year of the country Eucharistic Revival, we have been invited to deepen our comprehension of Christ’s genuine presence within us in the Eucharist. This Sunday, the Gospel of John aids us in enhancing our understanding of the actual presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
In contrast to the other Gospels, which narrate the Last Supper In detail, the Gospel of John depicts Jesus educating about the Eucharist in a synagogue located in Capernaum. Therefore, when Christ’s Passover arrives later in the Gospel, the disciples will link Jesus’ message regarding the “Bread of Life” in Capernaum to the life offered for them in love on the cross. Indeed, it is this very life and love that sustain us as we partake of the Eucharist today. It serves as our bread: “whoever eats this bread “will exist eternally” (Jn 6:58).
| June 11 – Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ |
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Dt 8:2-3, 14-16 |
Yet, this can be a difficult reality to comprehend: “the one who consumes me … who devours my flesh and drinks my blood,” that individual will have life. What does it signify to “consume” the one whom we honor and worship in the Eucharist? And to derive life from this kind of meal?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides insight on this matter, elevating our understanding of the completeness of the truth regarding the life we gain in the Eucharist. According to the catechism, the Eucharist is “Communion with the flesh of the risen Christ” (No. 1392). The Eucharistic Lord is indeed the resurrected Lord! He is not only the one who facilitated our forgiveness through his crucifixion but also the one who triumphed over death out of love. Consequently, Christ’s own flesh was not just “given life” by the Spirit, but continues to “[give] life through the Holy Spirit” even now (cf. Catechism, No. 1392). This is the life that we receive when we partake of him.
It appears that John, in contrast to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, discusses this life-sustaining nourishment from the perspective of an encounter with Christ that is especially relevant to John’s personal experience: the wedding feast at Cana. Some biblical researchers currently hold the view that this wedding feast could indeed have been John’s personal wedding celebration. Regardless of whether John was the groom in this scenario, he presents the close event of a wedding and its festive banquet as our initial meeting with Christ, symbolizing the essence of a life shared in fellowship with Christ, enlivened by the Spirit of Love.
As previously mentioned, the Catechism speaks to this profound truth, referencing the Gospel of John: “the primary benefit of partaking in the Eucharist during Holy Communion is a close communion with Christ Jesus. In fact, the Lord declared: ‘He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him’” (Catechism, No 1391; cf. Jn 6:56). Similar to Christ’s followers, the Church links Jesus’ message with His act of loving sacrifice: the offering of His life for ours.
Therefore, the next occasion we stand at the altar for the Eucharistic celebration, we ought to hear Christ’s messages as if they are addressed to us personally: “This is my body, which is given for you,” and “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.” And perhaps we could reply to him, having taken our place at the table of our nuptial feast, and respond:
“O Sacrament most Sacred, / O Sacrament Divine, / All honor and all gratitude, / Be every moment thine!”
