Jun 22 2025

First reading Genesis 14:18-20

Melchizedek brought bread and wine

Melchizedek king of Salem brought bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High. He pronounced this blessing:

‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth,

and blessed be God Most High for handing over your enemies to you.’

And Abram gave him a tithe of everything.

Responsorial Psalm 109(110):1-4

You are a priest for ever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.
The Lord’s revelation to my Master:
‘Sit on my right:
your foes I will put beneath your feet.’

You are a priest for ever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.
The Lord will wield from Zion
your sceptre of power:
rule in the midst of all your foes.

You are a priest for ever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.
A prince from the day of your birth
on the holy mountains;
from the womb before the dawn I begot you.

You are a priest for ever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.
The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change.
‘You are a priest for ever,
a priest like Melchizedek of old.’

Second reading 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the death of the Lord

This is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you: that on the same night that he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death.

Gospel Luke 9:11-17

The feeding of the five thousand

Jesus made the crowds welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he cured those who were in need of healing.

It was late afternoon when the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the people away, and they can go to the villages and farms round about to find lodging and food; for we are in a lonely place here.’ He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go ourselves and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. But he said to his disciples, ‘Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty.’ They did so and made them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd. They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected they filled twelve baskets.

______________________________________________

Living the Eucharistic life: Taken, blessed, broken and given

Today, as we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, we are invited to profess our belief that the Eucharist is Jesus, to believe that He is truly present, and to trust that the Eucharist has the power to transform us. Jesus is the bread that is taken, blessed and broken in order to be given. To receive Jesus in the Eucharist means that we too become bread for the world, participating in this dynamism of being taken, blessed, broken, and given. God, who loves us, takes us in His hands. He blesses us with our faith, values, talents, and more. He remains faithful to us in our brokenness as we experience failures, lack of meaning in life, illness, losing someone we love and various other struggles. As we are, with our blessings and brokenness, God makes us to be gifts to those around us. Through our lives, we can share God’s love with others.

“Give them something to eat yourselves” (The Gospel). Today, Jesus calls us to do the same as He told His disciples. We are bread, taken, blessed, broken and given for the good of others.

Reflective question:
How can I live a Eucharistic life?

Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.