June 19 2022

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.’

The Lord will wield from Zion

your sceptre of power:

rule in the midst of all your foes.

A prince from the day of your birth

on the holy mountains;

from the womb before the dawn I begot you.

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.

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Love like Jesus

On this Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, we recognise Jesus’
presence in the Eucharist, who continues to love and give Himself to all
of humanity. In the gospel passage, Jesus made the crowds welcome
and talked to them about God’s love. Later, when the people became
hungry, and there was nowhere to get food, the disciples wanted to send
them away. Instead, Jesus told them, “Give them something to eat
yourselves”. Looking at their meagre resources of five loaves and two
fish, the disciples felt helpless to respond to Jesus’ request. Yet, Jesus
took the little that they had and fed the people. For Him, the people and
their needs were important.

We sometimes tend to be unwelcoming to people when they come to us
with their needs. Like the disciples, we are tempted to send them away.
To celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi means that we too are called to
the same love of Jesus that welcomes, feeds, and serves others rather
than sending them away.

Question for reflection:
How can I imitate the Eucharistic love of Jesus?

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