Jesus lives in you!

“I myself am the living bread come down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread he shall live forever…” (Jn 6:51). In the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ or ‘Corpus Christi’ we thank our Lord Jesus who daily feeds and renews us with His precious Body and Blood in the Eucharist, as our food for eternal life. This is the divine ‘manna’ for God’s people in this earthly life that satisfies the soul’s deep spiritual hunger and thirst for the Bread of Life, surpassing beyond measure the miraculous manna (cf. Deut 8:16) that served as human food for the Israelites in their 40-year exodus with Moses in the desert.

In the Gospel of John, we read the discourse of Jesus the “bread of life” who tells us that He has come into our world to give us himself, his life, as nourishment for those who have faith in him. This generous giving [charity] of Christ transforms us so we too share his love in ourselves, as “bread broken” to our brothers and sisters, reciprocating the gift freely received from the Father’s love. We are nourished by the love in the cradle of the Trinity that we may be ‘carriers’ of this unconditional, undying love to our families and communities, especially in critical situations of un-peace and violence.

Pope Francis, in his Angelus Message on the occasion of Corpus Christi in 2014, gave thanks for the faith of Mary who bore Jesus, the Bread of Eternal Life, and “with ineffable love in herself, she followed him faithfully unto the Cross and to the resurrection. Let us ask Our Lady to help us rediscover the beauty of the Eucharist, to make it the center of our life, especially at Sunday Mass and in adoration.” May our communion with Jesus in Mary empower us to become ever committed channels of this love, so that we receive the Body and Blood not just to remain within, but that this grow and bear fruit in our acts of charity to our brothers and sisters around us and anywhere in the world. “I will sing forever, O Lord, of your love and proclaim your faithfulness from age to age” (Ps 89:2).