Amazing grace
June 7, 2026 – Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Readings: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a; Psalm 147, R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; Gospel – John 6: 51-58
Today’s feast affirms the real presence of the Lord in the bread and wine, his body and blood, respectively. This is the center of our reflection. The Eucharist is also the source of the grace of thanksgiving, which is rooted in its nature as a memorial.
Then we end our reflections with Pope Francis’ reflection on the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish.
From bread and wine to body and blood
In Eucharistic Prayer II, the prayer of consecration after the Sanctus opens with these words:
You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness. Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, that they may become for us the Body + and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Then the prayer continues:
Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body… Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood…
These words of the Lord instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, and in the Eastern and Western rites, the real presence of the body and blood of the Lord in the bread and wine is acknowledged. It is not just a symbolic presence, but a real presence through the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord.
This is one of the amazing graces of our faith, the real presence of the Lord at every Mass and every time we receive communion.
The gift of thanksgiving
The other amazing grace is the gift of thanksgiving, which again came from the Lord’s words in instituting the sacrament.
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you [that] from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.” (Luke22: 17-20)
The Lord gave thanks as he offered his body and blood and instructed to “do this in memory of me.” This is poetically expressed in the song, “We Remember.”
We remember how you loved us to your death, and still we celebrate, for you are with us here . . . we remember, we celebrate, we believe.
It is a thanksgiving that comes from remembering how the Lord loved us to his death and affirming his presence. These are words that we often hear or say. We pray for the grace to appreciate the reality of God’s amazing grace, with words expressed most especially through the Eucharist.
Experiencing the grace of God’s love
Pope Francis reflected on the three gestures the Lord made in the multiplication of the loaves and fish. These are offering, giving thanks, and sharing. (cf. John 6: 1-13) The boy with five loaves and two fish (Jn 6: 9) was the offering: Bring the little that we have to offer out of our own poverty.
As Andrew said, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Yet it is this offering that made the miracle possible. From this, the Lord gave thanks (Jn 6: 11). Then the miracle happened that led to sharing as they distributed it to those who were hungry.
Pope Francis pointed out that it was both a physical and spiritual presence of the Lord, giving food to satisfy the hungry, and letting the people experience the grace of God’s love. And today we celebrate the Lord’s real presence in his body and blood, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”
Amazing gift, this amazing grace.
