DAILY- HOMILY

JUNE 14, 2009
SOLEMNITY, THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
11TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – B

EXODUS 24:3-8
When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances
of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, "We will do everything
that the LORD has told us." Moses then wrote down all the words of the
LORD and, rising early the next day, he erected at the foot of the
mountain an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites to offer
holocausts and sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD,
Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls; the other half
he splashed on the altar. Taking the book of the covenant, he read it
aloud to the people, who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we
will heed and do." Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the
people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has
made with you in accordance with all these words of his."

HEBREWS 9:11-15
Brothers and sisters: When Christ came as high priest of the good
things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more
perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this
creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the
blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining
eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the
sprinkling of a heifer's ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so
that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God. For
this reason he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken
place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

MARK 14:12-16, 22-26
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they
sacrificed the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples said to him, "Where do
you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He sent
two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city and a man
will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he
enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is
my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"' Then
he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the
preparations for us there." The disciples then went off, entered the
city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the
Passover. While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." Then
he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank
from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which
will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the
fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of
God." Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of
Olives.

REFLECTION
It is a sad to note that many Catholics simply consider going to Mass
as an obligation, or simply a ritual, a set of movements and
responses.

Yet, if we look and reflect deeply, the Eucharist is a very profound
experience. In essence, it is our chance encounter with God in
community. It is an occasion to hear the Word of God and, more
importantly, to partake of the Body and Blood of Jesus. It is, in
reality, a remembering of what Jesus did in the Last Supper with his
intimate friends. The Eucharist, as it is known now, is not just a
thing of the past. Rather, it is a reality that continues to happen
now — bread and wine become the Body and Blood of our Lord whenever we
celebrate the Eucharist. As Jesus offered himself for our sake, we are
tasked to do the same for others. As a result, the Eucharist becomes
an opportunity to strengthen our covenant with Jesus.

This experience of the Eucharist traces back its history from the
covenant that God established with His chosen people. God forges such
agreements with us. The first reading presents an example of such a
covenant. Having rescued the Israelites from Egyptian rule, God
initiates a covenant with these people. Moses had just received the
Law from God on Mount Sinai and he now presented it to the people.
With one voice they responded: "We will observe all the commands that
the Lord has decreed."

This promise was then ratified by a solemn ritual. Moses first built
an altar at the foot of the mountain. The altar represented God and
the stones the twelve tribes of Israel. Then blood then extracted from
the offered animals was sprinkled on the altar and the rest put in
basins. Once again Moses read the whole book of the law, the Book of
the Covenant, and the people solemnly agreed to observe and obey all
that was in it. Moses then took the remainder of the blood and
sprinkled it over the people, saying, "This is the blood of the
Covenant that the Lord has made with you." It is the one blood on the
altar and on the people.

These words of Moses sound familiar as we recall the Last Supper of
Jesus with his apostles. Jesus offers himself as the symbol of the
covenant between God and God's people. He offers not only his physical
body but his whole person and everything that he stood for through his
life, words and actions. Partaking then of the body of Jesus results
into our desire to identify totally with Jesus, with his mission, with
his vision of life. Nor did they eat only as individuals but, as one
united group, they shared the one loaf shared among them all.

By this ritual, Jesus celebrates the new covenant which will be made
real by his actual death and the pouring out of his blood on the altar
of the cross. He is at the same time priest and victim, offering
himself. In every Eucharist, we are given the chance to listen to the
Word of God; we, too, repeat our covenant promise to follow Jesus and
gather round the table to share the one loaf and the one cup. It is
through the united witness of Truth and Love, which we give both in
the liturgy and in our daily life, that we observe the covenant, are
truly God's people, and draw others into that covenant experience.

The challenge lies in how we celebrate the Sunday liturgy. What we do
in the Eucharist can only be substantiated and truly reflected in the
lives we lead! May we have a deeper appreciation and understanding of
this Sacrament that Jesus left with us.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Sophia Gonzalez
- Lisa
- Francis Torres
- Mylene Lingad
- Shiappee
… for the special intentions: San Juan de Dios Hospital (5/16 - 6/15)
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Jun Taguibao
- Birthday: Lisa de los Angeles
- Wedding Anniversary: Luis & Josie Ong
- Wedding Anniversary: Jenny & Joseph Bendicion
- Wedding Anniversary: Jose Alphonso & Shyrene Sala
- In Memoriam (+): Antonio S.J. Cabrera
… for the healing and peace of all families

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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