Today, the church celebrates the Eucharist in a manner second only to Holy Thursday on this superfeast – called “the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.” The feast was formerly known as Corpus Christi.
So, why is this feast celebrated since we already have Holy Thursday? The best explanation seems to be that, historically, Holy Thursday became unbearably overloaded with add-ons. Think about it. On Holy Thursday in holy week, the early church celebrated the return of public sinners from public penance. Then, the church added the blessing of the holy oils for the next year. Not long ago, the chrism mass was moved earlier in Holy Week.
Besides these, there is the washing of feet, which we still celebrate. All these were in one liturgy plus celebrating the institution of the sacraments of Eucharist and holy orders and added a procession to the altar of repose as its conclusion. We needed more attention to celebrate Eucharist itself; this feast was added.
We hear in this year of Luke the Gospel account of the feeding of the 5000, the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. It is closely associated with Eucharist in the images it conjures: take, look up to heaven, bless, break, give, eat – as related in Jerusalem and Emmaus.
Food is a critically important, human concern. Since most ancient times people have striven to give their most precious gifts to their gods, food was offered to gods. We tend to project our behavior onto god. We project that food must be most precious to god. An unblemished lamb was the best of food, therefore, the greatest gift-sacrifice.
Many, many years earlier, the prophet Micah introduced change in our gift-giving to our God. “What shall I give to the Lord?” Micah asks, he answers: “To do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly.” He introduces the gift of giving our best-in-relating-to-others.
We heard today that Jesus responded to the human need for food. He first had the people sit in groups of 50. He did not separate his listeners by gender, class, or wealth. Unsegregated groups were unheard of in Jesus’ day. A giant step forward in the evolution of relationship! And 50 people is a community; 5000 is a mob.
He used what was available, a boy’s few fish and loaves of bread, as John tells us in his Gospel. We do not hear any details as to “how” it happened. Jesus just did it. Jesus had his followers gather up the leftovers that they might feed others, later.
In his teaching the people, Jesus gave what he had received from his Father, words of loving relationship. As we know, Jesus was so different in what he said and in what he did that Jewish leaders sought to take his life. It was “expedient that one man dies”, so that they could go on with life as usual. Later, they succeeded. Jesus’ giving his loving words and loving actions was what led to jealousy and his death for his gift of self and the Father.
Like Micah, we can ask, “What shall I give to the Lord?” Our answer is the same as Micah’s. We offer our selves to our God. Jesus used only what was available in terms of a few loaves and fishes, and that was more than enough. We give ourselves, just as we are in our effort in “doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly”.
Some think that because they do not do those things to their own satisfaction, their gift is unworthy. It is not. We need to remind ourselves over and over that god does not love us because we are good, but because God is good. This is the direct opposite of how the world judges with its conditional love. We do what we can with what we have. God loves us just as we are. That is his gift of unconditional love.
Just as everyone sat in the group of 50, each – regardless of what they thought of themselves – and received God’s gift of bread unconditionally. Each of us receives the gift of God’s love in Eucharist. We respond in loving relationship – in acting justly, loving kindly, and walking humbly.
