Sunday, June 11, 2023, is known as the Feast of Corpus Christi, or the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, in the Catholic Church and some Protestant denominations.
The day marks a celebration of the Eucharist — namely, the belief in the “real presence” of Jesus Christ, according to faith leaders.
The New Testament shares the scenario that is centered around Jesus talking to a crowd in Capernaum.
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From John 6:51-52: “‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.’ The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?’”
The verse is from the Gospel of John, one of the four gospels of the New Testament. It is part of “The Bread of Life Discourse.”
Preaching in a synagogue in the village of Capernaum, Jesus explained, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.”
Fr. Jordan Zajac of Rhode Island, shown here above left, says that Jesus Christ was firm in his teaching that his flesh would save during The Bread of Life Discourse. (Providence College/iStock)
The teachings espoused by Jesus in this verse — that the bread he will give is his flesh — have been confusing since the very beginning, Fr. Jordan Zajac told Fox News Digital.
Zajac is a Catholic priest and is an assistant professor of English at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island.
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“One of the things I love most about God is how weird he is, so to speak,” said Zajac.
“God performs a miracle in my hands every day.”
“We are created in his image and likeness, but so often we creatures don’t think the way he thinks and wouldn’t choose to do things the way he chooses,” he said.
Some Christians believe the Eucharist becomes the literal body and blood of Jesus at the consecration. Pope Francis is shown consecrating the Eucharist. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The Bread of Life Discourse is an example of how people do not always understand God.
“What God proclaims and [what he] does appears weird to us — and when we choose to follow him, the weirdness rubs off on us,” he said.
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“When Jesus told the crowds that he was the living bread come down from heaven, the crowds were baffled,” Zajac said.
“They thought it was impossible and repulsive, because they assumed Jesus was referring to cannibalism.”
Rather than try to explain further to calm the crowd’s concerns, Jesus “doubled down,” said Zajac.
Jesus confused the crowd in Capernaum when he said that he would give his flesh as bread to eat. (iStock)
Eating the flesh of Christ was “not only possible, but necessary,” noted Zajac.
Those assembled in Capernum “did not know that Jesus would answer their question at the Last Supper, where he instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist,” he said.
In faith traditions that believe in transubstantiation, it is taught that the Eucharist literally becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ, said Zajac.
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“Catholic priests are ordained precisely to make the Eucharistic sacrifice present for believers, to the glory of God the Father,” he said.
“Although in appearance it still looks like bread and wine, these are miraculously transformed into the substance of Christ’s body and blood. God performs a miracle in my hands every day.”
Some churches choose to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi with a Eucharistic procession; the Eucharist is carried in a monstrance. (iStock)
As the Eucharist still resembles bread and wine, “it is all to easy to overlook what — or rather who — the Eucharist contains,” said Zajac.
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“That is why the Catholic Church celebrates Corpus Christi. It’s a feast that strengthens our faith in, and love for, the precious body and blood of the Savior hidden under the appearance of simple bread and wine.”
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The Eucharist is “a miracle of love, hidden in plain sight,” said Zajac.
