WE BECOME WHAT WE EAT
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: Today, on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, we reflect on the Eucharist. The Lord calls us to gather in his presence as his guests at his table, to be nourished by his word, and his body and blood. We become one with Christ; we become one with one another. We become what we eat.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times our celebration of the Eucharist has not made us one body, we ask the Lord’s pardon.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you multiplied bread to feed the hungry crowd:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you satiated the thirst of the Samaritan woman:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you feed us with your body and blood:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament
have left us a memorial of your Passion,
grant us, we pray,
so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood
that we may always experience in ourselves
the fruits of your redemption.
Who live and reign with the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a
Psalm Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
Response Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.Gospel John 6:51-58
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine yourself among the “Jewish crowds”. You have eaten of the bread that Jesus broke and shared. You hear him say: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” What are your thoughts and feelings?
Sunday Snippets
We give a lot of thought to the food we eat. And that’s good, because our diets significantly affect our lives and the planet. In many ways, we become what we eat.
We need to pay attention to our spiritual diets because these affect us even more. Our minds gnaw at the stressors in our lives and soon we find we’re consumed by them. The media constantly bombards us with quick-fix ads, hateful speech, and violent entertainment; social media could give us even more negativity. It’s so easy for us to become angry, bitter, and materialistic. In the spiritual sense, it’s even more true – we become what we eat.
The readings on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ highlight the importance of spiritual nourishment.
Jesus’ teaching in the Gospel takes place at the beginning of the feast of unleavened bread, which recalled how God nourished the people with manna and with his word in the desert (cf. first reading). While reiterating that memory, Jesus emphasizes that the bread he gives is different from the manna in the desert!
- The manna that was not eaten within the day had to be thrown away; it was no longer any good. After Jesus fed the five thousand, twelve baskets of fragments were gathered and saved; this indicates that this bread lasts.
- The manna was limited and only for the Jews. The bread which Jesus gives is for always and for all people.
- The manna nourished the people only during the journey to the Promised Land. The bread of life nourishes us with eternal life.
Jesus emphasizes that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood has eternal life. We become what we eat!
St Paul, in the second reading, reminds the people of Corinth about the significance of the Eucharist. By participating in the Eucharist, we become the body of Christ; we become one. We become—or we ought to become—what we eat.
Jesus nourishes us for always by giving us his word, and his body and blood.
Am I satisfied with the junk food the world offers or do I feast on Jesus the Word and the Living Bread?
Do I live in communion with those around me or is the Eucharist only a ritual act I perform?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: During their sojourn in the desert, the Lord fed the Israelites with manna and with his word. What spiritual sources are nourishing me at this moment of my faith journey?
Reading 2: Does my (spiritual) partaking of the body and blood of Christ lead me to live in communion in my family/ community/ neighbourhood? If not, what prevents me from living in communion?
Gospel: What is the source of my life? Jesus, the Living Bread, or something/ someone else?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: God fed his people with manna so that they might know one does not live by bread alone. To our God who feeds us with his Word, we bring our needs and pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that through our sharing in the Eucharist, we may be transformed more and more into the Body of Christ, we pray…
R: For the world: that we may hear the voices of those who have experienced injustice and violence and God may turn the hearts of those prone to violence toward love and peace, we pray…
R: For all who suffer from physical hunger: that God may sustain them on their journey and supply the assistance they need;
R: For all who hunger spiritually: that they nourish themselves with the manna of God’s Word, we pray…
R: For all extraordinary ministers of holy communion particularly those who minister to the sick and homebound: that they may grow in faith through their service and be signs of God’s love, healing, and presence to others, we pray…
R: For all of us: that we may be a people of deep gratitude and allow God to continue to build us into a community of faith and love, we pray…
L: God our Father, your Son did not leave us orphans, but remains in and with us in his body and blood. Guide us through our hunger and difficulties, and let us bring your love to everyone. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Sr Suzanne Toolan wrote the hymn I Am the Bread of Life during a free class! She says: “Its popularity stems from its message of the resurrection, which is so strong in these words of Jesus. We so need that message of hope.” We do!.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
strengthen us to do your work
of love, integrity and peace
and to set the table of ourselves for others.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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