I HAVE NOTHING MORE TO GIVE YOU
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: We celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ… a celebration of “giving”. Today’s readings focus on this aspect of “giving”. While we celebrate and thank the Lord for his “giving” of himself to us, we pray that we may give of ourselves to him and his people.
Penitential Rite
L: For our failure to give, we ask the Lord to pardon us.
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: You have blessed all generations,
O God most high,
in Jesus, our compassionate Saviour.
Through him you invite us to your kingdom,
welcome us to your table,
and nourish us in abundance.
Teach us to imitate your unfailing kindness
and to build up Christ’s body, the Church,
by generously handing on to others
the gifts we have received from you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you 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 Genesis 14:18-20
Psalm Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4
Response You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
Gospel Luke 9:11b-17
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are one of the crowd. What are your thoughts and feelings when you
- hear the disciples ask Jesus to “dismiss the crowd…”?
- hear Jesus tell them to “give them some food yourselves”?
- witness the miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fish?
Sunday Snippets
In 1967, Robert Sténuit—the Belgian underwater archaeologist—discovered the wreck of the Spanish Armada ship, the Girona, off the coast of Ireland. Among the many treasures he recovered was a wedding ring. The top of the ring had a hand holding a heart; the band had these words etched on it: “no tengo mas que darte” (I have nothing more to give you).
The same image and words could be used to describe today’s Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus. The feast (and every Eucharist) is Jesus symbolically saying to us: “I have nothing more to give you.”
There are three aspects to today’s celebration: self-gift; sacrifice; service.
Self-gift: Abram gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything he has. Jesus challenges the apostles: “Give the people something to eat yourselves.” All they have is five loaves and two fish. For Jesus, this meagre contribution is enough to satiate the hunger of the five thousand with enough left over to feed another crowd. Luke does not say that Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish; Luke uses words associated with the Eucharist in narrating the miracle! In the second reading, Paul describes Jesus’ total self-gift of his body and blood at the Last Supper; he has nothing more to give us.
Sacrifice: At the Last Supper, Jesus symbolically and sacramentally gave himself to his apostles. On Calvary, he broke his body and shed his blood for his people; Jesus could truly say: “I have nothing more to give you.”
Service: At the Last Supper, Jesus did more than break bread and share the cup; he washed the feet of his disciples. In his gospel, St John does not have the institution narrative; he has a description of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. For John, the towel and basin are Eucharistic symbols.
Self-gift, sacrifice, service! This is what we celebrate. This is our challenge.
Am I willing to give myself for others? What are the “five loaves and two fish” I am called to share with others? How can I be body broken and blood shed for others? In what way will I serve and love others in the week ahead?
May we relive Jesus’ self-gift, sacrifice and service so that we too can say: “I have nothing more to give you.”
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Reflect on Abram’s offering to Melchizedek.
Reading 2: What do I believe Jesus meant when he said, “do this in remembrance of me”? To what does “this” refer?
Gospel: How do I respond to the needs of people: dismiss them or stretch myself (“unless we ourselves go and buy food”) or share my resources with them?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: As a meal brings a family together and is a sign of unity and solidarity, so too we are gathered in unity. As one family, we bring our needs to God our Father and pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we will live as a Eucharistic people, giving and sharing ourselves, as Christ continually does for us, we pray…
R: For the world: that God may protect all who are caught in warfare or violence, bring an end to armed conflicts, and give strength to all who are working for peace, we pray…
R: For all priests: that they may be renewed, strengthened, and drawn closer to God and God’s people as they celebrate the Eucharist, we pray…
R: For all who hunger for meaning and truth: that our witness may help them find Christ who will fulfil the longings of their hearts, we pray…
R: For healing: that God may restore the sick to health and remove the divisions in the human family, we pray…
R: For all of us: that through our sharing, physically or spiritually, in the Eucharist, we may be strengthened to give ourselves in loving service, 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 this vast and terrible corona desert, 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
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!
Watch I Am the Bread of Life
or pray
Lord,
you call us all:
priest and penitent,
the activists and the pacifists,
the homeless and those in high-rises,
immigrants and border officials,
Africans, Americans, Asians, Europeans.
You come to us and
because we are all broken
you broke and gave yourself to us.
Loaves and fishes; body and blood.
You are love in abundance.
Lord,
help me to do “this” in memory of you.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Lord our God,
your beloved Son
gave his body and shed his blood out of love.
Fill us with his Spirit,
that we may live for you
and for one another
with a generous, self-forgetting love
that unites all, loves all, serves all.
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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