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"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.'" – Mark 14:22-24 

Passover is a very important feast in the lives of the Jewish people. We read about this in Exodus where Moses instructed the people to sacrifice a lamb and put the blood of the lamb over the door, so that they would be spared the wrath that was to come to those who did not believe or follow these instructions. For generations since, the Jews have commemorated this event with the feast of Passover.  

We read in Mark's Gospel this weekend that Jesus, being a devout Jew, asked His disciples to prepare for the celebration of this feast. But as we now know, Jesus would use this occasion to establish something new – to institute the Eucharist.  He is the lamb that was sacrificed. And it is through His Body and His Blood that people would be saved.   

It is a mystery of faith which we proclaim at each Eucharistic celebration. We partake of this great mystery each time we receive communion at Mass. The simple everyday elements of bread and wine truly become the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ through the consecration in which the priest act "In Persona Christi", that is "in the person of Christ". How is this possible – to receive the body and blood of Christ? It requires faith in what Jesus told His disciples and us. After the consecration, we proclaim the Mystery of Faith which is the Paschal Mystery. One of the responses is "When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again". 

Allow our Lord to truly be present to you in the Eucharist each time you come to Mass, and remember the words we speak before receiving Him, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

Today's Reflection is by: 

Bishop Gregory Parkes

Did you know...

Most Reverend Gregory L. Parkes is the fifth Bishop of St. Petersburg. Prior to his appointment to the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Bishop Parkes served as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee from 2012-2016. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Orlando on June 26, 1999. Before answering the call to the priesthood, Bishop Parkes worked for several years in Tampa's banking industry. 

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is this weekend.  It's also known traditionally as Corpus Christi Sunday. The Gospel reading from John's Gospel finds Jesus addressing the Jewish crowd, "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."  Jesus goes on to say, "unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you." And, "whoever eats this bread will live forever."   

These would have been very powerful, and yet confusing, words from someone whom many considered a teacher or an itinerant preacher that time. Many of the Jews didn't understand and the Jewish leaders believed it might be blasphemy. Even many of his followers had trouble comprehending what He meant by this.  

How is it possible that the Eucharist, which we receive when we come to Mass, is truly the body and blood of Jesus? This is a mystery to us that requires the gift of faith. When the priest consecrates the bread and wine during the Mass, there is a substantial change in what those elements are.  They may still look and taste like bread and wine, but they have become the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. He is the living bread that came down from heaven. Do you believe that? 

And when we receive His body in Communion, Jesus truly dwells within us through His real presence in the gift of the Eucharist. Our response to receiving this gift should be one of gratitude – in our words and through our actions.  

On this Corpus Christi Sunday, let us give thanks to God for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, and who gives us His body and blood.   

Get to know our writers! Today's reflection was written by:

Bishop Parkes

Did you know...

Mark 14:22 

While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." 

The solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is this weekend.  It's also known traditionally as Corpus Christi Sunday.  The Gospel reading from Mark reflects this.  "He blessed the bread and 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, saying, 'This is the blood of the covenant which will be shed for many.'"   This was the unshakeable, unbreakable promise that Jesus made to all of us in the breaking of the bread.  Jesus was the sacrificial lamb.  The Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world.  These words are not just notes in the pages of history.  They are the words of the creator, the savior, the culmination of God's ultimate love for us by giving us his son, Jesus, to be that sacrificial lamb.  At each Mass celebrated around the world, the priest or bishop is "In Persona Christi", that is "in the person of Christ".  At that specific moment of blessing and elevation, the host becomes the precious and perfect body and blood of Jesus.  After this, the celebrant proclaims "The mystery of faith," and in turn, the congregation responds appropriately.  This truly is a mystery of faith.  Each word spoken by Jesus himself had divine meaning.  These same words repeated at the altar at the Mass carry the same weight.  For many, this is hard to comprehend.  Even those in Jesus's company had trouble with this concept, this mystery, as we read in John's gospel chapter 6, where some left after hearing this.  As Catholics, we believe.  We must remember also never to take the Eucharist for granted, but instead be focused on what it really is: The body and blood of Christ.