[00:00:05] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast. Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, June 7, 2026, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
[00:00:24] This week's episode is entitled: Flesh and Blood, and in these readings, we are reminded that Jesus’ Body and Blood are among the greatest gifts ever bestowed upon mankind by our Creator.
[00:00:38] As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following:
The Holy Eucharist was prefigured in the manna which fed the Hebrews in the desert during the Exodus. But where that bread nourished only human life, the Bread of Life we receive in the Eucharist nourishes us for eternal life. Saint Paul reminds us that because we partake of this Living Bread, we are all part of the one Body of Christ. So, why don't we act like it?
[00:01:10] Let's begin in prayer:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the gift of the Body and Blood of your Son in the Holy Eucharist. Help us to be aware that we are all part of the one Mystical Body which prepares us for eternal life and union with you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures.
[00:01:45] Our Gospel this week is from John 6: 51-58.
[00:01:52] “[Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:] ‘I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.’”
[00:03:05] This week the Church celebrates the second of two Solemnities that are observed each year as we enter into Ordinary Time after the end of the Easter season - and this Solemnity is the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also called by its Latin name of Corpus Christi.
[00:03:26] This Solemnity has quite an interesting history, which dates back to the 13th century, when the mystic Saint Juliana of Liège, who had a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, experienced a series of visions over the course of 20 years which she initially kept secret. She finally shared her visions with a priest, who - in turn - relayed them to the local bishop, who ordered that a celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi be held each year in the diocese of Liège, beginning in 1246. At that time, bishops had the authority to institute individual feasts within their own diocese, although that is no longer the case.
When serving as Archdeacon under the Bishop of Liège, Jacques Pantaléone was won over to the cause of the Feast of Corpus Christi, so when he was later elected Pope in 1261 (becoming Pope Urban IV) he instituted the Feast for the entire Latin Church in 1264.
Pope Urban IV also asked one of the greatest theologians of all time, Saint Thomas Aquinas, to create texts for the Feast of Corpus Christi, many of which are still in use today. That's where we get songs like Pange Lingua, Tantum Ergo, O Salutaris, and Panis Angelicus. Since this feast honors the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, it is a Catholic Feast rejected by most Protestant faith traditions.
[00:05:28] And for the second week in a row, although we are in Cycle A and should be hearing from Matthew, we again hear from John. Rest assured, however, that we will hear from Matthew beginning next week.
[00:05:42] Now, this passage from John is most appropriately from the Bread of Life Discourse. It takes place after the Feeding of the Five Thousand, after Jesus walked on the Sea of Galilee, and when the crowds have again gathered to see and hear the Jesus they view - at this point - primarily as a wonder worker.
[00:06:10] So let's hear what Jesus has to say to the crowds this week…
“[Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:]”
Again, he means those Jews who lived in the cities and towns around the Sea of Galilee and who had gathered to see the wonders performed by Jesus.
[00:06:32] “I am the living bread which came down from heaven;”
[00:06:37] This is Jesus' third “I AM” statement - earlier in the Bread of Life Discourse, Jesus said, twice, “I AM the bread of life” - now he says, “I AM the living bread.” And we have to keep in mind that, as this Discourse began, the crowds asked Jesus about manna in the desert given to them by Moses. Jesus responded that it was not Moses who gave the Israelites the bread from heaven - the manna - that it was God the Father who did so. Now Jesus brings that heavenly beneficence full circle, saying that HE is the bread from heaven.
“if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever;”
[00:07:33] Manna brought nourishment, but not eternal life, Jesus gives both! This statement also alludes, in a tangential sort of way, to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. Remember, the Tree of Life was intended to bestow upon Adam and Eve eternal life.
[00:07:57] They were banned from the Garden because they ate of the Tree of Knowledge and so never partook of the fruit of the Tree of life. But now it is Jesus who opens the way to paradise in the kingdom of heaven and offers us the food of immortality.
“and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
[00:08:27] Those words would have scandalized every Jew in that crowd! The Torah expressly forbids Jews from consuming blood or any meat with blood left in it (and that's found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy), so you can imagine their shock and consternation.
[00:08:52] John gives us a hint of that when he says…
“The Jews then disputed among themselves,”
[00:09:01] That has to be a monumental understatement! The word “disputed” suggests that they reacted strongly - when in truth they would have been incensed. And what were they saying among themselves?
[00:09:20] “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
And truly, not just eat… the text suggests gnawing or chewing. What Jesus said would have been considered bizarre, offensive, nauseating, and downright illegal to his audience. To suggest, as some Scripture scholars have, that Jesus was speaking metaphorically or symbolically is incorrect. There would have been no symbol or metaphor associated with such a statement at that time. Remember, that was something that was expressly forbidden in the Torah.
[00:10:07] “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.’”
[00:10:29] Once Crucified and Resurrected, Jesus' Transformed human flesh becomes the source of eternal life for all in the Sacrament of the Eucharist - it will be a sharing in Christ's Resurrection, and it will nourish those who receive it for eternal life.
[00:10:56] “For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”
[00:11:03] Jesus is doubling down here! He is saying that this is not a symbol or a metaphor.
“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
The word abide can also be understood as dwell or remain - meaning that we will be part of Jesus… we will dwell or abide or remain with him when we receive his flesh in the Eucharist. And likewise, he will abide or dwell or remain with us.
[00:11:45] “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.”
[00:11:56] Think of the mutual indwelling of the Father and the Son - Jesus is promising that the same sort of intimate sharing of life and love and essence that exists between Jesus and his Heavenly Father will exist between Jesus and those who receive his Body and Blood as true food in the Eucharist. We are nourished by the Eucharist, absolutely, but we are also transformed by it as God continues to draw closer to his people.
[00:12:39] “This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died;”
And by those words Jesus does mean the manna in the desert.
[00:12:50] “he who eats this bread will live for ever.”
[00:12:56] The same Flesh and Blood offered by Jesus to the Father on the Cross, and then Resurrected in glory, is the very same Flesh and Blood given to us in the Eucharist… it is that same Flesh and Blood that transforms us to be more like Christ… the same Flesh and Blood that unites us in the one Mystical Body of Christ… so, why don't we act like it?
[00:13:43] That takes us to our First Reading, which is from Deuteronomy 8: 2-3, 14b-16a.
“[Moses said to the people:] ‘[R]emember all the way[s] which the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not. [H]e humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. [Do not] forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know.”
[00:15:08] You may recall that Deuteronomy is a series of four long addresses delivered by Moses to the people before his death, and - according to tradition - these addresses were put into writing by Moses himself.
[00:15:26] This passage is part of Moses’ second address - by far the longest of the four, at 24 chapters.
[00:15:37] By now the Exodus is complete, and the Hebrews are within sight of the Promised Land, but those to whom Moses is speaking are not altogether the same group that left Egypt. After all, it has been 40 years! Some of the people that left Egypt have died… and many of those to whom Moses is speaking are the children of those who were liberated. This is a new generation about to begin a new life in a new land.
[00:16:20] The 40 years in the desert allowed the Hebrews to become reacquainted with God… now it's time to find out just how committed this generation is to their God. And Moses is warning the people of the temptations that will be posed by the prosperity they will attain in their new homeland, and he's doing so now before it happens.
[00:16:52] Moses gives two examples to illustrate that when the people become comfortable, when they become used to abundance, then people begin to believe that they are responsible for their improved circumstances and they tend to forget about God… they forget to be thankful to God for all the good things they have received. This passage is one long warning that the people should never forget God!
[00:17:32] Unfortunately, we know that Moses’ words fell on deaf ears… that the people did become proud and arrogant in biblical times, just as we continue to do today!
[00:17:49] So, let's listen - with humility - to Moses' words of warning…
[00:17:57] “[Moses said to the people:] ‘[R]emember all the way[s] which the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you,”
[00:18:11] The Lord literally led the people using a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night - and he provided for their needs time and again, and time and again the Hebrews complained. And if we think back to last week, I mentioned the incident with the Golden Calf – so, not only did the Hebrews constantly complain, they actually created a false god of their own choosing rather than remain faithful to the one true God. Moses is reminding the Hebrews that they need a good dose of humility - words that we also need to hear on a regular basis!
[00:19:02] Moses continues…
“testing you to know what was in your heart,”
[00:19:08] And Moses’ words remind the people that this is not the first time God has tested his people. Remember God tested Abraham by demanding that he sacrifice his only son Isaac on Mount Moriah. And Moses says God did these things to see…
“whether you would keep his commandments, or not.”
[00:19:37] We know that is by no means a sure thing! Moses destroyed the first set of stone tablets - upon which God's commandments were recorded - when he came down from Mount Sinai to find the people worshiping that infernal Golden Calf. We just heard the story last week, on Trinity Sunday, of how Moses obtained the second set of tablets!
[00:20:05] Moses has now set the stage, so to speak, to present the first of his two examples of God's generosity during the Exodus…
“[God] humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know;”
[00:20:27] Moses is reminding the people that God's divine assistance often comes from places and in ways that are unknown and unexpected.
“that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.”
[00:20:53] Moses’ underlying purpose was to remind the Hebrews that God alone was the reason they survived in the desert after the supplies they brought with them out of Egypt were exhausted… that God is, in fact, the source of all good things, and that they should have been thankful to God for his generosity rather than complaining about the lack of variety in the foodstuffs he offered them.
[00:21:31] Now the NAB translates “everything” as “every word” which is significant for Christians for a couple of reasons… first, because Jesus is the Logos (God's own creative Word - and that's capital “W” Word), and second, because Jesus uses that very quote to respond to the devil after the First Temptation in the desert.
[00:22:07] In these words, Moses links spiritual nourishment with physical nourishment, precisely because ignorance of the word of God in Sacred Scripture weakens the spirit just as assuredly as physical hunger weakens the body. Next, Moses presents the second of his two examples of God's generosity, and he begins in a very specific way…
[00:22:46] “[Do not] forget the LORD your God,”
[00:22:51] Moses doesn't mean the mere mental exercise of remembering… this isn't an isolated recollection of a specific event or even a series of events. The act of remembering to which Moses is referring is the type of remembrance that makes a past event become substantially present again and one that sparks an active, dynamic response of gratitude! It is the same type of remembrance that the Jewish people still observe at Passover… it is the same type of remembrance that Catholic Christians encounter in the Sacrament of the Eucharist… it is a very specific type of remembrance called anamnesis.
[00:24:00] Moses then reminds the Hebrews that it was the Lord God…
“who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know.”
[00:24:33] This is more than just a recitation of the dangers faced by the Hebrews to during the Exodus, it is a direct reminder that the Hebrews survived all of those dangers precisely because of God's loving, provident care for them.
[00:24:57] But simply acknowledging that is not enough! Every generation must also acknowledge that all good things begin with God… that all good gifts originate with God… because when people begin to attribute success only to themselves and to their own efforts… faith weakens, gratitude wanes, smug self-assurance creeps in, and bad behavior always follows.
[00:25:35] That is, unfortunately, the oft repeated pattern of behavior recorded in the Old Testament. God sent prophets to warn the people when they became selfish and greedy, when they exploited, oppressed, and deceived their neighbors, when they began mistreating widows, orphans, and foreigners.
[00:25:59] The words of the prophets… which were the words of God himself (remember, prophets speak for God)… those words were repeated reminders that prosperity comes not through personal effort alone, but through fidelity to God. Even the most basic needs of food, water, shelter, safety, originate with God.
[00:26:30] That was the case during the Exodus… it was the case throughout the biblical history of the Jewish people… and it continues to be the case today. The words of Moses, the words of prophets throughout the Old Testament, remind us - just as they did their original audiences - that whenever we begin to rely solely on ourselves, when we begin to believe that we alone are responsible for our own successes, then we become selfish and greedy, then we begin to exploit and deceive others, then we oppress those who are less fortunate, we mistreat foreigners and immigrants.
[00:27:33] And those are all signs that we are on the wrong path and that we need to remember God's care for us - not just as a mental exercise - but in ways that make his generosity to us real and that spark an active, dynamic response of gratitude from us to God.
[00:28:08] A type of remembrance, a type of gratitude, that changes our behavior and makes us better people as members of the one Mystical Body of Christ! That is how we should always act, but it isn't. And we have to ask ourselves why?
[00:28:33] That takes us to our Responsorial Psalm, which is Psalm 147, and the refrain is:
“O Lord, [you] are to be praised and highly exalted for ever.”
And here are the verses:
“Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your sons within you.”
“He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat. He sends forth his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.”
“He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the Lord!”
[00:29:31] This Psalm is one of the Hallelujah Psalms (which are 146 – 150). And they are all Psalms of Praise, and they all begin and end with the words: “Praise the Lord” - we don't always hear those opening and closing phrases in the verses chosen for the Lectionary, but this time we do. In this particular portion of the Psalm, the Psalmist issues four calls or invitations to praise God… to Jerusalem, to Zion, to Jacob, and to Israel. The calls to Jerusalem and Zion are issued in the first stanza - and remember, Jerusalem is the city built upon Mount Zion… so the call is issued first to the city of Jerusalem, speaking specifically, then extended to all of Mount Zion.
[00:30:36] The other two calls, directed toward Jacob and Israel, are found in the third stanza - and keep in mind there that Jacob was the father of twelve sons, his name was then changed to Israel, and each of his twelve sons became the namesake of one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel… so, again, the call is issued first to the individual person of Jacob and then extended to all of his descendants - to all the twelve tribes.. to the nation of Israel. The Psalmist assures the Israelites that the Lord is worthy of all praise first because he is the Builder, Protector, and Benefactor of the city of Jerusalem and its people. Then the Psalmist offers another assurance by reminding the Israelites that God's care for the natural world mirrors his care for them… and the proof of that care is found in God's law, which was given to the people of Israel, but not to Gentile nations.
[00:32:04] Now we know that God's plan was always meant to include the Gentiles, and we hear that throughout the Old Testament… as early as Genesis when God promised Abram that all the nations of the earth would find blessing from through him… all the way to Malachi when God said that wherever the sun rises and sets, incense and offerings will be brought before him because his name will be great among all the nations. We know that God intended the Israelites to evangelize the rest of the world, which would include taking their law - the law God gave to them - and teaching it to the Gentiles.
[00:32:57] So, while in the Old Testament God's first care was always for his Chosen People, we also know that those promises were always to be extended to the Gentiles.
[00:33:13] We are all created by God… all created in his image… all intended to be one in him. So, why don't we always act like it?
[00:33:34] That takes us to our Second Reading, which is from 1 Corinthians 10: 16-17.
“[Brothers and sisters:] The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”
[00:34:16] 1 Corinthians is an Occasional Letter, written by Paul to address a number of problems that had arisen within the Corinthian community. It was probably written sometime around 56 AD, while Paul was on his Third Missionary Journey, and sent to Corinth from Ephesus.
If you listened to Episode 99, my Holy Thursday episode, you already heard - in great detail - how I feel about the Catholic translation of 1 Corinthians 10:16 and why the word “participation” is a bad translation. But since this passage is about Holy Communion, I will spend just a smidge more time on the concept, and the best way I can think of to do that is by using one of my favorite Communion hymns. It is called:” When We Break This Bread” by Pedro Rubalcava. The words of the chorus are: “When we break this bread of unity and love, our own eyes behold the truth of life outpoured. In this sacrifice may we be transformed, and be what we receive: The Body of the Lord.”
[00:35:49] Those words provide a glimpse into why I make such a distinction between the words communion and participation. Anyone can participate in an activity without being fundamentally changed by the experience - I guarantee you that my heart was never moved because I participated in a game of Monopoly or went water skiing.
[00:36:16] However, it should never be possible to receive the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion without being transformed by it… without being fundamentally changed by the experience… without being conformed, just a bit more, to the person of Jesus Christ.
[00:36:46] And it is that unity, that intimacy, that communion, that defines us as part of the Mystical Body of Christ.
[00:37:00] Now, as far as our passage from 1 Corinthians is concerned… the particular issue Paul was addressing in this passage had to do with table fellowship, specifically when meals were shared between Christians and Pagans. So, looked at from that perspective, the word participation is appropriate. However, when those words are used on Holy Thursday, they aren't talking about table fellowship in Corinth, they are talking about Holy Communion - and that's why I object to that translation… enough said.
[00:37:40] So let's step away from my objections to this translation and listen instead to what Paul has to say to the Corinthians…
“[Brothers and sisters:] The cup of blessing which we bless,”
[00:37:53] The cup of blessing Paul talks about here would have referred to an actual cup… one that would have been passed from one person to another. Relying, as he so often did on his Jewish heritage, Paul would have used, as a starting point, the cup of blessing shared at a Passover Seder.
[00:38:18] But from even the earliest written accounts of Christian worship, we know that a cup of wine mixed with water was blessed or consecrated and shared among the faithful who were present at the celebration - just as it is today in the Catholic Mass.
[00:38:44] In fact, in the 2nd century writings of Saint Justin Martyr, (2nd century, mind you!), we find a description of early Christian worship that would be surprisingly familiar to any modern Catholic. And it is that cup that Paul is talking about - the cup that is blessed and shared. Paul says…
“is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?”
[00:39:20] The Greek word used there is koinōnia, which means communion. Again, I'm not going to go into my full objection to this word being translated as participation, but know that the Greek word implies not just participation, but unity and intimacy. And if we think back to our Gospel for this week, to the Bread of Life Discourse, there was simply no symbol or metaphor that would have been associated - at that time - with Jesus' instructions to eat his flesh and drink his blood. They were commands, not a metaphor! Then Paul continues…
“The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”
[00:40:17] And please understand that Paul uses the same Greek word correct koinonia there. So, I again raise the same objection to how that word is translated. And I will repeat that Jesus was not speaking metaphorically in John's Gospel, therefore, the bread that is blessed, the bread that is consecrated, becomes the Body of Christ. And it is that Body that we receive in Holy Communion.
[00:40:51] “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”
[00:41:03] Paul is reminding the Corinthian community that they don't just follow Jesus… they become part of him, part of his Mystical Body - that's what Paul means when he says: “we who are many are one body” - that participating in the Lord's Supper (which the early Christians called the Breaking of the Bread… which we modern Catholics call the Mass), effects (brings about) a an essential unity AMONG believers and WITH Christ!
[00:41:48] This new table fellowship among Christians changes everything!
[00:41:57] And Paul is reminding the Corinthians that they must avoid any and all behaviors that don't reinforce that essential bond of unity among themselves as Christians. Specifically, Paul means that the Christians in Corinth must now avoid joining friends for meals whenever such meals honor pagan gods. The Christians in Corinth no longer believe in those pagan gods, consequently, they may not see any problem with such meals.
[00:42:45] But what those Corinthian Christians now view as only a social event, others may see as idolatry and so be scandalized!
[00:43:02] Paul is saying that kind of behavior is not acceptable, and he is saying the very same thing to us.
Oh, I'm not suggesting that we would be invited to meals honoring pagan gods, but… when we allow or tolerate bad behavior (non-Christian behavior) to arise within our Catholic Christian community, then we are not being truly faithful ourselves…. we are separating ourselves from Christ… we are putting distance between ourselves and Christ… we are disrupting the essential unity in the Mystical Body of Christ.
[00:43:55] Because we don't just FOLLOW Jesus! When we receive his Body and Blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we become what we receive… or, at least, we're supposed to! That's why I included those lyrics from the hymn “When We Break This Bread”… to remind all of us of the great gift offered to each of us in Holy Communion… to remind us that we are to be transformed by it… we are to be fundamentally changed by it.
[00:44:37] We are to become part of the Mystical Body of Christ!
[00:44:45] And IF we are transformed… IF we become what we receive… IF we are part of the one Body of Christ… then that means that we also have the solemn responsibility - and that we are given the strength - to act like it…
[00:45:13] So, let's act like it!
[00:45:16] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain, and may he hold you safe and secure in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God Bless.
