Opening Prayer Series: Collect for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi Yr B

The Collect for the Feast of Corpus Christi reads as follows:

O  God, who in this wonderful Sacrament 

has 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 lives and reigns with God the Father

 in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

 One God for ever and ever.

In making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged:

1. What is my attitude towards the Real Presence in the Eucharist?
2. Why is the Eucharist a memorial of Christ's Passion?
3. Why celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi?
4. What are the fruits of Your redemption?
5. How might I experience these fruits in myself?
6. In this year of Grace, what will I do to improve my knowledge and love of this wonderful Sacrament?

NB: Year of Grace is a national initative by the Bishops of Australia to help Australians to be renewed in the faith. It is a precursor to the Year of Faith which will be announced later in the year.  However, you do not have to be only Australian to join the year of Grace, since we are all brothers and sisters in an universal church.  I will be posting a new series Year of Grace commencing this week.

In today's Gospel of Mark, we are given an account of the Last Supper.   I find it comforting at different phases in my life to hear this Gospel in that Jesus gave the disciples instructions on how to prepare for the last Supper and when they arrived at the place "' They found everything as He had told them"'.

Jesus does prepare things for us. Even if we cannot see the wood for the trees, He has worked out what is best for us and as the fog in our minds/situation lifts, we may recognize the hand of God in it. Let's hope we also remember to be grateful and say thank you.

I often wonder how the disciples must have felt when they heard Jesus say" take and eat, this is my body"' and take and drink, this is my blood.  Imagine hearing it for the first time.

I think that this is the key to today's feast and to our love of the Blessed Sacrament.  If we hear these words each time at Mass as if it is the first time we have heard them, it may encourage us to reflect and understand them more and more.  To receive Jesus each day/ each Sunday is nourishment for our souls.  Just as our bodies need food, our souls do too.  Jesus feeds us with Himself.  Just as Jesus prepared for the discples, Jesus has prepared food for our souls for our pilgrim journey on earth, until we can feast on Him in eternity.

We do not have to wait to receive Him each day/ each Sunday. We can be nourished by visiting Jesus in the tabernacle at our parishes and spending time with Him at exposition.  If you do not have exposition in your parish, why not try and ask your Parish Priest to initiate it, or if not, then do not be hindered.  Look for another parish that provides it. Exposition particularly is a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon this gift of Himself and to pray with heartfelt gratitude our Collect for today's feast.

Let us feast on Him today on this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.