12th Sunday of the Year, Year B

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Year B

"During the meal he took bread, blessed and broke it,
and gave it to them."

The universal calendar of the Catholic Church assigns
this day as the 11th Sunday of the Year, Year B. In
the Philippines, for pastoral reasons, the Bishops
assign this Sunday as the Feast of Corpus Christi.
The universal Church on the other hand has already
celebrated Corpus Christi last Thursday, the Thursday
after Trinity Sunday. For the purposes of this blog,
some reflection will be made on both: the feast of
Corpus Christi and the 11th Sunday of the Year.

The synoptic gospels, Mark, Matthew and Luke, plus
a passage in the letter of Paul to the Corinthians,
speak about Jesus saying to His apostles at the
Last Supper the "Eucharistic blessing" that was to
become, through centuries, the words of the consecration
in the Eucharistic liturgy. The words "take", "bless",
"break", and "give", in the scriptures have become
the words of the consecration in the Mass. In
the solemnity of Corpus Christi, we
celebrate this self-donation of Christ portrayed
in the Last Supper, as the Bread and Blood of Life
for us all. We also thank the Father for the
gift of His Son for us to follow and imitate. If
not for Christ giving us His Body and Blood on that
cross at Calvary, we would not have known the love
of God for us and how He wishes to save us from
our sins.

If we ask for the gift of faith to seek Christ in
all that we do in life, we would be like the mustard
seed in the gospel as it is proclaimed for
the 11th Sunday of the Year.
This gospel speaks of the mustard seed, the smallest
of all seeds. It says that even with such a small
seed, it grows into one of the biggest of trees.
Our faith in Christ can be likened to that mustard
seed. If we only have in our minds and in our
hearts, the size of faith as small as that mustard
seed, then, as we pray, discern what is God's
will, and act according to it, our faith will grow
and strengthen, and we will be able to help others
too with their mustard seed of faith.

Our task then is to believe in Christ as the Bread
of Life whom we receive every time we celebrate
the Eucharist with others. By nurturing our souls
through the sacraments of faith, we grow, and are
able to share also our faith with others. In time,
we will attain what the Father wills for us to be:
to be more and more formed and made in the image
of His Son - and doing His work and ministry
of proclaiming the Gospel through the ordinary
and everyday circumstances of our state of life.

Trinity Sunday, Year B

"Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit"

The mystery of the Holy Trinity is a mystery we will
have a glimmer only of understanding, but which we will
have a full understanding when we enjoy the gift of a
beatific vision after our entry into eternal life.
Saints and doctors of the Church have written about
this mystery and have succeeded to explain it, but
since it is a mystery beyond all human knowledge,
the language they use is symbols and analogies.
It is through their that we can understand to some
extent this holy mystery. And most often, we come to
understand that the mystery of three persons in
one God is really a mystery of love personified
as Father, Son and Spirit.

When we are baptized, we are baptized in the name
of the Trinity. This is a Christian tradition rooted
in Christ's commandment to his apostles. Many Christian
Churches have this Trinitarian formula in their
baptismal liturgy. In Roman Catholic liturgical
norm, when someone wishes to be Roman Catholic, if
he or she is already baptized in a Christina
Church that uses the Trinitarian formula in their
baptismal rite, he or she need not be baptized in
the Roman Catholic baptismal rite anymore. His
baptism already suffices [since he received already
the same Trinitarian blessing].

By our baptism in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, like the apostles
of Jesus, we share in the vocation and mission
to make the gospel known to others. And we can
do this in many ways. Those who are connected
with the parish can help the parish in its mission
to build families and communities of service
and love patterned after the Trinity. While
those who are busy with their working,
professional, and family lives, can introduce
the values of the gospel through their work
and service in the family. Whatever our state
of life, all of us are called to live in the
spirit of love represented by the
Trinity: Father, Son and Spirit.