Sunday Gospel Reflection (Nov 17, 2024)
Sponsored
Catholic365 is sponsored by
Road to Purity
Corpus Christi, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, is about God feeding His people with Himself. It’s about love made tangible.
Melchizedek, the mysterious priest-king in Genesis 14:18–20 blesses Abraham with bread and wine. He points forward to the Eucharist—God’s plan to feed His people through a sacred meal. This is no ordinary blessing. It’s the beginning of a promise.
Fast forward to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians: “This is my body… this is my blood.” Jesus doesn’t give us a symbol. He gives us Himself. Every time we receive the Eucharist, heaven touches earth. It’s not just remembrance. The Eucharist is participation in the very mystery of salvation.
And then comes the Gospel. In Luke 9:11–17, Jesus takes five loaves and two fish, blesses them, breaks them, and feeds thousands. It is the Mass in action. He takes what little we have and turns it into abundance. Here Jesus does not just feed the crowd. He involves the disciples, saying, “You give them something to eat.”
That’s the key. We’re not just fed—we’re commissioned.
Corpus Christi reminds us that the Eucharist isn’t the finish line. It’s the launch point. We kneel to receive, then rise to serve. Fed by Christ, we become His hands and feet in the world.
Mike Schramm lives in southeastern Minnesota with his wife and seven children. There, he teaches theology and philosophy at Aquinas High School and Viterbo University. He earned his MA in theology from St. Joseph's College in Maine and an MA in philosophy from Holy Apostles College. He is also the managing editor of the Voyage Compass, an imprint of Voyage Comics and Publishing, and co-hosts the Voyage Podcast with Jacob Klatte.
