June 7, 2026

Feast of Corpus Christi

Way back in the early 80s, right out of high school, I was studying to be a Protestant minister. During those years, something profound happened to me: While studying scripture and Church History, I became convinced of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. We were taught in that seminary that the elements of communion, bread and wine, were merely symbols. But after studying scripture, the same verses that are today’s account from John’s Gospel, I began to believe otherwise. I slowly felt I had no choice but to leave that seminary and see where this new deeper journey of faith and understanding would take me. That great reality, the true Body and Blood of Jesus, is exactly what we celebrate as a Church today on the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Here is what convinced me! In today’s Gospel, Jesus declares, 'I am the Living Bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.' Naturally, the crowd began to argue. They were shocked. But notice Jesus' reaction. He didn't stop them. He didn't say, 'Wait, you're taking me too literally, it's really just a symbol!' Instead, He insisted on the absolute truth of His words, saying, 'Truly, truly, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.'"

What an awesome gift God offers us in the Eucharist! But grace this incredible is never meant to leave us as we were. When we receive this great gift, a profound spiritual transformation takes place in us. We are changed from the inside out. We move from receiving His presence in our lives to reflecting His love to other people.

"This week, I read an excellent passage from a book edited by Scott Hahn that I am going to share with you. Like me, Dr. Hahn was a Protestant who converted to Catholicism because he believed Jesus was completely serious in this reading from today’s Gospel. Scott Hahn pushes the dialogue further, and asks some challenging questions about what the Eucharist actually does to us and in us:

He writes: '

What about those of us who stand in line for Holy Communion? Do we look any different as we walk back to our pews? After all, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are inside us. Are we any different fifteen minutes later, or in the church parking lot or the parish hall? Are we any different two or three days later?' (Catholic for a Reason Vol III)

To answer that question, we have to stop seeing the Eucharist as a routine. Instead, we must see it as the moment we receive the perfect love of God.

I was thinking about this while writing this homily and playing my favourite homily writing background music. Last September my wife, my Sister-in-law and I took a trip to Lancaster, PA. We went to see a band called The Innocence Mission, a Catholic husband-and-wife duo whose music I’ve followed since the 80s. Their lyrics are deeply meaningful to me. In one song, they capture this Eucharistic mystery perfectly, singing: 'The host on your tongue is a perfect moon. It does shine inside us, we shine into the room.' (You are the Light)

That lyric is more than just beautiful poetry; it is profound Catholic theology. In fact, in a different way it echoes the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas from today’s Office of Readings for this Feast of Corpus Christi:

Aquinas wrote about this precious and wonderful truth, saying:

Since it was the will of God’s only-begotten Son that men should share in his divinity, he assumed our nature in order that by becoming man he might make men gods. Moreover, when he took our flesh he dedicated the whole of its substance to our salvation. He offered his body to God the Father on the altar of the cross as a sacrifice for our reconciliation. He shed his blood for our ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed.

How often do we really let that sink in? Jesus became us so that we might share in His divinity. When we receive the Eucharist, we are not just consuming a holy symbol. We are taking the life of God into our actual bodies.

This is why Scott Hahn’s questions are so important. We really cannot leave the church parking lot the same way we entered it. If we really do share in His life and divinity, in a real way we become tabernacles walking out into a dark world.

A beautiful part of this is that we do not create this light on our own strength. Jesus gives Himself to us completely in the Eucharist. He meets us in every possible way, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. He knows our fatigue, He understands our doubts, and He supports every part of who we are. His love for us is utterly boundless.

Today, as we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, let’s remember that Jesus Christ is shining inside of us. Let's make an effort to let that divine light transform us from the inside out, so that wherever we go, back to our homes, our workplaces, in our interactions with our families, our children and yes, even into the Church parking lot, we will “shine His love into the room."