Taken, Blessed, Broken, Given

Homily: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (C)

Luke 9:11-17

22 June 2025 

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA

Today, we celebrate Corpus Christi Sunday.  We honour the Body of Christ which we experience through the Blessed Sacrament or Consecrated Hosts during Communion and the Eucharistic Adoration. 

Later, during the Liturgy of the Eucharist let us listen closely to the prayers over the bread and wine.  I will mention that Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples.  “TAKEN”, “BLESSED”, “BROKEN”, “GIVEN” — these are not just words uttered in a ritual.  They are the heart of the Eucharist, and they reveal what Jesus wants to do with us.  Like the bread in the Gospel, Jesus takes us, just as we are, even when we feel small, tired, or unworthy.  He blesses us, reminding us that we are loved and chosen. He breaks us, not to hurt, but to open our hearts in love.  Moreover, He gives us to be a blessing to others. 

Allow me to share an experience which happened mere months after my ordination.  I had been sent to an apostolate area to celebrate masses but one mass made such an impact on me. During communion, I suddenly felt a weight settle in my chest as I said the words, “The Body of Christ” over and over again. I had distributed communion many times before but never before had I felt a quiet awareness, almost like a whisper in the soul. I felt like bursting into tears. It was neither stress nor pressure but rather the deep realisation that it was Jesus I was holding in my hands!  I was vividly aware of the immense responsibility — the sacred trust, the calling which I was asked to carry in my life. 

“Lord, who am I to be doing this?” I knew I did not earn nor deserve the opportunity. I felt anxious and fearful that I would fail and be disappointing to God and to those who believed in me.  By God’s grace, I remembered that Jesus took me, just as I was, with all my flaws, fears, and wounds. He took me, not because I was the best nor the most worthy, but because He loved me. Despite all my limitations as a person, He entrusted me with this ministry anyway.  Not only did He take me from where I was, but He gave to me the people I now serve. He gave me this calling. He gave me to this very moment of grace — and still gives me, every day, to others in ways I never imagined. 

The miracle of the Eucharist is foremost that Christ becomes food for us but it does not end with Him giving us His Body — He makes us part of His Body! He takes us, blesses us, breaks us open in love, and then sends us to become nourishment for others. Jesus does not come to us because we are perfect and deserving. He comes to us because He loves us and He knows we need Him. In return, at the very least, we must prepare our hearts to receive Him by avoiding sin, and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly. 

Today and on the Sundays to come, I encourage you to be more mindful whenever you line up for communion. Receive the Body of Christ with grateful hearts and pray that we become what we receive: blessed, broken, and shared — for the life of the world.