Today's Mass Readings - Sunday, June 2, 2013 with Reflection

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

1^ST READING - Genesis 14:18-20

18 In those days, Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words: 19 “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

 

P S A L M - Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4

R: You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

1 The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.” (R) 2 The scepter of your power the Lord will stretch forth from Zion: “Rule in the midst of your enemies.” (R) 3 “Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor; before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.” (R) 4 The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent: “You are a priest forever, according to the order of 

Melchizedek.” (R)

 

2^nd READING - 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

23 Brothers and sisters: I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, 24 and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever.

 

Luke 9:11-17

11 Jesus spoke to the crowds about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. 12 As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, “Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” 13 He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.” They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.” 14 Now the men there numbered about five thousand. Then he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty.” 15 They did so and made them all sit down. 16 Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

SABBATH

CELEBRATING BROKENNESS IN A FRACTURED WORLD   Being in charge of the ongoing formation of younger priests, I brought a group to Cagayan de Oro and Iligan early last year to see firsthand the twin tragedies that befell the two cities shortly before Christmas of 2011. To say that the sight of the destruction caused by typhoon Sendong was depressing is a gross understatement. We saw brokenness in every sense of the word as we gingerly made our way through the affected sites.        We saw the brokenness brought about by human greed and sinfulness — from realtors, developers and builders, to loggers both big-time and smalltime, who all unwittingly conspired to cause such an unexpected tragedy of massive proportions. There is no describing the grief and the anger that welled up from the hearts of thousands of people who could only face up to the reality that their lives had been changed — if not broken — forever.        Today, on the Feast of the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ, as a priest I realize I have precious little to contribute towards the healing of these people who only have sorrow and untold grief to deal with. When we were in the affected areas, I was speechless. I was close to tears for I realizedhow much the brokenness of sin, particularly selfishness and greed, had left the victims with less reason to celebrate.        I can only offer an image that I find solace in. I can only offer the seemingly insignificant sign and symbol of the Eucharist. Twenty-five years ago, we celebrated the Eucharistic Year in the midst of so many problems: a destructive typhoon and a series of coup d’etats. I was crying, along with many others, as Cardinal O’Connor delivered his homily.        I, too, am broken by sin — my own first of all, and that of others. We live in a broken world, fraught with disunity and division. Despite all these, the Lord gathers us into one today and does what He does best — bless, break and share His own Body! Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB   REFLECTION QUESTION: How have you contributed to the brokenness of others?   Father, forgive me for the times I have caused disunity and division in my family, in my workplace, in my community. Amen. Sts. Marcellinus and Peter, martyrs, pray for us.

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