The Gift of the Eucharist: Unity and Transformation

Summary

Today, we gather to reflect on the profound mystery and gift of the Eucharist, especially as we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi—the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. This feast draws us into the heart of our faith, where we encounter the real presence of Jesus: his body, blood, soul, and divinity, given to us under the appearance of bread and wine. Each time we approach the altar and say “Amen” to the Body of Christ, we are making a threefold profession: we affirm our belief in Christ’s true presence, we assent to all that the Church teaches as revealed by God, and we declare our communion with the body of believers united in this faith.

The history of the Church reminds us that unity and truth are at the core of our identity. For centuries, the Church was one, and even as divisions arose, the essential question for every Christian remains: do I believe what this community teaches, and am I willing to be united with them in faith and practice? The Eucharist is not just a personal encounter but a communal act, binding us together in the truth handed down from Christ through the apostles.

The readings today invite us to see the deep roots of the Eucharist in the Old Testament, particularly in the figure of Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of God Most High, who offers bread and wine in thanksgiving. This mysterious priesthood, not based on genealogy but on God’s appointment, prefigures the priesthood of Christ, who is both priest and victim. Jesus, in the line of Melchizedek, offers himself freely—he is both the one who offers and the one who is offered. In the Last Supper, he establishes a new covenant, the only one in the New Testament, by giving us his body and blood as the means by which he remains with us always.

God is not limited by sacraments, but in his love, he gives us these tangible signs so that we can know, receive, and participate in his saving work. The Eucharist is the ongoing miracle of Christ’s self-gift, a source of abundance and life. In receiving him, we are transformed, drawn out of our old selves and into deeper communion with him and with one another. The more we receive, the more we become like him, leaving behind sin and darkness, and growing in holiness and unity.

Key Takeaways

- Saying “Amen” at Communion is a profound act of faith. It is not a mere ritual response, but a declaration that we believe in Christ’s real presence, assent to the Church’s teachings, and unite ourselves with the community of believers. This “Amen” is a personal and communal yes to God’s invitation and a commitment to live in the truth he reveals. [01:26]

- The priesthood of Christ, prefigured by Melchizedek, is rooted not in human lineage but in divine calling. Unlike the Old Testament priests who inherited their role by birth, Christ’s priesthood is a gift and a mission from God, inviting us to recognize that our own participation in the Church is a response to God’s personal call. Our presence at Mass and reception of the sacraments is always a response to his initiative. [06:41]

- The Eucharist is the new and everlasting covenant, the unique agreement by which Christ remains with us. In the Old Testament, covenants were many, but in the New Testament, Jesus establishes only one: the gift of himself in the Eucharist. This is how we know he is with us, and how we are drawn into the very life of God, receiving what we most deeply need—his presence and grace. [09:51]

- God’s generosity in the Eucharist reveals his desire to give us everything necessary for our salvation. While we may pray for many things, God knows what truly leads us to holiness and union with him. The Eucharist is the ultimate answer to our deepest needs, offering us not just gifts, but the Giver himself, so that we may be transformed and fulfilled in him. [12:21]

- Each reception of the Eucharist is an invitation to transformation. As we receive Christ, we are called to become more like him, letting go of sin, error, and all that separates us from God. The Eucharist is not only a source of forgiveness and grace, but also the means by which we are gradually conformed to Christ, growing in holiness and unity with the Church. [12:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:20] - The Unity and History of the Church
[01:26] - What We Profess in the Eucharist
[02:40] - Why Communion Is Not Interchangeable
[03:30] - Melchizedek and the Old Testament Roots
[04:00] - Abraham’s Offering and Thanksgiving
[05:10] - God’s Freedom and the Gift of Sacraments
[06:41] - The Priesthood: From Levi to Melchizedek
[07:50] - God’s Call and Our Response
[08:40] - St. Paul’s Unique Understanding
[09:51] - Christ the High Priest and the New Covenant
[11:00] - The Eucharist as Ongoing Miracle
[12:21] - God’s Abundance and Our Transformation
[13:10] - Praying for Deeper Communion

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Mystery and Gift of the Eucharist (Corpus Christi)

---

### Bible Reading

1. Genesis 14:18-20
*And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.*

2. Psalm 110:4
*The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”*

3. Luke 22:19-20
*And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”*

---

### Observation Questions

1. In Genesis 14, what does Melchizedek offer to Abram, and what is the significance of this offering?
2. According to Psalm 110, what kind of priesthood does God promise, and how is it different from the Old Testament priesthood?
3. In Luke 22, what does Jesus say about the bread and the cup at the Last Supper?
4. According to the sermon, what are the three things we profess when we say “Amen” at Communion? [[01:26]]

---

### Interpretation Questions

1. Why does the sermon highlight Melchizedek’s priesthood as being “appointed by God” rather than inherited by genealogy? What does this say about Jesus’ priesthood? [[06:41]]
2. The sermon says that the Eucharist is the “new and everlasting covenant.” How does this covenant differ from the many covenants in the Old Testament? [[09:51]]
3. The sermon mentions that God is not limited by sacraments, but chooses to give them to us. Why might God choose to work through tangible signs like bread and wine? [[05:10]]
4. What does it mean that each reception of the Eucharist is an invitation to transformation, and how does this relate to leaving behind “sin, error, and darkness”? [[12:21]]

---

### Application Questions

1. When you say “Amen” at Communion, do you consciously think about what you are professing? How might your experience of Communion change if you reflected on its threefold meaning each time? [[01:26]]
2. The sermon says that our participation in the Church and the sacraments is a response to God’s personal call. How have you experienced God’s call in your own life, especially regarding the Eucharist? [[06:41]]
3. The Eucharist is described as the “ongoing miracle of Christ’s self-gift.” In what ways do you see God’s generosity in your life, and how do you respond to it? [[12:21]]
4. The priesthood of Christ is not based on human lineage but on divine calling. How does this truth affect the way you view your own role or calling within the Church? [[06:41]]
5. The sermon says that God gives us what we truly need for holiness, not always what we want. Can you think of a time when God’s answer to your prayer was different from what you expected, but ultimately led you closer to Him? [[12:21]]
6. Each time we receive the Eucharist, we are invited to be transformed and to grow in unity and holiness. What is one specific area of your life where you desire this transformation? How can you open yourself more to God’s grace in this area? [[12:21]]
7. The Eucharist binds us together as a community. How can you foster deeper unity with others in your parish or small group, especially with those you may not naturally connect with? [[01:26]]

---

Devotional

Day 1: The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist
To receive the Eucharist is to profess belief in the true presence of Jesus—body, blood, soul, and divinity—under the appearance of bread and wine. This is not a mere symbol or remembrance, but a profound mystery in which Christ gives Himself fully to those who approach the altar in faith. Each "Amen" at Communion is a declaration that you believe Jesus is truly present, and that you desire to be united with Him in this sacrament, receiving the very life of God into your own. [01:26]

John 6:53-56 (ESV)
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”

Reflection: When you say "Amen" at Communion, do you truly believe you are receiving Jesus Himself? How might this change the way you prepare for and receive the Eucharist this week?

Day 2: The Call to Communion and Unity
Receiving the Eucharist is not only a personal act of faith, but also a public affirmation of unity with the Church’s teachings and with the community gathered in worship. By coming forward, you are saying yes to the doctrines of the Church and to being in communion with all who share this faith. This unity is a gift and a responsibility, inviting you to reflect on what it means to belong, to assent to the truth, and to live in harmony with others under Christ. [01:26]

1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (ESV)
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Reflection: Is there a teaching of the Church or a relationship within your faith community that you struggle to embrace? What step can you take today to move toward deeper unity?

Day 3: Christ the High Priest and the New Covenant
Jesus, in the line of Melchizedek, is both priest and sacrifice—He offers Himself freely for our salvation, establishing a new and everlasting covenant at the Last Supper. Unlike the Old Testament priests, whose role was inherited by birth, Christ’s priesthood is by divine appointment, and His sacrifice is once for all. In the Eucharist, you are invited to participate in this new covenant, receiving the life and forgiveness that flow from His self-gift. [09:51]

Hebrews 7:23-27 (ESV)
The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

Reflection: How does knowing that Jesus is both the priest and the sacrifice change the way you approach the Mass? What does it mean for you to live as a member of the new covenant today?

Day 4: God’s Abundant Provision in the Eucharist
The miracle of the loaves and fishes points to the superabundance of God’s gifts, especially in the Eucharist. God desires to give you everything you truly need to reach Him—His very self, His truth, and the grace to become more like Him. Sometimes what you think you need is not what will lead you to holiness, but God never withholds what is necessary for your salvation. The Eucharist is the ultimate sign that God holds nothing back from you. [12:21]

Luke 9:16-17 (ESV)
And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel a sense of lack or need? How can you bring this to Jesus in the Eucharist, trusting in His abundant provision?

Day 5: Responding to God’s Call with a Contrite Heart
Every sacrament, especially the Eucharist, is an invitation to respond to God’s call with openness and humility. God is not limited by the sacraments, but He gives them so you can know, with certainty, that you are receiving His grace and forgiveness. Coming to Mass, praying, and receiving Communion are all responses to God’s initiative—He calls, and you answer. Each time you approach, ask for the grace to be transformed, to leave behind what is not of Him, and to become more like Christ. [06:41]

Psalm 51:16-17 (ESV)
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Reflection: Before you next receive the Eucharist, take time to examine your heart. What do you need to surrender or confess so you can respond more fully to God’s call?

Quotes

Any Christian, any professed Christian in the world, no matter the Christian church, really believes Jesus Christ is the Son of God. It's a baseline belief for the Christian, and the reality is for Christianity, there was really one church for a thousand years, and there was some heresies, obviously. There was a lot of councils, and there was some debating here and back and forth about different teachings of the church, but essentially there was really one church for a thousand years, and it wasn't until 1099 where the East and the West got into a fight about who's in charge. It's always about who's in charge, some pride things, who's in charge, and so the East kind of went their way, the Western church, which really formalized into our part of Christianity, and split for about another 500 years, East and West, but it was really still one church for 1 ,500.years, just little differences in some of the hierarchy. [00:00:36]

But the reality is what you're saying yes to is the doctrines what we hold to be true and we believe it to be true so that we come and be a part of this church but essentially it's anybody does in any church they're choosing whether it's you know the Methodists the Lutherans or the Episcopalians or the non -denominational churches the Bible churches what everybody who's a part of those really should be thinking through themselves do I believe what this church teaches to be true and do I want to be a part of that and essentially for us as as Catholic Christians every time we come up to Eucharist and we say amen and the minister says the body of Christ and say amen it's really three things you know we're professing first off we hold that this the body blood soul and divinity of JesusJesus Christ, his real presence, you know, that it's him, that the bread through the Eucharistic prayer of a validly ordained priest over elements of bread and wine, the bread becomes his body, the wine becomes his blood, and it becomes him, it becomes truly present. [00:02:13]

Secondly, we profess and we say amen that I believe and is sent to all that the Catholic Church holds to be true as revealed by God. I believe all these teachings. What the Church holds to be true, I say yes to it as well. And third, we're saying I'm in communion with this body of people that are under these teachings and this Eucharist. This is why we don't go and receive communion at the Lutheran Church, the Methodist Church, the Episcopalian Church, the Catholic Church, and, you know, because every time we do that we're...professing, I'm in communion with those people and under those teachings, and I believe what they teach that to be, what the Eucharist to be there. [00:03:13]

So there's certain currents that, you know, one of the things that we look at is that God is not limited.God can do whatever he wants. God is not limited by the sac. God doesn't need the Eucharist. God gives us the Eucharist so that we can receive him. God doesn't need baptism to, you know, to save us, but he gives us baptism so we can know we're saved and configure us to him and develop the relationship and have a formal means to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit. It's a way God chose to hand on these things to us so that we can participate, we can be a part of, that we can receive. [00:05:18]

God is not limited. He can do whatever he wants, and yet he chooses to forgive our sins in confession.Come to confession. We come with contrite hearts. God forgives us. It's an objective reality. He chooses to establish sacraments or covenants, agreements with us, so that we know when we do what we're supposed to do, God's going to do what he's going to do, and there's a union that takes place, or forgiveness takes place, or communion takes place in a way in which that we cannot do on our own. [00:05:51]

And so God sets up these, the gift of the church, which comes from the gift of the scriptures and revelation in order to provide us with truth and to help lead us and to help put us on a path that leads to him, and so we see Melchizedek as this appointed priest by God, and Paul talking about in his second reading and in this...that Jesus then becomes in the order or the line of Melchizedek.It's the delineation, we see it some in the First Testament, to the New Testament priesthood, which Jesus established at the Last Supper, where he ordained his apostles, priests, and bishops, and started a line of priesthood that was appointed by God, or chosen by God, and called by God, and not like the priesthood of the Jewish temple. [00:06:18]

As we see, what to see the Scriptures revealing to us is that when God wants to show up to communicate something, he does it himself, and he appoints and calls. And so, so much of the religious practice, so much of what we're invited into is recognizing that God is calling us. You know, that he is calling us to respond. And that our presence at Mass, our presence at prayer, our reception of Holy Communion is a response.to a call. [00:07:47]

And this feast day really is trying to get us to grasp what is the call that we're receiving? What is the call that we're receiving to receive in him? And yeah, our amen, yes, I believe, so be it. I hold it to be true when we come up for the Eucharist. But it really is a call to receive quite what St. Paul was talking about here. [00:08:17]

St. Paul is such a fascinating person in the scriptures to ponder and reflect on because he didn't walk with the apostles and he didn't walk with Jesus. He's like just past that. So he, you know, he was a Jewish Pharisee and he went through this huge conversion, gets knocked off his horse or whatever he was going on on his road to Damascus. He goes blind. He hears the voice of Jesus. Jesus calls him. And then he goes off on a retreat for like three years, it says. He goes off to Arabia and he prays.And when he comes back, he has, like, this full understanding of the gospel. You see, he doesn't say, well, he just kept saying that the Lord revealed it to me and the Lord's given it to me. Like, you know, the Lord handed it on to me. [00:08:40]

Well, Paul wasn't at the Last Supper. You know, he wasn't there with him. And yet he has perfect understanding of what Jesus did, what he offered, and the connections to what once was, what was in the Old Testament. So Paul makes the perfect connection to the bread offering that Abraham makes to Melchizedek, and Melchizedek offers up this bread and wine offering. And he has a perfect understanding to all the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament, where they saw that the blood was the life of the animal. And you, by offering up an animal, you...You yourself offered the blood of that animal, and it brought life to you. It brought forgiveness to you. It allowed for a renewal of forgiveness. All these themes were there in the Old Testament. Paul understood them all. [00:09:18]

And all of a sudden, he's making connections to what it means in this blood offering, this sacrificial offering, in him giving his life, in him being the Lamb of God, of him choosing to lay down his life himself.Not that anyone else, not that any other priest is offering him. He becomes the high priest who offers himself as the sacrifice, who offers his blood to bring us life. [00:10:03]

And he made a choice that that gift of himself, the gift of his life, the gift of his blood, would be received from that day.forward with this in the Eucharist. This is my body. This is my blood. Do this in remembrance of me. This is the new covenant, the new agreement. This is the way I'm going to stay with you. It's only one time Jesus uses the word covenant in the New Testament. [00:10:27]

There's all sorts of covenants in the Old Testament. There's a covenant with Adam and Eve. There's a covenant with Noah. There's covenants with the tribes. There's a covenant with the people. There's all sorts of covenants between God and the people, you know, to establish agreements. There's only one in the New Testament. It's this, in the Last Supper. So this is the new covenant. From now on, this is how you're going to know I'm with you. This is the agreement we make. You receive what I have to offer you. You know, let it become part of you. [00:10:50]

So I think as we see this in light of what Paul was handing on and what Paul comes to grasp, even though he...wasn't there at the last supper it's revealed to him and he makes the connections and the understanding and he says we all have to be a part of this on the night before he died he handed himself over sacramentally the way he would hand himself over physically on good friday so that we can always know that he's with us and that he comes to hand himself over for us today at every mass to give himself to us to bring life to bring his blood to bring newness of life to bring forgiveness of sin. [00:11:14]

And so there's many elements obviously it's a communal mass and it's a meal we share in it's a sacrificial offering we call it the unbloody sacrifice because that's the sacrifice offered once for all but through his miraculous presence the god who can do what all he wants chooses to hand on himselfand that which took place 2 ,000 years ago at every Mass, at every time. [00:11:48]

And I think as we see this in light of the, I don't know, the Eucharistic miracle here, we can call it, or the miracle of the loaves, the feeding of the crowds, it's all about abundance.The more we can grasp and put ourselves in a position of praying from the fact that God wants to give us everything that we need, the more we understand the Eucharist. [00:12:12]

And we can pray from a vantage point of looking at him, realizing there is nothing that God holds back from us. There is nothing that God doesn't want to give us. The reality is there's sometimes God may say, we don't really need that.That's not really going to be good for us. We might be praying for things that we think would be really good for us and really helpful, win the lottery and win the lottery.millions of dollars and have to worry about working anymore it'd be nice right but God said we don't really need that to get to heaven we don't need that to make to be holy to become a saint you know God wants to give us the things we need to get to him and most fundamentally what he helps us realize is what we really need to get to him is him it's a relationship with him it's his real presence it's his truth it's the doctrines of the church it's fulfillment of our being it's bringing out the best in us and our own gifts and talents by communion with him. [00:12:31]

And so we pray the mass this day and recognizing this is what the eucharist is and it's himself giving himself to us and he's giving himself to us so that we can become one with him and live in communion with himand the teaching of the church and the desire for every one of our human hearts should be the more we receive him the less we become what we once were and become more like him it drives out the sin the error the darkness the mistakes the falsehoods and all the things of our lives that have not been of him yesterday every time we receive him it brings us closer to him today and asking for that grace and guidance certainly as we pray the mass this day thank you [00:13:22]

Chatbot

What is the significance of the Eucharist's real presence?

How does the concept of divine appointment differ from genealogy?

Why is the covenant central to understanding the Eucharist?