Feast of Corpus Christi

In going to Robinson at Roxas City by riding a private vehicle, one could notice the statue of a man and a mule as his vehicle would pass around where it stands. Allow me today to tell you what the statue is all about.  

There was a man in Rimini who refused to believe the doctrine of the Real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. St. Anthony could not convince the man by his words alone. The man made this deal with St. Anthony that he would believe if his mule would. The unbelieving man would starve his mule for three days, he would bring then his mule to the town square, Anthony, would bring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. If the hungry animal would come to Jesus in the monstrance rather than the bucket of food, then the man would accept the Church’s teachings and believe that Jesus was truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.

On the third day, the man came into the town square with his very hungry mule. St. Anthony approached from the other side of the square with the Sacred Host. Many people, both believers and unbelievers alike watched to see what would happen. A large bucket of oats and a bundle of fragrant hay were placed before the hungry animal. But all this was ignored by the mule. Instead, the mule approached our Saint and fell on her knees before the Blessed Sacrament to adore Jesus. True to his word, the man made a profession of faith in the Real Presence because his mule had believed first.

My dear friends, the story of St. Anthony and the mule is relevant to today’s feast of Corpus Christi. This feast reminds us about the doctrine of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The oldest testimony written in the Bible which the Catholic Church finds her basis regarding the doctrine of the Real Presence is 1 Corinthians 11: 24, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” These words of Jesus could also be found in the Gospels of Matthew 26: 26, Mark 14: 22 and Luke 22:19. The words “This is my body” are clear and unequivocal. Those words do not express a simile or analogy as Jesus did not say “This is like my body.” Those words should not also be interpreted as figurative or symbolical because Jesus did not say “This is the symbol of my body.” Therefore we have to take these words of Jesus according to His intention. If we follow the literal interpretation, then we cannot but must believe that in every consecrated host, there is Jesus. If Jesus is there in the consecrated host, His presence is real, for neither it is a simile nor an analogy, nor symbolical, not even figurative. Now, why should we believe that in every celebration of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, there is the Real Presence of Jesus? Well, Jesus Himself commanded His disciples saying, “Do this in remembrance of me.” This means that every time we DO repeat the breaking of bread, Jesus gives us His Body and Blood. He is really present in the Blessed Sacrament. To deny this truth is to accuse Jesus of deceiving us. But we know Jesus neither deceives nor can be deceived. He even said in John 6:54-55, “The one who eats 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.”

My dear friends, in celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi, I remind you of the great value of receiving Jesus during communion. Let us make our conscience clear and our hearts clean first before we let Jesus enters our body. Jesus is real. Jesus is real in every host we receive during communion. In receiving Jesus unworthily, being unprepared in heart and mind is tantamount to a denial of the truth of the Real Presence of Jesus. So let us then celebrate this feast by receiving Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist worthily. Amen.