Liturgy Alive

The liturgical calendar of the year

The Body and Blood of Christ

Description

The Body and Blood of Christ

 

1. My Body and Blood for You

2. The Blood of the Covenant

 

Greeting (see Second Reading)

Christ has come,
and in his own blood
he took us up in God’s love
in a new and lasting covenant.
May he keep us united with God
and be always with you. R/ And also with you.

 

Introduction by the Celebrant

1.   My Body and Blood for You

      We admire great men and women who dedicated their lives to the good of others and were even willing to die for them. This is precisely what we celebrate whenever we come together for the Eucharist. We celebrate Jesus’ life and death for us, but also his resurrection, for he is alive here among us, in his Church, in our world. But when we do what he told us to do, “Do this in memory of me,” we must also learn to give ourselves to God and to people, the way Jesus gave himself. In this Eucharist he gives us this disposition.

 

2.   The Blood of the Covenant

      Many bodies are broken today through the use of brute force and torture; much blood is shed of innocent people and children. Violence leads to hatred and more violence. Today we hear of Someone whose broken body brought us peace, who shed his blood to bring us God’s forgiveness and love. “This is my body given for you. This is my blood of the everlasting covenant. Every Eucharist is a message of hope that the love of God is with us now and for ever. Let us thank the Father today for the great gift of Jesus’ Eucharist.

 

Penitential Act

Do we commit ourselves to the good of others,
even when the cost is high?
Let us examine ourselves before the Lord.
                        (pause)
Lord Jesus, you said:
‘‘This is my body, this is I myself
who give myself for you.”
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you said:
‘‘This is my blood of the covenant
shed for you and for all people”:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you said,
‘‘This is my body for the life of the world.
Anyone who eats this has eternal life.”
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
and let the Eucharist bring us
the forgiveness of all our sins
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

 

Opening Prayer

1.   My Body and Blood for You

Let us pray that we may offer this Eucharist
with the commitment of Jesus.
                        (pause)
Lord our God,
you do not accept our soulless sacrifices
if we do not commit ourselves to you and each other.
We stand before you without any other sacrifice
than that of your beloved Son
who shed his blood out of love.
Fill us with his Spirit,
that we too may live for you
and for one another
with a generous, self-forgetting love
that unites all, loves all, serves all.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

 

2.   The Blood of the Covenant

Let us pray to God
that we may encounter him in his Son
                        (pause)
Living God of the covenant,
you have chosen us to make us for ever
blood relatives of you
and brothers and sisters of one another
through the blood of Jesus, your Son.
Let us encounter you
and bind us closely to you
through him who is our food of unity
and our drink of joy,
Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. R/ Amen.

 

First Reading: Blood Relatives of God

      God chooses himself a people and shares its destiny. He unites it to himself by ties of blood and by eating and drinking with them.

Reading 1: EX 24:3-8

When Moses came to the people
and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD,
they all answered with one voice,
"We will do everything that the LORD has told us."
Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and,
rising early the next day,
he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar
and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites
to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls
as peace offerings to the LORD,
Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls;
the other half he splashed on the altar.
Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people,
who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do."
Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying,
"This is the blood of the covenant
that the LORD has made with you
in accordance with all these words of his."

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18

R. (13) I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

 

Second Reading: God’s New People in the Blood of Christ

      By shedding his blood for us, Christ has transfused new life into God’s people. Now we are capable of freedom from sin and of lasting faithfulness to God.

Reading 2: HEB 9:11-15

Brothers and sisters:
When Christ came as high priest
of the good things that have come to be,
passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle
not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,
he entered once for all into the sanctuary,
not with the blood of goats and calves
but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls
and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes
can sanctify those who are defiled
so that their flesh is cleansed,
how much more will the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from dead works
to worship the living God.

For this reason, he is the mediator of a new covenant:
since a death has taken place for deliverance
from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

 

Sequence

Lauda Sion

Laud, O Zion, your salvation,
Laud with hymns of exultation,
Christ, your king and shepherd true:

Bring him all the praise you know,
He is more than you bestow.
Never can you reach his due.

Special theme for glad thanksgiving
Is the quick’ning and the living
Bread today before you set:

From his hands of old partaken,
As we know, by faith unshaken,
Where the Twelve at supper met.

Full and clear ring out your chanting,
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,
From your heart let praises burst:

For today the feast is holden,
When the institution olden
Of that supper was rehearsed.

Here the new law’s new oblation,
By the new king’s revelation,
Ends the form of ancient rite:

Now the new the old effaces,
Truth away the shadow chases,
Light dispels the gloom of night.

What he did at supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
His memorial ne’er to cease:

And his rule for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
Thus our sacrifice of peace.

This the truth each Christian learns,
Bread into his flesh he turns,
To his precious blood the wine:

Sight has fail’d, nor thought conceives,
But a dauntless faith believes,
Resting on a pow’r divine.

Here beneath these signs are hidden
Priceless things to sense forbidden;
Signs, not things are all we see:

Blood is poured and flesh is broken,
Yet in either wondrous token
Christ entire we know to be.

Whoso of this food partakes,
Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;
Christ is whole to all that taste:

Thousands are, as one, receivers,
One, as thousands of believers,
Eats of him who cannot waste.

Bad and good the feast are sharing,
Of what divers dooms preparing,
Endless death, or endless life.

Life to these, to those damnation,
See how like participation
Is with unlike issues rife.

When the sacrament is broken,
Doubt not, but believe ‘tis spoken,
That each sever’d outward token
doth the very whole contain.

Nought the precious gift divides,
Breaking but the sign betides
Jesus still the same abides,
still unbroken does remain.

The shorter form of the sequence begins here.

Lo! the angel’s food is given
To the pilgrim who has striven;
see the children’s bread from heaven,
which on dogs may not be spent.

Truth the ancient types fulfilling,
Isaac bound, a victim willing,
Paschal lamb, its lifeblood spilling,
manna to the fathers sent.

Very bread, good shepherd, tend us,
Jesu, of your love befriend us,
You refresh us, you defend us,
Your eternal goodness send us
In the land of life to see.

You who all things can and know,
Who on earth such food bestow,
Grant us with your saints, though lowest,
Where the heav’nly feast you show,
Fellow heirs and guests to be. Amen. Alleluia.

 

Alleluia: JN 6:51

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

 

Gospel: The Meal of our Covenant

      Jesus renews the covenant with us when he shares his body and blood with us in every Eucharistic celebration.

Gospel: MK 14:12-16, 22-26

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,
Jesus’ disciples said to him,
"Where do you want us to go
and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"
He sent two of his disciples and said to them,
"Go into the city and a man will meet you,
carrying a jar of water.
Follow him.
Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,
'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room
where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'
Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.
Make the preparations for us there."
The disciples then went off, entered the city,
and found it just as he had told them;
and they prepared the Passover.
While they were eating,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, gave it to them, and said,
"Take it; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.
He said to them,
"This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you,
I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 

Intercession

Let us pray with the fullest trust to God our Father, for he has chosen us as his partners in life set free by the blood of his Son. Let us say:

R/ Lord, be close to us, your people.

–                   For the pope, for bishops and priests, that they may give to their people not only the bread of the Eucharist and the word of God but also the bread of themselves, let us pray:

R/ Lord, be close to us, your people.

–                   For all Christian Churches, that they may become one at the table of the Lord, let us pray; R/ Lord, be close to us, your people.

–                   For the nations who have more than others in food and human resources, that they may consider it a task of justice to share with others peoples that have less and to help them forward on the road of human and economic development, let us pray:

R/ Lord, be close to us, your people.

–                   For our Christian communities, that rich and poor, high and low, tenants and landlords, may share alike in the Eucharist and become responsible for one another in one covenant of justice, love and peace, let us pray:

R/ Lord, be close to us, your people.

–                   For all of us, that the Eucharist may become more and more the source of our strength and unity and of our commitment to one another, let us pray:

R/ Lord, be close to us, your people.

Lord God, be close to us. Keep nourishing us with the body and blood of your Son, that we may grow in your everlasting life, now and for ever. R/ Amen.

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God, you are present
wherever people welcome you
and allow you to be one with them.
Let us encounter you in your Son.
Make him today our bread of fidelity
and the wine of life and joy,
that you may be our God
and we your people,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

 

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

In the Eucharistic prayer that follows let us express our joyful thanks to the Father for giving us Jesus in the Eucharist. This is God’s way of staying today with us, the people he loves.

 

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

Before receiving the Bread of life,
let us bless the Father for his kindness
and pray the table prayer
which Jesus himself has taught us: R/ Our Father...

 

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
through Christ, the Lamb of God,
who shed his blood for us.
Unite us in the body and blood of your Son
as the people you have chosen as your own.
Prepare us for the coming in glory
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

 

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus, the Lamb of God,
who shed his blood to take our sins away
and to make us the people of God.
Happy are we to be invited to the meal
wherein the Lord gives us his body and blood. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

 

Note. It would be most fitting today to give communion under both kinds.

 

Prayer after Communion

God, our Father,
you have bound us to yourself
through the body and blood of your Son
in one common destiny.
Accept our thanks
and, as we are one in your Son,
make us share with one another
the bread of ourselves
and pour for one another
the wine of partnership and hope,
that we can journey together to you
as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.

 

Blessing

Our Lord found a way
to stay always by our side
and to accompany us on the road of life.
He became our flesh and blood.

Let us too find ways
to support one another in dark days
and to rejoice together in bright days
and may God go all the way with you and bless you:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

 

Let us go with the Lord and accompany one another in life.  R/ Thanks be to God.

 

Commentary

From the first moment, disciples of Jesus understood that their last Passover dinner with Jesus was not an ordinary meal. There is a sense of secrecy shadowing the narration of preparation for Jesus’ Passover meal. Not only was it a moment of farewell, but it was also there that Jesus dictated his final Will before his death. A Will often carries instructions on the future use of the property of a person, after his death. Jesus, in his final Will, dictated through the images of bread and wine, gives away all that he possessed - his blood and his body – his whole person. A Will gets legal sanctity after the death of the author of the Will. And this bread and wine shared will be a sign of the New Covenant that God was going to make with humanity.

God had entered into covenant with Israel in the past. Covenants were signed with blood to show the weightage of the commitment they are entering into. Hence, in the Old Testament covenants, the blood of the animal was used to mark the contract. But the people were unfaithful and soon broke those covenants.

Now Jesus speaks of a New Covenant. But this time, it would not be signed with the blood of an animal, but with the blood of Jesus himself. The events that have taken place during this supper would never be forgotten. The disciples would repeat the act of sharing the bread and wine as a constant reminder for them of the Will of the Master, that he is truly present with us in Body and Blood.

Today, we continue to celebrate that supper, where we repeat the words of Jesus about the bread and wine that has become a living sign of God's love for us. In the Mass, God makes us all brothers and sisters.

The bread that is Christ and the chalice of his blood make us a community of "blood-relatives" with Christ and with each other. It creates us a new people whose only law is the service of their brothers and sisters to the point of giving their own lives as "food" to satisfy every form of human hunger. Here we meet as brothers and sisters and no one feels excluded, because we are all God’s children. And we give thanks to God because, in Jesus, God has freed us from death and sin.

Is the celebration of Mass a joyful occasion to meet the brothers and sisters? Or do I try to escape it because it is a boring and meaningless rite?

 

BibleClaret

Hong Kong

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