First Reading
Exodus 24:3-8
1. “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you.” Why was blood so significant in those ancient ceremonies? Why was it used to seal solemn agreements? Is there a relationship between blood and life? Between blood and death?
2. Have you ever made solemn agreements (covenants)? What do they tell you about God’s covenant with the Israelites?
Second Reading
Hebrews 9:11-15
1. Elsewhere, in John 17:24 Jesus says “I wish that where I am they also may be with me. … ” In today’s reading Jesus “entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” Did he bring us along [redeemed now though his love] into the sanctuary with him?
2. Jesus entered that sanctuary, the one not of this creation, once for all of us, so that we may receive the promised eternal inheritance. Is there any response to Christ’s love for all of us, which is beyond all comprehension, other than awesome reverence and love? What could some other actions be? Work for eco-justice? Do something to end racial bias? Feed the hungry?
Gospel
Mark 14:12-16, 22-26
1. Is anyone “worthy” to receive Christ in the Eucharist? Where should the “worthy” decision lie? In the conscience of the receiver? In the conscience of the priest or Eucharistic minister?
2. Does it help you to know that you are one with everyone else in Christ? Does the bond of solidarity make you want to show your love for your neighbor who is in need? Does showing love heal and transform the one loving as well as the one loved?
The Lord, offering himself to us in the simplicity of bread, also invites us not to waste our lives in chasing the myriad illusions that we think we cannot do without, yet that leave us empty within. The Eucharist … kindles our desire to serve. It … reminds us that we are not only mouths to be fed, but also his hands, to be used to help feed others. It is especially urgent now to take care of those who hunger for food and for dignity, of those without work and those who struggle to carry on. And this we must do in a real way, as real as the Bread that Jesus gives us. Genuine closeness is needed, as are true bonds of solidarity
Mass on the Feast of Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Pope Francis, June 14, 2020
