Sunday June 2, 2024
THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD
OF JESUS CHRIST (Solemnity)
Office: Proper, Te Deum
Mass prop. Gloria. Creed.
Preface of the Corpus Christi
Vestment: White
Today’s Rosary: The Glorious Mysteries
Click HERE for the Previous Catholic Daily Reading
Vespers II of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi
NO PROCESSION WITH THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. Procession is moved to the last Sunday of the Year. The Solemnity of Christ the King.
Theme of the Feast: THE BLOOD OF THE NEW COVENANT.
The three readings of today present the Eucharist as the sacrifice of the New Covenant. The first describes a ceremony in the Old Covenant. To understand what happened at the foot of Mount Sinai is indispensable for an understanding of the full meaning of the Eucharist. The gospel presents Christ giving his life as the sacrifice of the New Covenant. It is through his blood that the new covenant between God and humanity is enacted. The second reading shows the superiority of the New Covenant over the old.
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
He fed them with the finest wheat, and satisfied them with honey from the rock.
THE GLORIA (When indicated this hymn is either sung or said)
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you. We bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
COLLECT
O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament have left us a memorial of your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of your redemption. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever
FIRST READING
“Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you.”
A reading from the Book of Exodus (Exodus 24:3-8)
In those days: Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 116:12-13.15 and l6bc.17-18 (R. 13)
R/. The cup of salvation I will raise, I will call on the name of the Lord.
Or: Alleluia.
How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise;
I will call on the name of the Lord. R/.
How precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful.
Your servant am I, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosened my bonds. R/.
R/. The cup of salvation I will raise, I will call on the name of the Lord.
Or: Alleluia.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;
I will call on the name of the Lord.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
before all his people. R/.
SECOND READING
The blood of Christ will purify our conscience.
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 9: 11- 15)
Brethren: When Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.
The word of the Lord.
THE FOLLOWING SEQUENCE, LAUDA, SION, IS OPTIONAL BEFORE THE ALLELUIA VERSE.
The sequence may be used either in its entirety or in the shorter form, beginning with the words *Behold the bread.
OPTIONAL SEQUENCE: LAUDA SION
Zion, praise your Saviour.
Praise your leader and shepherd in hymns and canticles.
Praise him as much as you can, for he is beyond all praising
and you will never be able to praise him as he merits.
But today a theme worthy of particular praise
is put before us — the living and life- giving bread
that, without any doubt,
was given to the Twelve at table during the holy supper.
Therefore let our praise be full and resounding
and our soul’s rejoicing full of delight and beauty,
for this is the festival day
to commemorate the first institution of this table.
At this table of the new King,
the new law’s new Pasch puts an end to the old Pasch.
The new displaces the old, reality the shadow and light the darkness.
Christ wanted what he did at the supper
to be repeated in his memory.
And so we, in accordance with his holy directions
consecrate bread and wine to be salvation’s Victim.
Christ’s followers know by faith that bread is changed
into his flesh and wine into his blood.
Man cannot understand this, cannot perceive it;
but a lively faith affirms that the change,
which is outside the natural course of things, takes place.
Under the different species,
which are now signs only and not their own reality,
there lie hid wonderful realities. His body is our food, his blood our
And yet Christ remains entire under each species.
The communicant receives the complete Christ —
uncut, unbroken and undivided.
Whether one receive or a thousand,
the one receives as much as the thousand.
Nor is Christ diminished by being received.
The good and the wicked alike receive him,
but with the unlike destiny of life or death.
To the wicked it is death, but life to the good.
See how different is the result, though each receives the same.
Last of all, if the sacrament is broken, have no doubt.
Remember there is as much in a fragment
as in an unbroken host.
There is no division of the reality, but only a breaking of the sign;
nor does the breaking diminish the condition or size
of the One hidden under the sign.
* Behold, the bread of angels is become the pilgrim’s food;
truly it is bread for the sons, and is not to be cast to dogs.
It was prefigured in type when Isaac was brought as an offering,
when a lamb was appointed for the Pasch
and when manna was given to the Jews of old.
Jesus, good shepherd and true bread, have mercy on us;
feed us and guard us. Grant that we find happiness in the land of the living.
You know all things, can do all things, and feed us here on earth.
Make us your guests in heaven, co-heirs with you and companions of heaven’s citizens.
Amen. Alleluia
ALLELUIA John 6:51
Alleluia. I am the living bread which came down from heaven, says the Lord; if any one eats this bread he will live for ever. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“This is my body. This is my blood.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 14:12-16.22-26)
On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to Jesus, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” And he sent two of his disciples, and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the householder, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I am to eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” And the disciples set out and went to the city, and found it as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover. And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a chalice, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Creed (I Believe)
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
Celebrant:
In the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, we receive a new covenant of love. Let us ask our Lord and Saviour to hear us and confirm us in this covenant.
FOR THE CLERGY AND RELIGIOUS: that the sacred commitments they made on the day of their ordination and profession may be renewed each day as they encounter the Lord in the Eucharist. Let us pray to the Lord.
FOR ALL IN POLITICAL OFFICE: that, following the example of Christ who broke himself for our salvation, they may make sacrifices for the growth of our country and the integral development of the citizens. Let us pray to the Lord.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE TRAPPED IN WORLDLY COVENANTS: that they may be delivered from the power of evil and come to experience the freedom that belongs to Gods’ children. Let us pray to the Lord.
FOR CATECHUMENS PREPARING FOR THE SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION: that they may come to know and love God and always heed his will with receptive minds and generous hearts. Let us pray to the Lord.
FOR OTHER INTENTIONS: (the sick, church projects or other activities).
FOR THE DEAD, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF OUR PARISH COMMUNITY AND FAMILY MEMBERS: that they may find eternal rest with the Lord. Let us pray to the Lord.
We pray in silence for our private intentions.
Celebrant:
God our Father, in the covenant of the new law established through the blood of your Son, we have found comfort, solace and peace. May all who celebrate this covenant and mystery receives its full effect in their lives. Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
TODAY’S REFLECTION
The Eucharist has been present with us throughout the ages. In the Old Testament it was with us a figure. In the New Testament the Eucharist was with us an event. Today, the Eucharist is with us as a sacrament, a prolongation of the event. In the First Reading. God’s covenant with Israel was ratified at the foot of Mount Sinai through the sprinkling of the blood by Moses. The second reading presents Christ as the High Priest who offered the perfect sacrifice of our redemption with his precious blood. In the Gospel, through the event of a holy meal (the last supper) of Christ with his disciples, our Lord offered his sacred body and precious blood as a sacrificial meal. It is clearly evident from the three readings that the Eucharist is the sacrifice of the New and Eternal Covenant. This is why the Eucharist is the summit and centre of the Church’s life. In the Eucharist, we-celebrate the re-enactment of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Since in the cross of Jesus is our salvation, the Eucharist is the food of our salvation if we receive it worthily.
PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL
– Dear Lord, I thank you for this day, I thank you for my being able to see and hear this morning. I am blessed because you are a forgiving and an understanding God.
– You have done so much for me and kept on blessing me. Grant me the grace Father not to offend you or my neighbour today. When the enemy of my soul comes to seduce me to sin against you please help me to run to your Son Jesus.
Let Us Pray
Please keep me safe from all dangers and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of this day with a clear mind, so that I can hear from you. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things that I have no control over.
Moreover, this is the best response when I am pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I cannot pray, you listen to my heart.
Continue to use me O Lord to do your will. Please Lord continue to use me that I may be a blessing to others especially those who are hurt and do not have any person to help them. Keep me strong that I may help the weak.
Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.
