The church celebrates the Eucharist in a special way today. Second only to Holy Thursday, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ offers an opportunity to focus on the meaning of the eucharistic sacrament.

Where did the feast originally known as Corpus Christi come from? Many believers will be hard pressed to explain the difference between Maundy Thursday and the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, and for good reason.

Jesus graciously welcomed them and talked to them about the kingdom of God. Those who needed healing, he healed.

Many years ago, while serving in another parish as an associate, I met a couple who had a child with special needs. Susan and John poured out their lives to take care of Tom.

I was on a train in Italy with college friends, including the woman who would become my wife. It was a slow train that stopped at every town and village between Florence and Rome.

Often, no matter how dire their circumstances, a beautifully peaceful look will wash over the face of a nursing mother. These women report an overwhelming sense of joy in nurturing and nourishing their young.

Recently I was invited to dinner at a friend’s home. Seven of us sat down to eat. There were eight rather small portions of chicken on the plate. We politely took what was clearly our assigned portion, ate it, and then stared longingly at what was left.

My friends in Christ, God has given the great gift of God's Son in the Eucharist. For when we have turned away from the presence of God in the world and one another, we pray for forgiveness.

As in the life of the body, a person who is born and becomes strong later requires food so that life may be preserved and sustained, so also in the spiritual life, a person, after being fortified, requires spiritual food, which is Christ’s Body.