June 22, 2025
Lord God Almighty, You are the Father of all creation. You gave us Your only begotten Son, our Redeemer. You have made us holy through the gift of the Holy Spirit. How can we make a return to You for all that you have done for us? We can only lift up the Cup of Salvation, Your Son, and give You thanks. Amen.
Commentary
Today, the Church invites us to celebrate the mystery and purpose of our gathering at the table of the Lord. Each year, we are called to rediscover the beauty of Corpus Christi – the Body of Christ. This year, our readings and Gospel also call us to discern how we are related to the gifts we receive at the table of the Lord.
Our First Reading and Responsorial Psalm, for example, invite us to see that we all enjoy a participation in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, according to the line of Melchizedek. In the New Testament Book of Hebrews, we read that Jesus Christ is of the line of King Melchizedek (Heb 7:13-17) who — according to Genesis — offered bread and wine and a blessing for Abraham. Hebrews holds the priesthood of Melchizedek to be greater than that of Aaron and the Levite priesthood at the time of Moses.
By virtue of our Baptism, we are all members of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. As priestly people, together with the ordained ministerial priests of our Church, we come together and — in the line of Melchizedek — we offer the Eucharistic Blessing of Jesus Christ in the form of bread and wine to God our Heavenly Father.
What does it mean to you to have a share in the priesthood of Christ?
Commentary
In addition to our priestly life in Christ, we also share in the prophetic nature of Christ. This means we are called to profess and proclaim Christ in all that we do.
St. Paul shares with us his prophetic calling in Christ with the words, “I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you.” With these words, we see Paul handing on to the next generation what was passed on to him. We understand from this that an effective prophet of Christ never holds back what he/she has received. Christian prophets pass on what God has revealed to them through Scripture and the Tradition of our Church.
The most effective way to pass on the faith is through our participation in the Holy Eucharist. Whenever we gather around the table of the Lord, we continue to share what has been passed on to us. From one generation to the next, the Church has been breaking and sharing the Body of Christ. Sharing in the prophetic nature of Christ is as simple as gathering every Sunday at Mass, “for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.”
What does it mean for you to share in the prophetic nature of Christ?
Continued...
Commentary
In addition to our share in the priestly and prophetic nature of Christ, we also share in His Kingship. Not to be confused with a king who lords over others, Jesus Christ is a Servant-King or a Shepherd-King who feeds His flock.
Certainly, as we read our Gospel, we can see our Shepherd-King at work. In a miraculous way, Jesus was able to feed the crowd of 5,000 men with just five loaves and two fish. In addition, they had enough fragments left over. In other words, there is enough of the Lord’s miracle to go around.
However, there is something more profound here. Our Shepherd-King expects the 12 Apostles to do as He would do. He says to them, “Give them some food yourselves.” He expects them to share in His life as a servant or Shepherd-King. To drive home this point, the fragments left over fill 12 baskets, one each for the 12 Apostles to share with others.
What does it mean for you to share in the kingly (or royal) nature of Christ?
If you haven’t had the opportunity to make a donation of blood this year, consider visiting a Red Cross station near you. It’s something you can spare and you will be an anonymous hero – in fact, you could help save more than one life with just one donation.
You may not be able to make a blood donation, but you may help to get the message out by becoming a Red Cross Ambassador. What a perfect way to share in the Kingly mission of Christ!
Pray the Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Christ:
Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy
God our Father in heaven hbe our salvation
God the Son, Redeemer of the world be our salvation
God the Holy Spirit be our salvation
Holy Trinity, one God be our salvation
Blood of Christ, only Son of the Father be our salvation
Blood of Christ, incarnate Word be our salvation
Blood of Christ, of the new and eternal covenant bbe our salvation
Blood of Christ, that spilled to the ground be our salvation
Blood of Christ, that flowed at the scourging be our salvation
Blood of Christ, dripping from the thorns be our salvation
Blood of Christ, shed on the cross be our salvation
Blood of Christ, the price of our redemption be our salvation
Blood of Christ, our only claim to pardon be our salvation
Blood of Christ, our blessing cup be our salvation
Blood of Christ, in which we are washed be our salvation
Blood of Christ, torrent of mercy be our salvation
Blood of Christ, that overcomes evil be our salvation
Blood of Christ, strength of the martyrs be our salvation
Blood of Christ, endurance of the saints be our salvation
Blood of Christ, that makes the barren fruitful be our salvation
Blood of Christ, protection of the threatened be our salvation
Blood of Christ, comfort of the weary be our salvation
Blood of Christ, solace of the mourner be our salvation
Blood of Christ, hope of the repentant be our salvation
Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying be our salvation
Blood of Christ, our peace and refreshment be our salvation
Blood of Christ, our pledge of life be our salvation
Blood of Christ, by which we pass to glory be our salvation
Blood of Christ, most worthy of honor be our salvation
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world be our salvation
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world be our salvation
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world be our salvation
Lord, you redeemed us by your blood.
You have made us a kingdom to serve our God.
Let Us Pray: Almighty and Eternal God, You have appointed Your only-begotten Son the Redeemer of the world, and willed to be appeased by His Blood, Grant, we ask You, that we may worthily adore this Price of our salvation, and through its power be safeguarded from the evils of this present life, so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in Heaven. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
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Used with Permission. All rights reserved. Christ in Our Neighborhood © is a Scripture program designed by Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix. Free resources at dphx.org/christ-in-our-neighborhood.
