Eleventh Sunday of the year

Eleventh Sunday of the year, June 14, 2026

Exodus 19:2-6a, Romans 5:6-11, Matthew 9:36-10:8

(image courtesy:Google)

Once the train ticket inspector entered a crowded compartment and there he found an old worn out purse. He searched with money for the identity of the person and found nothing but the picture of Jesus in it. He asked the people there and one elderly person said that it was his. The inspector asked him to prove and he replied saying that it had the picture of Jesus. The inspector said that anyone could have it but could he explain.  The senior man said that it was a gift from his father and he kept his parent’s picture because they were great. As he grew up he placed his own photo thinking he was the handsome. Soon his girlfriend took that place, and later his wife, and finally his son. His parents, wife all passed away, his friends left him alone and his son went his own way. What was left for him was the only friend Jesus. He had little money but Jesus was his companion. Everyone in the compartment heard his tale with some tears. At the next train station the Inspector got down and went to the book shop asked for a picture of Jesus to be kept in his purse.

The readings of this Eleventh Sunday of the Year invite us to discover the same truth that transformed the heart of that elderly man. Human relationships are precious gifts from God, but they are fragile and temporary. There is only one companion whose love never fails, whose presence never abandons us, and whose friendship remains constant through every stage of life. That companion is Jesus Christ.

In the first reading from the Book of Exodus, the people of Israel have arrived at Mount Sinai after their dramatic liberation from slavery in Egypt. They have witnessed miracles, crossed the Red Sea, and experienced God's protection in the desert. Now God reminds them of what He has done for them. He says, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself.”

These words reveal the heart of God. He is not a distant ruler watching from heaven. He is a loving Father who carries His people through their struggles. The image of an eagle carrying its young is powerful. God does not simply point out the way. He accompanies, protects, and sustains His people. Then God makes a remarkable declaration. He calls Israel His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. God chooses them not because they are stronger or holier than others but because He loves them.

This message remains true for us. Each one of us is precious in God's eyes. In a world where people often measure worth by success, wealth, achievements, or popularity, God reminds us that our dignity comes from being His beloved children. Many people spend their lives searching for acceptance and recognition. Yet the deepest identity of every Christian is not found in accomplishments or status. It is found in belonging to God.

In the second reading, St Paul takes us even deeper into the mystery of God's love. He writes that Christ died for us while we were still weak and sinful. This is one of the most beautiful truths of the Christian faith. Human love often depends on what people can give us. Relationships can weaken when difficulties arise. Friendships can fade. Even the closest human bonds can be tested by time and circumstances.

But God's love is different. Jesus did not wait until humanity became worthy of His love. He loved us at our worst. He gave His life for sinners. He embraced the Cross not because we deserved it but because He loved us. St Paul wants us to understand that God's love is not earned. It is a gift. The Cross stands forever as proof that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

This truth becomes especially important during moments of failure and disappointment. There are times when we feel unworthy, guilty, or broken. We may even wonder whether God still cares for us. Saint Paul assures us that if Christ loved us enough to die for us while we were sinners, He certainly will not abandon us now.

The Gospel presents a moving image of Jesus looking upon the crowds. St Matthew tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion because the people were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.

Notice what happens first. Jesus sees. He notices the suffering around Him. He recognizes the pain, confusion, loneliness, and spiritual hunger of the people.

The compassion of Jesus is not passive. It moves Him to action. He heals the sick, teaches the people, forgives sinners, and restores dignity to those who have been rejected.

Then Jesus tells His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”

The world is filled with people longing for hope, meaning, healing, and love. The need is great, but there are too few workers willing to serve.

Jesus therefore asks His disciples to pray for laborers. Yet immediately after asking them to pray, He sends them out. He gives them authority to heal, to cast out evil spirits, and to proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

The disciples are called to continue the mission of Christ. The same call is given to every Christian today.

Our world remains full of people who feel abandoned and lost. Many struggle with loneliness. Others carry hidden wounds. Some are searching for purpose. Others have lost hope. Christ sends us into this world to be signs of His compassion and presence.

The Gospel challenges us not merely to admire Jesus but to imitate Him. We are called to see people as He sees them and to love them as He loves them.

There are three important life messages for us today.

First, remember that you are God's treasured possession. Your value does not depend on what others think of you. Your worth comes from being loved by God.

Second, trust in the unfailing love of Christ. Human relationships are precious, but they can change with time. Jesus remains faithful through every season of life.

Third, become a messenger of compassion. The world is filled with people who need encouragement, kindness, understanding, and hope. Every Christian is called to participate in Christ's mission.

As we conclude, let us return to the elderly man on the train. Throughout his life, many faces occupied the most important place in his purse. His parents, his own image, his beloved, his wife, and his son. Each represented a chapter of his life. Yet with the passing of years, every one of them disappeared from that special place.

Only one image remained. It was the image of Jesus.

The readings today reveal why. The God who carried Israel on eagle's wings, the Christ who died for sinners, and the Savior who looked upon the crowds with compassion is the same Jesus who remains with us today. He never abandons His people. He never grows tired of loving us. He never turns away from those who seek Him.

The old man discovered that when everything else changed, Jesus remained. The challenge for us is to place Christ at the center of our lives before life teaches us that lesson through loss and disappointment. If Jesus becomes our companion today, He will remain our companion tomorrow and forever.

May we treasure His friendship, trust His love, and become instruments of His compassion in the world. 

Happy Sunday 

The Body and Blood of Christ (CORPUS CHRISTI)

The Body and Blood of Christ

(CORPUS CHRISTI) 

June 07, 2026

Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58

(image courtesy: Google)

Today, we are reminded of a miracle that took place in 1263. A German priest, Peter of Prague, stopped at Bolsena while on a pilgrimage to Rome. He always found it difficult to believe in Transubstantiation. While celebrating Mass in Bolsena, Italy, he had barely spoken the words of Consecration when blood started to seep from the consecrated Host and trickle over his hands onto the altar and the corporal. The priest was immediately confused. At first he attempted to hide the blood, but then he interrupted the Mass and asked to be taken to the neighboring city of Orvieto, to Pope Urban IV. The Pope listened to the priest's story and gave him absolution for his lack of faith. He then sent emissaries for an immediate investigation. When all the facts were ascertained, he ordered the Bishop of the diocese to bring to Orvieto the Host and the linen cloth bearing the stains of blood. With archbishops, cardinals and other Church dignitaries in attendance, the Pope met the procession and, amid great pomp, had the relics placed in the cathedral. The linen corporal bearing the spots of blood is still reverently enshrined and exhibited in the Cathedral of Orvieto, Italy. Pope Urban IV was prompted by this miracle to commission St. Thomas Aquinas to compose the liturgical prayers in honor of the Eucharist. One year after the miracle, in August of 1264, Pope Urban IV introduced the feast of Corpus Christi.

This story reminds us that the Eucharist is not merely a symbol. It is the living presence of Jesus Christ among His people. The feast we celebrate today proclaims that what appears to be bread and wine is truly the Body and Blood of the Lord.

The first reading from Deuteronomy takes us back to the journey of Israel through the desert. Moses reminds the people how God cared for them during forty years of wandering. They experienced hunger, thirst, uncertainty, and danger. Yet God never abandoned them. He fed them with manna, a mysterious bread from heaven that sustained them on their journey. Moses wanted the people to remember that life depends not only on material food but on every word that comes from God. The manna was a sign of God's loving care. It nourished the people physically, but it also taught them to trust in God's providence.

The Eucharist is the new manna given to God's people. As the Israelites journeyed through the desert toward the Promised Land, we journey through this world toward our heavenly homeland. Along the way we face temptations, disappointments, failures, suffering, and uncertainty. Jesus does not leave us to travel alone. He gives us heavenly food to strengthen us for the journey.

Many people today are spiritually hungry. They search for happiness in wealth, success, pleasure, power, or recognition. Yet despite having many things, they often feel empty inside. Human beings are created for God, and only God can satisfy the deepest hunger of the human heart. The Eucharist nourishes not only the body but also the soul.

In the second reading, St Paul speaks about the unity created by the Eucharist. He says that the cup of blessing is a sharing in the Blood of Christ and the bread that we break is a sharing in the Body of Christ. Then he adds a profound truth: because there is one bread, we who are many are one body. The Eucharist does not only unite us with Christ. It also unites us with one another. Every time we gather around the altar, we become one family in Christ. Differences of language, culture, social status, and nationality disappear before the Eucharistic Lord.

This teaching is particularly important in our divided world. We live in a time marked by conflict, polarization, broken relationships, and individualism. The Eucharist calls us to communion. We cannot receive the Body of Christ while refusing to love the members of His Body. The Eucharist challenges us to forgive, reconcile, and build unity.

Whenever we approach the altar, we should ask ourselves whether we are also willing to become instruments of peace and communion. The Eucharist transforms us into what we receive. We receive the Body of Christ so that we may become the Body of Christ in the world.

The Gospel presents one of the strongest teachings of Jesus about the Eucharist. He declares, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven." Then He says something that shocked His listeners: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life."

Many people could not accept these words. Some thought Jesus was speaking symbolically. Others were scandalized and walked away. Yet Jesus did not soften His teaching. He repeated it again and again because He wanted His followers to understand the reality of this gift.

The Eucharist is not merely a reminder of Jesus. It is Jesus Himself. In every Mass, Christ offers Himself to the Father and gives Himself to us as spiritual food. The same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem, who healed the sick, who died on the cross, and who rose from the dead becomes present on our altars. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive not a thing but a person. We receive Christ Himself. This is why the Eucharist is called the source and summit of Christian life. Everything in the Church flows from the Eucharist and leads back to the Eucharist.

Unfortunately, familiarity can sometimes weaken our appreciation of this mystery. We attend Mass regularly and receive Communion frequently, yet we may fail to recognize the greatness of what we are receiving. The Feast of Corpus Christi invites us to renew our faith and wonder before the Eucharistic Lord.

There are three important life messages for us today.

First, the Eucharist is God's nourishment for our journey. Just as God fed Israel with manna in the desert, Jesus feeds us with His own Body and Blood to strengthen us amid the struggles of life.

Second, the Eucharist calls us to unity. We receive one bread and become one body. Genuine participation in the Eucharist requires love, forgiveness, and communion with others.

Third, the Eucharist is the living presence of Jesus. Every Mass is an encounter with Christ who continues to offer Himself for the life of the world. We should approach the altar with faith, gratitude, reverence, and love.

let us return to the story of Peter of Prague. He approached the altar carrying doubts in his heart. Through a miraculous sign, God helped him rediscover the truth that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. The miracle did not create the Real Presence. It simply opened the eyes of a doubting priest to what had always been true.

Similarly, the Feast of Corpus Christi invites us to see beyond appearances. What looks like ordinary bread and wine is the extraordinary gift of Christ Himself. The Eucharist is God's greatest expression of love. Jesus not only died for us on Calvary. He remains with us in every tabernacle, in every Mass, and in every Holy Communion.

May we never take this gift for granted. May our faith in the Eucharist grow stronger each day. And may every celebration of the Mass deepen our love for Christ, who continues to nourish us with His Body and Blood until the day we share the eternal banquet in heaven. 

Happy Feast