Corpus Christi Year A (2023)

Mass Readings for Corpus Christi Year A

• First Reading – Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14B-16A: “not by bread alone does one live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD”
• Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20: “Praise the Lord, Jerusalem”
• Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 10:16-17: “Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.”
• Gospel – John 6:51-58: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.”

Themes for Corpus Christi Year A

This day is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

The readings for Corpus Christi Year A focus on the Eucharist. We are reminded that God cared for the Israelites by providing manna. By receiving Holy Communion, we are spiritually fed and united in each other. And in the Gospel of John, Jesus makes it clear that the Eucharist is truly His body and blood, and gives us life.

• The Blessed Sacrament
• The unity of the Eucharist
• Strength from God

See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for Corpus Christi Year A.

God Feeds His People – A Lesson Plan on Manna and Bread

This God Feeds His People lesson plan on manna and bread will help youth consider the many references to manna and bread in scripture.

Loaves and Fishes: Eucharist Lesson Plan

This Eucharist lesson plan will help youth understand that God provides for all of our needs. He especially cares for our spiritual needs through the gift of Himself in the Eucharist.

Does It Last? A Timely Lesson Plan on the Eucharist

The truth is, nothing in this world goes on forever. Not our possessions, not our activities, not even our lives. In the end, it is our relationship with God which will matter. Jesus is calling us to be closer to Him. And He has given us the Eucharist as a gift, to sustain us on our journey.

What Does Amen Mean? – Reflection and Discussion Questions

This reflection encourages youth to understand what they are saying when the Body and Blood of Christ are presented to them and they respond with an “Amen”.

Litany to the Blessed Host

St. Faustina suffered greatly in this life, both physically and spiritually. Her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament helped her endure much pain. This is a litany she wrote to pray while in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Soul and Divinity

Jeff Cavins reflects on the readings for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi):

How the Eucharist Changed My Life

Why do less than 30% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence? It seems like many have forgotten that Jesus gave his flesh for the life of the world. Today, Fr. Mike Schmitz reminds us of the gift of the Eucharist and shares the way it transformed his own life.

Bread in the Desert

From Bishop Robert Barron. All of us are on a spiritual journey from sin to salvation. Like the Israelites longing for a return to Egypt, many of us occasionally desire our old addictions, providing the anxious ego with comfort and security. Far from Egypt, the Promised Land is the spiritual space of complete dependence upon God. But the Israelites are not there yet. They need to eat the manna from heaven. For Catholics, this is the Eucharist. It is the means to getting God’s divine life within us.

Word of the ‘Living Father’

From Scott Hahn. The Eucharist is given to us as a challenge and a promise. That’s how Jesus presents it in today’s Gospel. He doesn’t make it easy for those who hear Him. They are repulsed and offended at His words. Even when they begin to quarrel, He insists on describing the eating and drinking of His flesh and blood in starkly literal terms.

Super Substantial Bread

Also from Bishop Barron. This is the first celebration of Corpus Christi—the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ—after the Pew Forum study showing that 70% of Catholics don’t believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Vatican II said that the Eucharist is the source and the summit of the Christian life—so it is clear that something has gone seriously wrong. Therefore, it is with renewed interest and focus that we should look to the readings for today’s feast.

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

1 Corinthians 11:26