Homily by Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi
Today the Church celebrates the great feast of Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. We gather around the altar in wonder and gratitude for the greatest gift Jesus left to his Church: the Eucharist. Yet this celebration becomes even more joyful and profound because today, during this Mass, Merve Cungar will receive the sacraments of initiation.
Today, before our eyes, Christ fulfills the words we have just heard proclaimed in the Gospel. Jesus says: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” (Jn 6:51). These are not merely symbolic words, nor are they simply beautiful spiritual language. Jesus speaks with clarity and truth. He does not say that he will just give advice, wisdom, or inspiration. He says: “The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (Jn 6:51).
Jesus gives not something, but himself. Love always seeks closeness. When we love, we desire to remain near the person we love. In the Eucharist, God goes beyond every expectation because he chooses to remain with us in the most intimate way possible. The Lord of heaven and earth makes himself our nourishment. Every time we approach Holy Communion, heaven touches earth and Christ places himself into our hands and into our hearts.
The hunger hidden in every human heart
Deep within every human being there exists a hunger that nothing in this world can completely satisfy. People hunger for meaning, for peace, for forgiveness, for acceptance, for love that does not fade away. Very often the world tells us that this hunger can be satisfied through success, possessions, pleasure, recognition, or power. Yet even when people achieve many things, the heart often remains restless and empty. Why? Because the human heart was created for God. This is why Jesus says in today’s Gospel: “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him” (Jn 6:56).
The Eucharist is not simply a religious practice or a sacred tradition; it is communion with the living Christ. It is Christ dwelling within us and we dwelling within him. And today, dear Merve, your journey has brought you to this altar because Christ has been quietly calling your heart. Perhaps through moments of searching, questions, struggles, encounters, prayer, or the witness of others, Jesus has gradually led you here. Not through force or fear, but through love. Today you do not simply become part of an institution; today you encounter a Person who knows you, loves you, and calls you by name. Today you will receive Jesus himself.
Beginning a new life
The sacraments of initiation are not the end of a journey but the beginning of a new life. Today the Church rejoices because God continues to call people into communion with him. In Baptism, sin is washed away and a new creation is born. In Confirmation, the Holy Spirit descends with strength and grace. In the Eucharist, Christ nourishes his people with his own Body and Blood. These sacraments will mark your life forever.
This does not mean that, from tomorrow, life will become easy or that every struggle will disappear. The Christian journey remains a path of growth, conversion, perseverance, and trust. None of us are perfect. Yet from today Christ will walk within you in a new and powerful way. And this is also an important reminder for all of us: faith is not sustained by human strength alone. Faith is sustained by grace. This is why the Eucharist is essential for Christian life. Just as the body weakens without food, the soul weakens without the Bread of Life. Christ knows our weakness, our fears, and our burdens, and therefore he continues to feed us with himself.
The Eucharist forms us into One Body
Corpus Christi is not only a celebration of personal devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist; it is also a celebration of the Church united as one body, as we have heard St Paul explain in his First Letter to the Corinthians. When we receive the same Bread, we become one family in Christ. Around this altar there are many different stories, personalities, struggles, wounds, and hopes. Some come with strong faith, others with tired hearts, others carrying silent pain. Yet Christ gathers all of us together and makes us one. The Eucharist breaks down isolation and reminds us that nobody walks alone.
Today the community becomes richer because a new member is fully united with the Church. Dear Merve, your “yes” to Christ strengthens the faith of all of us gathered here. Sometimes those who have been Catholics all their lives can begin to take the sacraments for granted. But when we witness an adult freely choosing Christ and seeking the Eucharist with sincerity and conviction, we are reminded once again of the beauty and greatness of what we ourselves have received. Your journey becomes a witness to this entire community.
Living forever
At the heart of today’s Gospel stands one extraordinary promise from Jesus: “Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever” (Jn 6:58). Jesus speaks these words because he knows the fears that dwell within the human heart. He knows suffering, loneliness, uncertainty, and death. Yet the Eucharist becomes the sacrament of hope because it is the food of eternal life. Every Holy Communion is already a foretaste of heaven.
The Eucharist reminds us that death does not have the final word, sin does not have the final word, and darkness does not have the final word. Christ has conquered death and opened for us the path to eternal life. This is why the saints loved the Eucharist with such deep devotion. They understood that the Eucharist is not merely something sacred; the Eucharist is Someone alive. Every time we receive the Body and Blood of Christ with faith, his divine life grows within us and transforms us little by little into his likeness.
Welcome
Dear brothers and sisters, today Jesus once again says to each one of us: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven”. He does not say, “I was.” He says, “I am.” Christ remains alive in his Church. He remains with his people. He remains close to those who seek him, those who struggle, those who return after wandering far away, and those who hunger for meaning and hope. And today, in a special way, Christ welcomes you, Merve, into the fullness of life in his Church through the sacraments of initiation.
May this day remain forever alive in your heart. May the Eucharist become your strength in weakness, your peace in suffering, your light in moments of confusion, your companion in loneliness, and your hope in every season of life. And may all of us who receive the Body and Blood of Christ today become what we receive: the living presence of Christ in the world.
✠ Joseph Galea-Curmi
Auxiliary Bishop of Malta
