This feast of the Lord in Ordinary Time should not be taken out of context. The record of the Last Supper given us by St Mark in Gospel is within the Passover meal which itself is part of the Jewish calendar of liturgical feasts. The Second Reading places Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross in the context of the Jewish high priest entering the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement. It depicts Jesus, who was not of a priestly family, entering the presence of the Father as a new high priest: "He entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." (Heb 9: 12) The miracle of transubstantiation we witness at Mass takes place within the context of the Word, the people and the priest, making up the spiritual matrix of the People of God we call Church. Christ is present substantially in the Holy Eucharist and that is what we rejoice in today. Let us never take it for granted or be scandalized by our own sins such that we turn away from this precious encounter with our risen Lord. Let us also allow the fruits of this mystery to diffuse throughout our Church, schools, colleges, families and wider community: "so that God may be all in all." (1 Cor 15: 28)
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