The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ has a long history—as a devotion when few actually received Communion and as the subject of festive processions. Today we look to it as a celebration of the centrality of the Eucharist in our lives as Christians and Catholics.

Think of the stream of people who come forward to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. They come laden with life’s burdens and worries.

Thirty years ago I spent some time volunteering at Covenant House, a child welfare organization in New York. As you can imagine, the concept of the covenant was a big thing there.

A local blood bank has the name LifeSource. Blood indeed is what keeps us alive as it courses through our veins bringing in oxygen and taking out carbon dioxide.

As a lover of words, I was fascinated to learn that the root of the word liturgy comes from Latin for “work of the people.” What an amazing insight that brings to the central ritual of Christianity.

I was in my friend Billy’s kitchen waiting for him to come downstairs so we could go out and play. Billy was the oldest of nine kids.

Christ’s own body and blood brought salvation to those who believe in him. Let us pray to the God who gives us the eternal sacrifice of his Son.

This is my blood of the covenant. In Mark 10:35-45, Jesus tells the disciples, particularly James and John, who are jockeying for position on either side of him, that to follow him means to drink the cup he drinks, namely suffering for the sake of salvation and the gospel.

The holy and sacred sacrifice and sacrament of the Eucharist, the heart of the Christian religion . . . is an ineffable mystery that embraces the untold depths of divine love . . . . Prayer united to this divine sacrifice has unutterable power.