Genesis 14:18-20 / 1 Cor 11:23-26 / Luke 9:11-17
There are many reasons why people come to Church.
One of the reasons is that they feel peaceful when they come to Church.
And there are also some people who have a favourite, or a few favourite churches to go to.
But the strange thing is that the church they go to is not about convenience or distance.
There may be a church that is just a stone's throw from where they stay, but they prefer to go to a church that is across the island.
Whatever it is, the reasons why people go to church can be logical and reasonable, as well as spiritual and emotional.
It is about how they feel about going to a church, and keep going there week after week.
So, it is not just about the colour of the paint, or a design of the church, or the food at the canteen, or the projections and the audio.
Neither is it all about the choir or the preaching or the vibrancy of the church.
People go to church essentially because they believe in God, and they want to pray in Church.
After all, the Church is the House of God and the House of prayer.
And people come, week after week, to keep praying and to give thanks because of prayers answered.
Essentially, that is why people come to Church and keep coming to Church.
This Sunday, the Church celebrates the Feast of Corpus Christi, which in English means “the Body of Christ.”
The term “the Body of Christ” points to two fundamental realities.
It points to the reality of the consecrated host that we received at Holy Communion - It is the Body of Christ.
It also points to us, who receive the Body of Christ. We become what we receive. We become the Body of Christ.
And as the Body of Christ, we also become the Church of Christ.
As the Body of Christ, as the Church of Christ, we are to be what Jesus did in today's gospel passage.
Jesus made the crowds welcome, and talked to them about the Kingdom of God, and cure those in need of healing.
When we come to Church on Sundays, we come from various situations and circumstances.
We had a busy week, we bring along our worries and anxieties, we struggle with our troubles.
We come to Church to find peace, to offer our prayers, to rest and to be strengthened so that we can go forth and face the world again.
And when we receive the Body of Christ at Holy Communion, we receive divine strength and power.
We become a member of the Body of Christ who would want to welcome the weary and tired.
As a member of the Body of Christ, we want to echo the Good News of the Kingdom of God to those who want to listen to the voice of God.
And for those who are suffering and in pain, whether physically or mentally, we want to point them to the Divine Healer.
And for all those in need, we want to pray for them so that they can find peace and healing in Jesus Christ.
A priest was relating this story, that one day he was on his way to celebrate Mass when two women approached him.
One of them said that her companion, who is a non-Catholic, would like to see a priest.
But as it was about time for Mass, the priest told them to go for Mass and then see him after Mass.
The priest saw the two women at Mass, but they did not come to see him after Mass.
For the next few days, he saw them attending Mass.
Then one day, the priest managed to see the two of them and he asked about the request to see him.
The woman who made the request told him: No need already Father. You told us to go for Mass that day. We went and my friend here found peace. Since then, she wanted to come for Mass every day because her prayers are answered. Now she wants to join the RCIA.
The priest was amazed. That was truly all God's work.
That is also the wonderful and marvellous power of the Mass and the Eucharist.
Indeed it is all God's work. The Body of Christ is the gift from God. Becoming a member of the Body of Christ is also the work of God.
As the Body of Christ, let us welcome those who are seeking, those who are searching, and those who are in need.
And may we also help those who want to believe in the love of God to be a member of the Body of Christ.