Sunday 22 June 2025 (other days)
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Solemnity
Solemnity
Using calendar: England - Portsmouth - Guernsey. You can change this.
Pages
About Today · Readings at Mass · Office of Readings · Morning Prayer · Terce · Sext · None · Evening Prayer · Night Prayer · Yearly calendarLinks
· Spoken Word · Donate · Tweet · Show QR codeReadings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White. Year: C(I).
| First reading |
|---|
| Genesis 14:18-20 |
He offered bread and wine.
In those days: Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High. And he blessed Abram and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’ And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
| Responsorial Psalm |
|---|
| Ps 110(109):1. 2. 3. 4. ℟4bc |
You are a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek.
The Lord’s revelation to my lord:
‘Sit at my right hand,
until I make your foes your footstool.’
You are a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek.
The Lord will send from Sion
your sceptre of power:
rule in the midst of your foes.
You are a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek.
With you is princely rule
on the day of your power.
In holy splendour, from the womb before the dawn,
I have begotten you.
You are a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek.
The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change:
‘You are a priest for ever,
according to the order of Melchizedek.’
You are a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek.
| Second reading |
|---|
| 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 |
‘For as often as you eat and drink, you proclaim the Lord’s death.’
Brothers and Sisters: I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you; that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
| Sequence |
|---|
Lauda, Sion
The Sequence may be said or sung in full, or using the shorter form indicated by the asterisked verses.
Praise, O Sion, praise your Saviour,
praise your captain and your pastor,
with hymns and solemn songs.
Perform what pow’r affords indeed;
his worth all praises far exceed,
none can reach his dignity.
A special theme of praise is read,
a living and life-giving bread,
on this day exhibited.
Which in the supper of our Lord,
to twelve disciples at his board
no doubt was delivered.
Let our praise be loud and free,
full of joy and decent glee,
with minds’ and voices’ melody.
For now solemnise we that day,
which with joy does to us display
the prince of this mystery.
At this board of our new Ruler,
of new law, new Paschal order
abolishes the ancient rite.
Old decrees be new annulled,
shadows are in truths fulfilled,
day finishes darkness.
That at supper Christ performed,
to be done he rightly charged
for his eternal memory.
Guided by his sacred orders,
bread and wine upon our altars
to saving host we sanctify.
Christians are by faith assured
that to flesh the bread is changed,
the wine to blood most precious.
That no wit nor sense conceives,
firm and grounded faith believes,
in strange effects not curious.
Under kinds two in appearance,
two in show but one in substance,
lie things beyond comparison.
Flesh is meat, blood drink most heav’nly,
yet is Christ in each kind wholly,
most free from all division.
None that consumes him does rend him,
none that takes him does divide him:
received, he whole perseveres.
Be there one or thousands hosted,
one as much as all received,
he by no eating perishes.
Both the good and bad receive him,
but effects are diverse in them,
true life or true destruction.
Life to the good, death to the wicked,
mark how both alike received
with far unlike conclusion.
Form of bread not Christ is broken,
not of Christ, but of his token,
is state or stature altered.
The shorter form of the sequence begins here.
*Angels’ bread made pilgrims’ feeding
truly bread for children’s eating,
to dogs not to be offered.
*Signed by Isaac on the altar,
by the lamb and paschal supper,
and in the manna figured.
*Jesu, food and feeder of us,
here with mercy feed and friend us,
then grant in heaven felicity.
*Lord of all, who here do feed us,
heav’nly guests, heirs, fellows make us,
in eternal company.
Amen. Alleluia.
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), translated by St Robert Southwell (c.1561-1595)
| Gospel Acclamation | John 6:51 |
|---|
Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord.
If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever.
Alleluia.
| Gospel | Luke 9:11b-17 |
|---|
All ate and were satisfied.
At that time: Jesus spoke to the crowd of the kingdom of God and cured those who needed healing. Now the day began to wear away, and the Twelve came and said to him, ‘Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.’ But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish — unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ And they did so, and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Universalis podcast: The week ahead – from 22 to 28 June
Two more theological feasts: Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart. (19 minutes)
Episode notes.
Christian Art
Each day, The Christian Art website gives a picture and reflection on the Gospel of the day.
The readings on this page are from the English Standard Version, which is used at Mass in Great Britain. The Jerusalem Bible (which is used at Mass in much of the English-speaking world) will appear instead if you set this page to use a calendar from outside Great Britain. The New American Bible readings, which are used at Mass in the United States, are available in the Universalis apps, programs and downloads.
You can also view this page with the New Testament in Greek and English.
