O precious and wonderful banquet!

Today, on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, our Church invites us to read and reflect on a passage from the book of Exodus (24:1-11) entitled "They saw God, and they ate and drank". Our treasure, which follows is from a work by Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest. The Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (Latin for "Body of Christ") to give special honor to the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. While the institution of the Eucharist is commemorated during Holy Week on Holy Thursday, that celebration occurs in the midst of the Church's remembrance of Christ's Passion and death. Corpus Christi was established to provide a joyful feast focused entirely on the gift of the Eucharist itself—Christ's Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity given to His Church. Corpus Christi is a doctrinal feast established for three purposes: 1) to give God collective thanks for Christ's abiding presence with us in the Eucharist and to honor Him there; 2) to instruct the people in the Mystery, Faith and devotion surrounding the Eucharist, and 3) to teach us to appreciate and make use of the great gift of the Eucharist, both as a Sacrament and as a sacrifice. Saint Thomas was born about the year 1225 into the family of the Count of Aquino. He first studied at the Monastery of Monte Casino and later at the University of Naples. Afterwards he joined the Friars Preachers and completed his studies at Paris and Cologne, his instructor being Saint Albert the Great. Becoming himself a teacher, he wrote many learned volumes and was especially renowned for his philosophical and theological studies. Saint Thomas died near Terracina on March 7, 1274. He was canonized in 1323 and made a Doctor of the Church in 1567. In "O Precious and Wonderful Banquet," which is our "treasure" today, Saint Thomas reflects on the great gift of the Eucharist, teaching that at the Last Supper Christ gave His Body and Blood as spiritual food for His people and as a lasting memorial of His saving sacrifice. Aquinas emphasizes that the Eucharist strengthens believers with grace, deepens their union with Christ, fosters unity within the Church, and offers a foretaste of the heavenly banquet that awaits the faithful in eternal life. The central lesson is that the Eucharist is the Church's most precious treasure, through which Christ remains truly present with His people and nourishes them on their journey to God. Our first reading from Exodus 24:1–11, "They saw God, and they ate and drank," teaches that God desires to enter into a covenant relationship with His people and invites them into communion with Him. After accepting God's covenant, Moses and the elders of Israel share a sacred meal in God's presence, a sign of peace, fellowship, and divine blessing. For Christians, this event foreshadows the deeper communion offered through Christ in the Eucharist, where God draws His people into an intimate relationship with Himself and nourishes them with His grace.