Dear Parishioners, Several people have asked me to reprint my homily from this past weekend: Today, we celebrate the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, formerly called Corpus Christi. This celebration gives us the opportunity to do two things. First of all, we have the opportunity to really think about what the Church teaches about the Eucharist and, at the same time, ask ourselves whether or not our personal belief is in line with the Church’s teaching. Secondly, it gives us the opportunity to consider how we operate because of our belief. What we believe and what the Church teaches come directly from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. Let me say it as clearly as I can: we believe that through the words of institution, the Consecration at Mass, what was bread on the altar becomes really, truly and substantially the very Body of Jesus Christ. It looks like bread. It tastes like bread. After the Consecration, the bread is the Body of Christ. In the same way, we believe that through the words of institution, the Consecration at Mass, what was wine on the altar becomes really, truly and substantially the very Blood of Jesus Christ. It looks like wine. It tastes like wine. After the Consecration, it is the Blood of Christ. So why do Catholics believe such a thing? We believe it because Jesus said it, and He said it over and over and over again. We have a problem today. Years ago when I was growing up, every Catholic man, woman and child believed this to be true, but unless they had been to Confession, they did not receive the Eucharist. Today, almost everyone receives, but polls tell us that many Catholics either do not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, or if they believe, they have a very foggy notion of what the Church really teaches. Know this today: our belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is precisely what makes us Catholic. It is the Eucharist that is the heart and center of our faith. Coming to the altar on a weekday or on a Sunday is the most important function we perform as Catholics. Everything else-- prayer, sacrifice and kindness to those in need-- flows from the Eucharist. If there is a major theological difference between what Catholics believe and what most traditional non-Catholic churches teach, it is the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Chapter six of St. John’s Gospel begins with the multiplication of the loaves and fishes which was today’s Gospel. The crowd is so impressed that they search out Jesus and find Him the next day. A discussion ensues. Jesus first says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” He ends up saying very firmly, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” and the people begin to murmur. Jesus stops them and later says very clearly, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” Then the real trouble begins. St. John says, “The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?’ Jesus said to them (and now comes the heart and center of His teaching), ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” Now consider the end of the chapter when the crowds of people follow Jesus for weeks and even months. They hear Him and start to grumble once again, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” They turn and walk away. Think about it. Jesus has the opportunity to correct them. The easiest thing for him to say would be, “Wait a minute. I was only speaking poetically. I was only speaking symbolically.” Instead, He is saddened and lets them go. He turns to the Twelve and says, “Does this shock you? … Do you also want to leave?” Peter, speaking for all, said, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” So we know what we believe as Catholics. Now, the question is whether or not we operate according to our belief. What do I mean? (On Sunday at the ten o’clock Mass, I cautioned the people that what I was about to say was meant to remind them, not to nag them. After Mass a parishioner said, “It sounded like a nag to me.” I explained to her that a reminder is when you say something once. A nag is when you say it day after day.) So, again, what I am about to say is meant to remind you. If you believe that Jesus calls you to this Eucharist by name, not Fr. Tony, not Fr. David, not an obligation imposed by the Church, then I believe with rare exception that you would always come to Mass on time, you would never leave early, you would say every response out loud and you would sing every song with full voice. If you believe that Jesus calls you to this Eucharist by name, then I believe you would never refuse the cup with His Precious Blood unless you were sick and kept away out of courtesy for others, you would never dress better for a casual dinner with friends than you would for Mass and you would never be more ready to support a university or hospital than you would the parish church which provides Eucharist for you every day. If you believe that Jesus calls you to this Eucharist by name, then I believe your young children and your teenage children would always be with you in church. People tell me that they don’t want to fight with their children about going to Mass. Does the same excuse hold for school? Johnny doesn’t want to go to school, and I am too tired to fight so he doesn’t have to go. Excuse me, but that never happens. To fight the school battle and not the church battle says to your children that school is important and worship is not. Let me remind you that school gives your children an education. Worship and the reception of the Eucharist offer them Eternal Life. To all the children, I want to remind you that you have a responsibility to say yes to Jesus and to come willingly and happily to church. If you come here and do nothing, you will be bored. If you join in the prayer and music and tune in to Jesus, you will never be bored. My friends, Jesus calls you to the Eucharist by name. It is the most personal and the most important invitation you will ever get in your life. Jesus went to the cross to give you this gift. He spilled His blood and gave His life to bring you all together in this place. Today is the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Our belief and our practice give us the opportunity to let all others know what it really means to be Catholic. May God give us the grace to do both well.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:00:36 +0000
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