Our faith tells us and we believe that - at consecration, by the power of the Holy Spirit - what looks like bread and what tastes like wine truly become – substantially - the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, GOD Himself… body, soul and divinity… NOT just symbols to remind us of Jesus.
Belief in the mystery of God – like the mystery of the Trinity we celebrated last weekend – three persons in One God – belief in the mystery of God like God’s Divine Presence in the Eucharist – belief in the mystery of God is acknowledging God’s infinite superiority over us - in all areas - including our logic or reason.
Just because a certain truth or knowledge is beyond what our minds can grasp - does not mean that it is not real or it is not true. Truth is truth whether we believe it – whether we understand it - or not. So, we need to simply humbly allow ourselves to enter into the mystery of the revealed truths of our faith. In matters of faith, at times, we need to believe then we will understand; we need to believe, then we will see.
Our celebration of the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord – Corpus Christi is to remind us of the value we place on this personal contact with the Lord believing that when we receive communion, we receive the real presence of Jesus Christ. This is our treasure. There is nothing we value more in our spiritual lives than our communion with Christ in the Eucharist… the Source and Summit of our Christian life.
Our Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus also reminds us of the covenant Jesus made with God - the Father - for us. The table of the Lord is not only a meal table to nourish us with His Body and Blood. It is also an altar of sacrifice of the Lamb of God but it does not mean Christ is being sacrificed again and again at every Mass.
It means that the sacrifice at Calvary about 2000 years ago - is being made present at every Mass – we are now actually standing at the foot of the cross with Mary and John… it is just that the flesh and blood of Christ – is now - in the appearance of bread and wine… it is just now bloodless - paschal mystery.
Jesus is the perfect mediator – between God and Man… Only through Christ – with Christ and in Christ - who is both God and Man – even that is a mystery - Only through Christ - can we enter into this New Covenant with God – He is our God and we are His people…
The late Pope Benedict XVI said: “The altar of sacrifice becomes in a certain way the meeting point between heaven and earth…” - giving us a foretaste of heaven. That is why it is so unfortunate and so sad to hear people say after Mass that they did not get anything out of the Mass…
My goodness – after being reconciled with God, after being nourished with the Word of God, after receiving the Body and Blood of Christ – how then can one still say he did not get anything out of the Mass? So unfortunate…
That is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church states (#229) that the fruits of the sacraments (particularly of the Eucharist) depend on the dispositions of the one who receives them… in other words …. you get out of the Mass – out of this Eucharistic celebration – what you get out of it depends on what you put into it.
So, what is your attitude coming to Mass. You are here physically – but are your heart, mind, body and soul here or is it out there wishing you were somewhere else or doing something else or being critical of people or ministers at mass? Are you open to God’s calling for you – as to what God wants to do with your life?
When we come to Mass, do we come here to worship God? Do we even think about what’s going to happen?... that we are going to receive Almighty God? ..or – with all due respect – do you come to Mass and receive Holy Communion and just going through the motions because it is a Catholic thing to do?
When we come to the table of the Lord, is it really a great awesome Holy Communion with God and with one another?
I would like to remind everyone again – in receiving Communion, as you are in line – waiting for your turn – while the person ahead of you is receiving communion, you are supposed to bow to show reverence to God – not to the priest – not to the minister – but to show reverence to the One Whom you are about to receive - the greatest gift of all…to acknowledge and recognize that it is actually GOD Himself that you are about to receive. That is the reality. When the minister says: “the Body of Christ”; “the Blood of Christ” and you say “Amen. … it means you believe.
To honor Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, we must honor Christ in the people around us because we cannot honor Christ in the Blessed Sacrament unless we honor Christ in the people next to us. Look around you. Look at the people in front of you, at your right, and at your left. Some of them may be people you know or familiar to you and some may be total strangers…. But we are all here with one another in this sacred moment - as parts of the same Body of Christ.
Just like in the Gospel account of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, people gathering around Jesus, listening to His word and being nourished by Him – and thereby being transformed from multitude of anonymous individuals, strangers to each other, - transformed into a community of faith where people share who they are and what they have - the same dynamic should be at work today when Catholics gather at Mass to listen to the Gospel and be nourished by the body and blood of Jesus.
The Eucharist is the sacrament of the communion that takes us out of our individualism so that together - we live our discipleship, our faith in Him together as a faith community.
Every time we gather for our Eucharistic celebration, we renew ourselves as God’s new people in Christ.
Again, the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian life…During Mass - we join our lives, our praises, our sufferings, our prayers and work with those of Christ. (CCC #1368)… and in communion with Christ - our offerings become acceptable to God, our Father.
And then in turn –in the words of St. Augustine: “Through bread and wine, the Lord gives us His body and blood. If you receive them well, you are that which you receive; you become what you receive; you become what you eat.” - meaning we become the Body of Christ in the world…. Because our world needs its Savior…
And at the end of our Eucharistic celebration – as we are sent out in the peace of Christ, we must take with us the Bread of Life we have become and share ourselves with the multitudes – out there – so to speak - who need to be fed. Our troubled world – in need of peace - with so much hatred and violence and sufferings – needs a Savior.
Like the Eucharist, our lives must be blessed, broken and shared… Our lives must be poured out in loving service of our neighbors and of God - glorifying God by our very lives.
Christ is truly present in the Eucharist – for us – to feed us and nourish us - so Christ can be truly present in the world through us… so we become the living Sacraments of God’s love, grace and mercy as Christ is.
Jesus nourishes us so that we can nourish others… That is what the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ is all about.
So – my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us continue to pray to God to help us have greater understanding and appreciation and to have deeper faith in His true presence in the Eucharist… so that we become more aware of who we truly are and what we are called to be.
Amen.
God bless…
