John 6:51-58
Today we celebrate who we are: the Body and Blood of Christ. The Feast of Corpus Christi reminds us of our greatest treasure, the Eucharist. We remember that we are what we eat.
Of all the miracles throughout the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament: The parting of the Red Sea, the healings, the resuscitation of Lazarus, no other miracle surpasses the institution of the Eucharist. Lots of excitement is generated when someone shouts, “She can see!” “He can walk!” “The cancer has completely disappeared!” Wonderful! Folks wait in long lines to see the place where Jesus was born, or turned the water into wine or rose from the tomb. Interesting places but nothing like the present moment, where we might tend to be distracted. Holy Mass is easily accessible. Whatever comes easily is often unappreciated. Let’s turn back the hands of time. Celebrating the Lord’s Supper came at a high price. The early Christians had to hide because they were in danger of being killed. They gathered at the cemetery—the catacombs in order to avoid being caught. If they were caught, they were imprisoned, and death usually followed. The Roman government wanted to stop the fanaticism of the new movement that promoted cannibalism [since they were overheard to have been eating someone’s flesh and drinking someone’s blood]. The word on the street was that if they ate and drank, they would have eternal life. Therefore, the early Christians were not afraid to die. They knew that when they were killed, they would live forever. Martyrdom was a privilege. Many of the martyrs faced death smiling or laughing knowing at the Lord was going to catch them and bounce them to everlasting life. The government could not keep up. Jails were full and lions were well-fed.
Emperor Constantine changed everything. Around the year 306 he converted to Christianity and legalized the movement. People did not have to hide in order to celebrate Holy Mass. The Church was established, both sacramentally and legally. With the legalization of Christianity came acceptance. Some of the passion was lost. Notice that in countries where Christians are persecuted, vocations to the priesthood and religious life thrive. In the past missionaries were sent to Countries in Africa. Now, they are sending missionaries to us. Vocations to the priesthood or lack of vocations are closely related to our love for the Eucharist. The priesthood was established in order to perpetuate the Real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
“Do this in memory of me.” To whom was Jesus speaking? Who puts flesh on the words? From the original group at the Last Supper to what happens at this Altar—the authentic, validly ordained priest is the Alter Christus. We share the same doctrine with Eastern Orthodox Religion, the Byzantine Rite and the Maronite Church. However, we do not share a common table with the Anglican or Episcopalian Church. People ask, “Well, they look a lot like us, and they do some of the same things. Why can’t we receive Communion? Isn’t everyone invited? The answer is no. Not yet. The Vatican continues to dialogue with them, and we are hopeful for a common table in the future. But we do not participate out of respect for them as we want respect for our Table. Our Eucharist is not simply symbolic. The host is not a wafer which we can put in our pocket. The Precious Blood is not wine. Something inexplicable happens at the consecration which is why we are here. A world-wide effort on Eucharistic evangelization has been implemented to revitalize what we believe as Catholics. But where the rubber meets the road is what parents teach their children. Unfortunately, for many, First Communion is their last Communion, or until we meet again at a wedding or a funeral. We do ourselves a great disservice when we purposefully stay away from the Table of Life.
The directive that Jesus gave us is clear: If you want to live forever, eat my flesh and drink my blood. There is no better way.
Today we celebrate who we are: the Body and Blood of Christ. The Feast of Corpus Christi reminds us of our greatest treasure, the Eucharist. We remember that we are what we eat.
Of all the miracles throughout the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament: The parting of the Red Sea, the healings, the resuscitation of Lazarus, no other miracle surpasses the institution of the Eucharist. Lots of excitement is generated when someone shouts, “She can see!” “He can walk!” “The cancer has completely disappeared!” Wonderful! Folks wait in long lines to see the place where Jesus was born, or turned the water into wine or rose from the tomb. Interesting places but nothing like the present moment, where we might tend to be distracted. Holy Mass is easily accessible. Whatever comes easily is often unappreciated. Let’s turn back the hands of time. Celebrating the Lord’s Supper came at a high price. The early Christians had to hide because they were in danger of being killed. They gathered at the cemetery—the catacombs in order to avoid being caught. If they were caught, they were imprisoned, and death usually followed. The Roman government wanted to stop the fanaticism of the new movement that promoted cannibalism [since they were overheard to have been eating someone’s flesh and drinking someone’s blood]. The word on the street was that if they ate and drank, they would have eternal life. Therefore, the early Christians were not afraid to die. They knew that when they were killed, they would live forever. Martyrdom was a privilege. Many of the martyrs faced death smiling or laughing knowing at the Lord was going to catch them and bounce them to everlasting life. The government could not keep up. Jails were full and lions were well-fed.
Emperor Constantine changed everything. Around the year 306 he converted to Christianity and legalized the movement. People did not have to hide in order to celebrate Holy Mass. The Church was established, both sacramentally and legally. With the legalization of Christianity came acceptance. Some of the passion was lost. Notice that in countries where Christians are persecuted, vocations to the priesthood and religious life thrive. In the past missionaries were sent to Countries in Africa. Now, they are sending missionaries to us. Vocations to the priesthood or lack of vocations are closely related to our love for the Eucharist. The priesthood was established in order to perpetuate the Real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
“Do this in memory of me.” To whom was Jesus speaking? Who puts flesh on the words? From the original group at the Last Supper to what happens at this Altar—the authentic, validly ordained priest is the Alter Christus. We share the same doctrine with Eastern Orthodox Religion, the Byzantine Rite and the Maronite Church. However, we do not share a common table with the Anglican or Episcopalian Church. People ask, “Well, they look a lot like us, and they do some of the same things. Why can’t we receive Communion? Isn’t everyone invited? The answer is no. Not yet. The Vatican continues to dialogue with them, and we are hopeful for a common table in the future. But we do not participate out of respect for them as we want respect for our Table. Our Eucharist is not simply symbolic. The host is not a wafer which we can put in our pocket. The Precious Blood is not wine. Something inexplicable happens at the consecration which is why we are here. A world-wide effort on Eucharistic evangelization has been implemented to revitalize what we believe as Catholics. But where the rubber meets the road is what parents teach their children. Unfortunately, for many, First Communion is their last Communion, or until we meet again at a wedding or a funeral. We do ourselves a great disservice when we purposefully stay away from the Table of Life.
The directive that Jesus gave us is clear: If you want to live forever, eat my flesh and drink my blood. There is no better way.
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