Readings: Deut. 8:2-3,14-16; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; John 6:51-58
Mass is God
1. Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – the Corpus Christi. In the Eucharist, Christ is offered and received and in him the church continually lives and grows. The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. By means of the Eucharist the unity of God’s people is signified and brought about, and the building up of the body of Christ is perfected. We hold the blessed Eucharist in highest honor by taking active part in the celebration of the most august sacrifice of the Mass.
2. The Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ is so important and essential to us Christians that we must do whatever it takes to attend Mass and receive Holy Communion regularly and frequently. There is a story told of a merchant, who traveled, miles and miles, every Sunday to attend Mass in a parish when there weren’t many parishes. One day the pastor asked him where he resided. “Florida”, he answered. Then the pastor asked how he was able to attend Mass in Baltimore every Sunday, with limited means of transportation, as it was then. The man stopped short and looked at the priest with amazement. He told him, “Father, if there is only one Mass in the whole world, a man must endeavor to attend that Mass even if it means crawling on his knees, because Mass is God.” In today’s gospel reading Christ stressed, “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.” (Jn. 6:54). By eating the Body of Christ and drinking his Blood, we become the living Christ. We are enabled to discover our closeness and blessedness; and we acknowledge our brokenness and our strengths. We, like Christ, begin to put the needs of others above our own fears. Thus we, like Christ, become food for the world. We are Christians because of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ but Catholics because of the Eucharist. Food is an absolute necessity for the growth of our bodies. And the Eucharist is an absolute necessity for our spiritual life.
3. This brings to mind the story of Cardinal Newman. He was devoted to the Eucharist. Newman was a reputed scholar and had been a holy Protestant pastor. He studied Catholic doctrine carefully and struggled for many years before becoming a Catholic. A few days before his conversion, one of his friends tried to dissuade him from the step he was about to take, “Think over what you are doing! If you become a Catholic, you’ll lose a handsome income of 4,000 pounds a year.” Newman’s reply was: “And what are 4,000 pounds compared to a communion?” (New Horizon). Pope Francis reminds us that “The Eucharist is the spiritual lifeblood of the Christian because in receiving it we consume the glorified body of the Risen Lord, whose life then transforms us, elevates us and empowers us to become like him. The Eucharist grants us a share in the Divine and Human Savior of the world, whose gift of himself imparts eternal life to those who love him. That is why Jesus says, “If any one eats of this bread (my flesh), he will live forever.” (Jn. 6:15).
4. One of the core teachings of the Church on the Eucharist is that “Our Lord is truly, really and substantially present in the Holy Eucharist. Hence, we believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, not just a symbol of his Body and Blood but, his real Body and Blood through the process of transubstantiation during consecration. Christ told his disciples, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven.” (Jn. 6:57-58). Many of his disciples stopped following him because of this teaching, but Christ did not beg them to stay. Instead he asked his apostles: “Do you also want to leave?” (Jn. 6:67). According to Pope St. John Paul ll, this teaching “Is at the heart of the Church, the secret of her vigor; she must keep watch with jealous care over this mystery and affirm it in its fullness.” Taking this teaching seriously means that we must prepare ourselves for the fruitful participation at Mass. It is recommended that we read, beforehand, the readings of the Mass, examine our consciences, confess any mortal sins we are aware of in order to receive our Lord and Savior Jesus timely, worthily and devotedly. After receiving Holy Communion, our Lord is present in us as long as the species remain. This can be as long as 8 to 10 minutes. According to the Sacred Congregation for the sacraments and divine worship, “The faithful are to be recommended not to omit to make a proper thanksgiving after communion. They may do this during the celebration with a period of silence, with a hymn, Psalm, or other song of praise, or also after the celebration if possible by staying behind to pray for a suitable time.” If we truly believe that we receive Jesus Christ, His body, blood and divinity he will change us and make us holy, forgiving, loving, merciful, compassionate, devoted, caring and charitable. We will become what we eat.
5. It is incumbent on us to protect and safeguard the sanctity of this sacrament. If you see someone take communion and not consume it, please call the attention of the priest. If you invite a non-Catholic friend to worship with you on a Sunday, please do not invite him to holy Communion. If he is interested in the Catholic teaching, let your pastor know so that he may be registered in RCIA, be catechized first before being invited to the table of the Lord.
6. After Mass, we are dismissed to “Go forth, the Mass is ended, or Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord or Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life”. This means we are sent forth to take the Christ that we have received in the Eucharist to our communities, our cities and our neighborhoods. Like Jesus, we must share him, the Bread of Life with the poor, the homeless, the sick, the saints and sinners alike. We are to make the Bread of Christ, broken and received by us available and fresh for others at all times. The Christ that we receive in the Eucharist is a sign of unity. It calls us to hold each other accountable and show that we are one in Christ, for “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28). Let us offer this Bread to those who need healing for their broken bodies, forgiveness and conversion to sinners, companionship to the lonely, food to the hungry and reconciliation, justice and freedom to prisoners. May we receive strength and nourishment from this food so that we may live forever with our Lord. Amen.
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP
No comments:
Post a Comment