Sunday, May 29, 2016

May 29 - Sunday Homily

+ Two weeks ago we celebrated the great Gift of God the Father: the Holy Spirit. The Spirit came with great might and force and the Apostles were filled to overflowing with LOVE and APOSTOLIC ZEAL – and they were off to convert the whole world.

Today we celebrate the significance of the great gift of God’s the Son in his Eucharistic Presence – that would seal his promise to be with his Church – and all of its members – including us – until the end of time.

In order to properly nourish the transformed spirits in his new disciples of all ages the thought occurred to Jesus for them to do something very familiar, very understandable, but much more than just symbolic:

he knew that he himself needed to be a real part of the fiber of these disciple’s beings: and so he took ordinary bread and ordinary wine – common table food for all generations - and by pronouncing words over them and distributing them he changed their essence into his own essence, their substance into his own substance, for the life of his brothers and sisters, and for their salvation: so that we could communicate them and be strengthened and empowered by what we eat and drink at this and every Mass to live and love in his person.

This was truly an astounding thing, an amazing fact, a reality that defies ordinary nature (and can be comprehended only by faith): but one that can easily be taken for granted and even ignored and forgotten by a great many in this day and age. And this is truly sad. The very God of heaven wants to help out his human creations in a most profound and intimate way; but he can’t do it unless they come to the altar, present themselves for worship, and take and eat and drink what he gives.

And this eating and drinking is not optional by any means: Jesus is very serious when he says that you must eat and drink of my Body and Blood if you would have eternal life. And eat and drink – in some way – we must – if we are to call ourselves Catholic, if we are to consider ourselves disciples.

We pray today for a greater appreciation for the Blessed Eucharist that we share and that we reserve for the sick and for prayer. When we consider that it is the very Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier of the Entire Universe and all its parts and all it contains: there ought to be enough food for thought and meditation for hours, days, weeks, months – if not years!


I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever!

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