Corpus Christi Homily
June 11, 2023
Do You Believe?
A
tightrope walker was once performing a stunt where he walked across a tightrope
over Niagara Falls. Before beginning, he asked the crowd, “Do you believe that
I can do this?” They all enthusiastically shouted, “Yes!” So, he walked across
and back, to the wonderment of the people. He then lifted a wheelbarrow onto
the tightrope and asked the crowd, “Do you believe that I can wheel this
wheelbarrow across Niagara Falls?” They unanimously shouted, “Yes!” And he
replied, “Great – now who wants to get into the wheelbarrow?”
Faith is
not just an intellectual exercise – faith means living as if all this is true.
One of the most challenging things to believe is the Real Presence of Jesus in
the Eucharist, because it goes against what we experience with our senses. But
we believe it, because Christ Himself said it, and the Church has always
believed it since the very beginning, and because Eucharistic miracles have
revealed His True Presence to us. So, if we believe that He is here in the
Eucharist, how must this truth impact our life?
I’d like
to point our four elements of a Eucharistic life, as we live what we believe
about His True Presence. Conveniently, all four elements begin with P, so we
can remember them all.
First: Presence.
As Woody Allen once said, 80% of life is just showing up. This is especially
true with the Mass. While we can encounter God anywhere, it is only here at
Mass that He is really, truly, substantially present. During Covid we all
learned that there is no substitute for actually being with someone, live and
in-person. During the lockdown someone suggested that I run youth group via
Zoom…oh, Lord, please no! There is something deeply satisfying to the soul to
be in the presence of others.
Likewise,
praying at home or on the golf course or even watching Mass online falls far
short of the deep spiritual hunger to have a real, physical, tangible encounter
with the Living God in His house. That’s why Our Lord gave us the commandment
to “keep holy the Lord’s Day” – because He knows we need it!
One
might say that life is too busy, we need to be reasonable and practical and therefore
sometimes we can’t make it to Mass. But God asks us to live by faith, which
transcends the practical and the reasonable. Consider the context of today’s
first reading. The Israelites, on the journey through the desert, were
concerned about their lack of food – so they made the practical, logical
decision to return to Egypt, where they knew there would be abundant food.
Meanwhile,
Moses is begging them to keep moving through the desert. “If you only trust
God, He will show His faithfulness!” And, lo and behold, God gave them
miraculous food in the desert – the food of manna, which was provided
every single day for forty years. God then makes the point to the
Israelites, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes
forth from the mouth of God.” In other words, one may think we have no time for
Mass because we need to work, we need to take our kids to sports games, we need
to rest…but it is in God that we find our deepest fulfillment, and when we give
Him the first fruits of our time and energy every Sunday, He will give us all
other things to bring us joy.
Second: Passion.
Are we enthusiastic about the Eucharist? Do we look forward to going to Mass?
Or is it something we do out of obligation, even dreading it? Once in seminary
I was complaining to a brother seminarian, “Oh yeah, I have to go to Mass later
today.” He responded, “You don’t have to go to Mass, you get to
go to Mass – it is a privilege!” In many sacristies (where the priest vests for
Mass), there is a sign: Priest of God, Celebrate this Mass as if it were
your first Mass, your last Mass, your only Mass. A sobering thought – if
this were your last Mass before you died and met Jesus Christ, how would you
attend it?
In
Ireland, you will often find two gigantic rocks, sometimes 6’ tall or more,
standing upright with a small 6” slit in between them. These were called “Mass
rocks” because during the time that the English were oppressing the Catholics,
Mass was outlawed and had to be celebrated in secret. Priests used to celebrate
Mass on rock altars, at night, behind the “wall” of the Mass rocks, and Holy
Communion was passed to the communicants through the gap between the rocks, so
that the priest could stay hidden. If people didn’t know the identity of the
priest, they wouldn’t betray his identity if they were questioned or tortured.
Despite the danger, the Irish treasured these beautiful, daring Masses. Even to
this day, there are countries where attending Mass is punishable by death – and
yet people still go, because they realize this is far more than an obligation,
but an encounter with our Eucharistic Lord.
Do we
realize this is the Banquet Feast of the Lamb of God, a foretaste of Heaven, a
front-row seat to the Sacrifice of Calvary, an entryway into the throne room of
the King of All Creation? We should approach the Holy Eucharist with passion!
Third: Purity.
Did you know that St. Francis of Assisi only received Holy Communion three
times in his lifetime? He was so in awe of the gift and he realized that he
was unworthy. I don’t recommend his example (for Our Lord wants us to receive
Him often) but I do recommend his sentiment. If you’ve ever been to a jeweler’s
shop, you’ll see how everything is meticulously clean – knowing the valuable
items contained within. Likewise, our souls must be cleansed in Confession
before becoming the dwelling place of the God of the universe. We particularly
need Confession before Communion if we are conscious of a mortal sin such as
missing Mass or a sin of drunkenness or impurity or holding on to hatred in our
heart.
Fourth: Prayer.
Jesus says in today’s Gospel that He gives us the Eucharist so that we can
“remain in Him and He remains in us.” He literally does remain in us – if he
caught someone leaving Mass early, St. Philip Neri used to send two altar
servers with lit candles after them, because he recognized that when a person
receives the Eucharist they become a living tabernacle! For fifteen minutes
after receiving Jesus, He is physically present within you – what a beautiful
time to speak your heart to Him, as He is literally dwelling right beneath your
heart in your body. There was once a great saint who wanted to live a
Eucharistic prayer life, so she would receive Communion on Sunday, and then
spend Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in thanksgiving for the Eucharist, and
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in preparation to receive Him again. Truly, our
Communion should lead us into intimate union with Jesus Christ!
What a
gift we have in the Holy Eucharist! Our belief should then translate into the way
we live our life: being in His presence every week at Mass, hungering
for Him with passion, living purity in our soul, and remaining
united to Him through prayer. Only eternity gives us enough time to
praise Him for such a gift as the Eucharist!
