Corpus Christi 2024 - Promises Kept

 

Homily for Corpus Christi Sunday

June 2, 2024

Promises Kept

 

            How far would you go to keep a promise? What would you sacrifice for it? The story is told of a young Abraham Lincoln, who was offered a drink by a colonel in the army, who was trying to help Lincoln get elected President. Although the young lawyer knew that he needed the support of the colonel for this election, he was also a teetotaler and knew that turning down a drink might be interpreted as disrespectful. Nevertheless, Lincoln said no, explaining, “When I was young, I made a promise to my mother to never let my lips touch alcohol, and I have kept that promise to this day. I hope this disrespect does not hurt my chances of your help.”

            The colonel replied, “Mr. Lincoln, I wouldn’t have you break your promise for the world. I wish my mother had made me take such a promise – and I wish I had your character to keep it.”

            Promises feature prominently in today’s readings. In the first reading, God is swearing a covenant with His people – a sacred promise between God and humanity. All covenants have three parts: God’s promises, our internal response (in our hearts) and our external response (something we must do). In the Old Covenant with Moses, God promised that He would be their God, close to them, protecting them, loving them. For their part, the people of Israel respond with an external response of sacrifice, as we see Moses offering bulls to the Lord and then sprinkling the blood upon the people. Then, they respond internally by obedience – notice their reaction when Moses shares with them the Ten Commandments: “We will do everything the Lord has told us!”

            But we are not under the Old Covenant – in Christ, we have a New Covenant, a new promise, not sworn with the blood of animals but with the blood of Christ. But what are the terms of this New Covenant, this new promise between God and humanity? For God’s part, He promises that He would be with us always, until the end of the age, and that He would forgive our sins and lead us to salvation. The Sacraments are the everlasting sign of God’s faithfulness to His promise – how is He with us always? In the tabernacle! How does He forgive our sins? In Confession! How does He impart divine life to our souls? Through Baptism and the Eucharist!

            But, then, how do we fulfill our part of this promise? A parallel to the Old Testament covenant. First, we have an external response of sacrifice – the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. By worshipping God at Mass, we are renewing again and again our desire to be united to God. And our internal response is also one of obedience – following His commandments, living a moral life.

            All three parts are intimately united. If we do not obey Him, then we cannot participate in the sacrifice. That is why we must be in the state of grace to receive Him worthily – meaning, free from mortal sins such as missing Mass, drunkenness, or sexual activity outside of marriage. That is why, too, we must be Catholic to receive Communion – because to obey Him is to obey the Church He established. Obedience allows us to participate in the fruits of the Sacrifice of the Mass, which in turn allows us to enjoy the everlasting life He promised.

            So when we behold the Eucharist, we behold every promise that God ever made, fulfilled in the small white Host. He promised to remain with us always – He is truly here. He promised us everlasting life – and the Eucharist is a foretaste of Heaven. He promised that He loved us – and we can “taste and see” God’s desire to be united to our hearts, souls, and bodies. He promised us that our lives will have meaning in Him – and when we see His self-sacrificing, humble love in the Eucharist, we realize that the meaning of our life is to live it in union with Him.

            One time a boy with mental disabilities was being prepared by a priest for his first Holy Communion. The priest wanted to know if the boy understood what was going on, so he pointed to the Cross and asked, “What is that?” The boy replied, “That is our God, dead.” Then the priest pointed to the Eucharist and asked, “What is that?” The boy replied, “That is our God, alive.”

            God always keeps His promises, and to prove it, He dwells in the Holy Eucharist to remain close to His people and bring them salvation. Do we keep our side of the promise, with obedience and love and worship at Mass?