Ordinary Time 22 - What's The Point of Traditions?

 

Homily for Ordinary Time 22

September 1, 2024

Traditions

 

            If you’ve ever seen Fiddler on the Roof, you remember that the first musical number is a rousing song called “Traditions”. In it, the main character Tevye sings about the many traditions that govern their good Jewish life: what to wear, what to eat, societal roles. He declares, “You may ask, how did this tradition get started? I’ll tell you…I don’t know. But it’s a tradition.” And of course the rest of the play is all about the five daughters trying to break from tradition and marry the man they love, and not get married according to the customary matchmaker.

            That’s been a theme in many movies and stories – how tradition stifles us, prevents us from a fulfilling life. It’s almost a Disney trope: a kid finds themselves chafing at their cultural or familial expectations, and either because of love or adventure or destiny, tries to break from those traditions and set their own paths. At the end of the movies, the parents realize that their tradition was wrong and that their child’s newfound freedom and happiness means throwing out the past.

            But is this what Jesus is criticizing in today’s Gospel? Does He believe that all traditions and rules are bad, and that we should just be completely free to chart our own course? Let’s look at the historical context to understand.

            In addition to the Bible, the Jews have other written documents called the Talmud, which were collections of oral traditions, laws, stories, proverbs, and other writings from the ancient interpreters of the Law, dating back to the sixth century BC. Although there are 613 Laws that God gave to Moses in the Bible, there are thousands upon thousands of laws and commands in the Talmud.

            These laws were desirable to the Pharisees. Who were the Pharisees? Remember that for most of Israel’s history, their biggest temptation was to “act like the other nations” – they worshipped the gods of the surrounding peoples, and their morals were no different than the wicked and profligate pagans they lived beside. This is why God gave them 613 laws in the first place – because they needed their own culture, lest the temptation of “blending in” (aka, idolatry and immorality) was too strong.

            But because they fell again and again into these sins, God allowed them to have their way – they wanted to act like the other nations, so God abandoned them into exile in a foreign nation, when they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. This was “shock therapy” that woke up the Israelites – after 70 years they returned to their homes, resolved never again to act like those immoral and idolatrous pagans.

            But the Pharisees took it a step too far. Their name comes from the Hebrew Perushim, meaning “The Separated Ones.” They wanted to be SO unlike the other nations that they developed an entire culture of specific laws and rituals and traditions that God had never commanded – so that they could live distinctly and differently from the rest of the nations.

            So what is Jesus criticizing? The problem is that a) They had put their oral traditions on par with the laws that God had given them in the Scriptures, and b) They had forgotten the reasons behind their laws. This is what Jesus is criticizing – following rules that had no reason, and forgetting the bigger picture, which is the love of God and neighbor.

            We are blessed in our Catholic Faith to have lots of beautiful traditions. It’s a rich faith, with two thousand years of history, and many different devotions and sacramentals. Jesus does not intend for us to throw all that out! Rather, our traditions are meant to lead us to Jesus, to the heart of our Faith, and to holiness. We simply need to understand why we have them, and use them in such a way as to lead us to Jesus. Although I could mention hundreds of rich traditions, I want to use four as an example to see how they should be practiced well.

            First, there is the tradition of Catholics not eating meat on Fridays. This tradition is so well-associated with Catholicism that McDonalds even developed the Filet-o-Fish sandwich to specifically market to Catholics! But why do we do that?

            In times past, meat used to be the “rich man’s food” – very expensive and rare – so giving up meat helped the rich to eat like a poor man for a day. It is truly an ancient tradition, dating back to the first century. Many of you remember when it was obligatory for a Catholic to abstain from all meat every Friday during the year, but now it is only Fridays in Lent (and Ash Wednesday). In 1966, the Vatican allowed Catholics to substitute other penances on Fridays outside of Lent instead of abstaining from meat. We must sacrifice on Fridays in honor of Our Lord’s suffering and death, uniting some small suffering of ours to His love on the Cross.  

            In our Friday penance, we shouldn’t be thinking “bare minimum” but rather, “What can I do to unite my life to His Cross, in gratitude for so great a love?” For example, for me, fish is far more delicious than meat, so outside of Lent I do not do meatless Fridays but do other penances instead. A lobster dinner, while technically abstaining from meat, doesn’t seem like much of a penance – so it is far more important to live out the meaning behind the penance (actually making a real, costly sacrifice) rather than trying to quibble about what constitutes meat (according to the Vatican, beavers and alligators are allowed to be eaten on Fridays in Lent). The point is – when we fast or sacrifice – which we must do weekly on Fridays and ought to do daily - we do so with an understanding of why – for love of God and charity toward neighbor.

            A second tradition, often misunderstood, is that of godparents. Originally, godparents were meant to take the place of the parents in case the parents became ill or passed away, ensuring that the child would be cared for and raised as a Catholic. Nowadays, it has a more spiritual meaning: godparents are meant to give the child a good model of how to live as an adult Catholic follower of Jesus Christ.

            This is why godparents need to be practicing Catholics. All the time we get requests for Jewish godparents, atheist godparents, five godparents, godparents who are living scandalous lives…and we have to respectfully insist that godparents be active, practicing Catholics who can stand as a good example for the children on how to follow Jesus. It’s more than just honoring a friend during a child’s baptism – it’s about providing for your child a good, holy example to imitate. What a great gift – and obligation! Godparents have the duty to help their godchildren get to Heaven and become saints, through word and example and praying for them frequently. It’s not an honor to be taken lightly! So, it’s not just an empty tradition – it is one that has great spiritual meaning and is directed to the holiness of those who are newly-baptized.

            A third oft-misunderstood tradition is the requirement that Catholics must be married in a church, in front of a priest or deacon for the marriage to be valid and sacramental. Why can’t we get married on the beach or at the Waterview? Some call the Church teaching outdated or a mere “rule”. But there are two reasons why Catholics must be married before a priest or deacon in a church. First, because marriage is not merely a human reality – it is a supernatural, divine reality established by God with a supernatural end: the procreation and education of children, and the mutual sanctification of spouses. Second, because marriage desperately needs the grace of God to flourish – and a sacramental marriage invites God at the center. For this reason, Catholics who go to the courthouse or some romantic destination for their ceremony actually aren’t married at all, in the eyes of God. Marriage in the church is not just a mere rule – it’s a sacramental reality, imbued with grace.

            Finally, I’d like to mention one more tradition that is often misunderstood: the use of Sacramentals. Things like crosses, Rosaries, Holy Water, and blessings are awesome – but they are pointless if used apart from the life of faith and the Sacraments. At one parish, a woman came to the church one weekday with a five-gallon bucket, looking for holy water. I asked her what could she possibly be doing with so much? She told me she was going to give her babies baths in the holy water. But when I asked if she went to Mass, she looked at me with confusion and shook her head! Blessing a house does no good if the occupants won’t attend Mass; having a Rosary from a rearview mirror is meaningless unless the person prays it. These items are meant to augment a living, daily, personal relationship with Jesus Christ – not be our good luck charm. Sacramentals without faith is just superstition – and a tradition that Jesus would critique!

            In our Catholic Faith, we are blessed with many rich traditions. And this is good! As Tevye goes on to say in the Fiddler on the Roof, “Because of our traditions, every one of us knows who we are, and what God expects us to do.” We live out our Catholic Faith through many good traditions – we must always remember, though, that they are not just mere rules and external observances but pathways to a life full of love of God and neighbor.

Ordinary Time 21 - The Sanctifying Power of A Difficult Marriage

 

Homily for August 25, 2024

Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time

The Sanctifying Power of A Difficult Marriage

 

            One of the more difficult days of my priesthood was when my friend called me and asked, “Can you come over and help me tell my ten-year-old son that his dad isn’t coming back?” He had just up and left – decided that he needed a new start, some time away in another state – leaving behind four kids and a heartbroken wife.

            So I went over the house and broke the news to the oldest boy. Then, once all of the kids had gone to bed, I sat down with the wife and asked how she was doing. She told me that all of her friends had told her to officially divorce the guy, give up on him, and move on. But she was going to fight for that marriage – to pray and fast for him, no matter what.

            I must admit that I was a bit skeptical that the marriage could be saved, but her faith was stronger than mine. I agreed to pray and fast along with her, and we recruited all of our friends to join in the campaign.

            Just last year, that woman and her husband finished leading a two-year marriage enrichment course for the Diocese of Bridgeport. Their marriage is now ministering to other couples. It took a miracle – and God granted one – because this heroic woman wouldn’t give up on a marriage.

            St. Paul lays out such a beautiful vision for marriage in the second reading today. It is the image of Christ and His Church, this beautiful relationship of mutual self-gift where the couple lays down their lives for each other. But, as most of us know, marriage is incredibly difficult. It puts two imperfect people together, forever, with all of their sins and insecurities and weaknesses. A recent survey found that six in ten marriages are unhappy. I can testify that there are many, many marriages that are not in a good place – so if yours is difficult, please don’t feel like you’re alone. But how can we not despair when this most precious relationship seems to be crumbling before our eyes? Our faith gives us some helps to bring beauty out of a difficult marriage – and, indeed, every marriage. I’d like to mention four insights today.

            First, never underestimate the power of prayer and sacrifice. A lot of the difficulties of marriage come from the brokenness that both parties struggle with – brokenness which can be healed through the grace and power of Jesus Christ. St. Monica (whose feast day we celebrate this week), was married to a pagan man named Patricius. He constantly mocked her faith and cheated on her. But she prayed and fasted, prayed and fasted, for decades – and on his deathbed, he asked for baptism…and asked for her forgiveness. The power of prayer and sacrifice can break stony hearts and repair relationships – we have to persevere, sometimes for years, to sacrifice for our spouse. Also, our intimate prayer with God can heal the ache and the loneliness in our own hearts when our marriage is difficult – so pray for yourself as well, and fill yourself with Him so that we can go back to our spouse to love them freely and fully.

            Second, remember that your spouse is not the enemy. One of the best definitions of marriage I ever heard was that the couple needs to be “back to back with swords drawn”. The real enemy of marriage is the Evil One, for the devil hates a good marriage. A holy marriage is a living, breathing icon of God’s love for humanity, the reflection of God’s infinite and unshakeable faithfulness, the most perfect way that two people can sanctify one another, a true foretaste of Heaven. For this reason, the Evil One will stop at nothing to destroy marriages.

            Author John Eldrege tells the story of one day he’s driving with his wife, and all day long they’ve been in a tough place. She’s giving off the vibes that she’s disappointed in him, even though they haven’t talked about it – you know how you can sometimes put your pulse on your spouse’s feelings even without words, it’s just kind of an unspoken feeling. And this feeling wasn’t good – just a sense that she was mad at him or disappointed in him. He had been praying and praying on this long, silent drive, and finally sensed God asking him to bring it out into the open. So, he took a risk and began to ask, “Stasi, I get the sense that you’re disappointed in me for some reason. Why is that?”

            Stasi turned to him with tears in her eyes and said, “I’m disappointed in you? I got the feeling today that you were disappointed in me!” Wait, if he wasn’t communicating that to her, and she wasn’t communicating that to him, then were did those messages come from? From the Evil One, who loves nothing more than to divide and conquer a couple. The Evil One will often take a small match and throw gasoline on it until it becomes a raging, out-of-control bonfire. A small annoyance suddenly becomes a lifelong grievance. A disagreement suddenly becomes, in our minds, grounds for divorce. We must be aware that there is an enemy who hates your marriage, and it is not your spouse. So have your spouse’s back – with swords drawn against the real enemy of marriage.

            Third, remember that love is not a feeling – it is a choice. If, as St. Paul says, a husband ought to love his wife as Christ loved the Church, we realize that Christ died for the Church – and that did not “feel” good. It was, rather, the decision to sacrifice His life for the benefit of His Bride. Likewise, a “honeymoon period” doesn’t last forever, for any couple. Once that wears off, the real work of loving this imperfect person begins. Love isn’t hearts and chocolates and dinners out…love is taking care of the baby at 3am, holding back our tongue from the sharp word, listening to our spouse when we’d rather be scrolling our phones, being there for them when they are sick. Real love costs – and when we pledged our love for each other, it was in good times and bad – when it was the honeymoon, and when it was the Cross.

            Finally, even the most difficult marriage can sanctify us. Regardless of whether or not our spouse ever changes, regardless of whether or not our marriage becomes this beautiful bliss of love, it can still help to teach us how to love, how to sacrifice. We can become a holy man or woman precisely through our difficult spouse. I recently came across St. Gummarus, who is the patron saint of difficult spouses. From Belgium in the 700s, he married a short-tempered, shrewish woman who browbeat him, abused their servants, and mocked his piety. He prayed and fasted for her, but she continued to treat him cruelly – but all the while, Gummarus was learning to love. Sadly, she decided to abandon him – and he took this as a sign to spend the rest of his life praying for her. He built a private chapel and became a hermit, loving her through prayer and sacrifice. Although there was no “happily ever after” for the couple, Gummarus became a saint precisely through his mission of loving this difficult woman – and that is a happy ending.

            I know that many people have suffered the pain of divorce, and there are many reasons for that. I am in no position to judge those who have gone through it. But I want to say to those who are in difficult marriages – persevere! Marriage is worth fighting for! We gave our word on our wedding day to stay faithful, no matter what – and, as long as marriage isn’t abusive, then it’s worth staying, if for no other reason than to be sanctified through faithfulness to our vocation. I am absolutely convinced that if two people are willing to fight for their marriage, it will work and succeed – and make them holy. So have hope, especially if your marriage is imperfect and broken and difficult. God can and will bring something good out of it if we entrust our marriages to Him.

Ordinary Time 20 - Dining Well

 

Homily for Ordinary Time 20

August 18, 2024

Spiritual Dispositions to Dine Well

 

            Working at a Catholic school is, for me, a diet plan, because I can always bring in cookies or brownies and they’ll be gone in a second, sparing me the temptation of eating them all. One day when I was at St. Mary’s in Bethel, someone had given me a plate of cookies, and I promptly visited the school to find willing takers. It’s amazing how the seventh-graders descend like fruit flies on a banana when they catch even the merest glimpse of a cookie.

            One kid named Jake grabbed a cookie, but I said, “Jake, I can’t promise that these cookies are nut-free.” But before the words were out of my mouth, the cookie was in his. I just shook my head and hoped for the best.

            About an hour later, Jake comes up to me and says, “Father, my mouth is tingling.” Oh great, nothing like anaphylaxis in the afternoon. So we go to the nurse and he says, “Well, I guess I should call my mom.” But I said, “No, I will call your mom, so that she knows it was your fault that you ate the cookie even after I warned you!” Thankfully, his mom wasn’t mad at me, saying, “Well, that’s his own fault! He’s old enough to know that he needs to check!”

            Much like someone who has an allergic reaction to a healthy food, so the Eucharist causes different effects in everyone. Some people receive the Eucharist and it makes them saints; others receive the Eucharist and it might improve them slightly or not at all; and some receive the Eucharist and it harms their soul. The difference is in the disposition – how we spiritually and physically approach the Eucharist. What are some dispositions we should have in order for the Eucharist to benefit us greatly? I’d like to mention five dispositions that make the Holy Eucharist fruitful in our souls.

            First, we must have faith that He is truly present. St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11 that “if we eat [the Eucharist] without discerning the Body, we eat and drink judgment on ourselves.” In other words, to benefit from the Eucharist, we must recognize that it is Him. Many of you are familiar with Blessed (soon to be Saint) Carlo Acutis, the young Italian teenager who died in 2006. When he was only three years old he insisted that his mother take him to daily Mass! Even from a young age, he knew that Jesus Christ was truly present in the Eucharist. Once he wrote to a friend, “The Eucharist is my highway to Heaven” and said that “By standing before our Eucharistic Lord, we become holy.” Knowing Who the Eucharist is, becomes the first step to a fruitful reception of Him!

            Second, we must stir into flame a desire for Him. Food is far more appetizing when we’re hungry. Likewise, the Eucharist feeds us most fully when we are hungry for Him. A fellow clergyman was telling me that he was bringing Communion to the Hospital and when he stopped by the room of one man and asked if he would like Communion, the man shrugged and responded “Why not?” – received Jesus and then immediately went back to scrolling on his phone. “Why not?” should never be our attitude – it must be, “I eagerly desire You!”

            I think of the example of Blessed Imelda Lambertini. As a young girl, she often attended Mass at a local convent and burned with a desire to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, but at that time the age for First Communion was twelve years old. Nevertheless, she begged and begged the nuns to allow her to receive Jesus, but they refused until she was older. Finally, one day when she was young, she was attending Mass with the sisters, and as the priest was distributing Holy Communion, one of the Eucharistic Hosts actually flew out of his hand, traveled across the Church, and hovered over Imelda’s head. The priest realized that this was a sign that she was to receive early – so he gave her Holy Communion, and her joy knew no bounds! She closed her eyes and was lost in prayer and joy. When Mass ended, the sisters went about their daily business, and hours passed…but no one had seen Imelda. Retracing their steps, they found the young girl rapt in prayer, a smile on her face, hours after Mass ended. Going up to her, they tried to shake her awake, but discovered that she had died of joy, after receiving her First Communion!

            Third, we must approach with wonder and awe, fear and trembling – in a word, profound reverence. Consider that beautiful hymn, “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent”, which originates in a third-century Greek hymn for the Mass. It begins, “Let all mortal flesh keep silent / and with fear and trembling stand / Ponder nothing earthly-minded / For with blessing in His Hand / Christ our God to earth descendeth / Our full homage to demand.” It even goes so far, in the fourth stanza, to proclaim “Cherubim with sleepless eye / veil their Faces to the Presence.” If even the cherubim, these highest of the ranks of angels, must veil their Faces before the presence of God, how much more must we approach with humility and reverence?

            In 1384 in Austria, a wicked nobleman named Lord Oswald attended Holy Thursday Mass. Before Mass, out of arrogance, he insisted that the priest give him the big Host for Communion, not a little host like the rest of the peasantry. When the time came for Communion, the moment the large Host touched his tongue, the ground beneath him began to shake, cracks opened up in the church floor, and Oswald felt like he was being sucked into the underworld. He quickly held onto the marble altar rail, which itself melted like butter, and the priest took the Eucharist from his mouth and brought it back to the altar. Immediately the earthquake stopped, and the priest noticed that the Eucharist he retrieved from the proud man’s mouth had begun to bleed. The bleeding Host is still visible in the parish church in Seefeld, Austria – as is the melted marble altar rail! For his part, Oswald repented and did penance for the remainder of his life and became a holy man.

            A fourth disposition for worthy reception of the Eucharist is purity – coming to the Lord with a soul cleansed. Consider how much time we spend cleaning the house when we have guests – the more honored the guest, the cleaner the house is. I have some dear friends who I visit frequently, and one day they invited my parents over too. I was amazed that their usually messy house was now immaculate, the kids all wearing their Sunday best…when I come over they don’t even bother putting away their dirty laundry strewn all over their living room couch! If we spend so much time cleaning our houses for a guest, how much more ought we to clean our souls for the Divine Guest to take up residence!

            Back in the 1990s, a mystic named Catalina from Bolivia had a vision of Christ in every Eucharistic Host during Mass. She noticed that when the Host was given to some souls, Christ seemed eager and joyful; for some souls, He appeared less so; for some souls, He appeared repulsed and disgusted. Later, Christ revealed to Catalina that it was due to the cleanliness of their souls that He was either eager or disgusted to enter. So, if we wish our souls to be clean, we live in purity throughout the week, and take advantage of Confession regularly.

            Finally, the greatest of all Eucharistic dispositions is love. The Eucharist is love Himself – let us love Him in return! A powerful way to do that is to offer a “thanksgiving” after Mass – instead of rushing out, or talking to friends, kneel down when Mass is over and speak with Him for a few minutes. No one likes people who “eat-and-run” – at a banquet, we want to linger and enjoy conversation with the host. At this Banquet Feast of the Lamb, we ought to want to linger and speak with Him Whose love for us made Him assume this humble appearance of bread.

            Jesus has His hands full of graces and blessings upon those who receive Him worthily and well, with holy dispositions. He has all holiness, peace, joy, and love, which He is eager to pour out upon souls who want Him. Let our desire for Christ be strong, that we may share in His very life in the Holy Eucharist.

Assumption of Our Lady - Hearts In Heaven

 

Homily for Assumption of Our Lady

August 15, 2024

Mind In Heaven, Body on Earth

 

            “Hey, get out of la-la land.” Anyone’s ever said that to you? When I was younger, I got a lot of “Hey, earth to Joe…” and coaches would always say, “Get your head in the game!”

            It’s entirely possible to be physically present in one place, but our mind is a million miles away. Happens to the best of us on occasion!

            But one could say that Mary’s entire life was such an occasion. Even though her body was here on this earth – eating, sleeping, walking around, taking care of young Jesus – her mind was completely in Heaven, adoring the Lord, desiring Him, praising Him, longing for Him. She never wavered in her desire for Heaven, never wavered in her intimate union with the Lord, even when she was cooking dinner or sweeping the floor. Her interior life was already in Heaven, even while her body was on earth.

            So it’s only fitting that her body would go where her entire mind, heart, and soul desired. How could her body remain on earth when her entire life was focused on God? She desired to see God with her entire life – how could such a burning, all-consuming desire remain unfulfilled by her body remaining here?

            Perhaps our bodies remain here after death because, deep down inside, we actually desire this world far more than God. Of course this world is good in itself, but its goodness is only meant to be a paltry reflection of the infinite goodness of God. Mary saw everything through that lens – a sunrise was a reminder of God’s eternal faithfulness; a cup of water reminded her of the Living Water promised by the Lord; every encounter with another person was a reminder that we are all made in the Image of God. She never loved a thing for itself – rather, she loved all things in relation to God.

            We, however, often love things wrongly, because we make things an end in themselves. This is why our hearts are still tied to the earth, and perhaps why our bodies stay on earth after death, too.

            But we can begin to love like Mary. Even while here on earth, set your heart on the things of Heaven. See everything in relation to God. Our blessings become gifts from the Father. Our daily tasks become gifts we offer back to Him. Our sufferings become ways we are forged in holiness. Our life’s destiny becomes oriented towards our ultimate purpose.

            Mary’s heart was in Heaven while her body remained on earth, and at the end of her life, her body was united to her ultimate desire to be with God. Even while we remain here on earth, our hearts and desires can be in Heaven – and someday, we hope that our bodies may rise there too, to behold God for all eternity.

Ordinary Time 19 - The Eucharist is the Life of the Soul

Homily for Ordinary Time 19

August 11, 2024

The Eucharist is the Life of the Soul

 

            In 303, the Emperor Diocletian began the most violent persecution of Christians throughout the Roman Empire. He forbade them from possessing a copy of the Scriptures, and outlawed all Sunday gatherings to celebrate the Eucharist. In Abitene, a city in north Africa, a group of 49 Christians decided they could not obey this dictate, so they began to gather secretly to celebrate Mass each Sunday. One Sunday they were betrayed, arrested by soldiers, and put on trial.

            The governor asked them, “Do you keep a copy of the Scriptures in your homes?” They replied, “No, we keep the Scriptures in our hearts!” Then, turning to the leader of the group, the governor asked him, “Do you not know that you are transgressing the command of the Emperor by meeting on Sundays?” The leader, a man named Emeritus, responded for them all: “Without Sunday, we cannot live.”

            A fourth-century author, writing a history of the 49 Martyrs of Abitene, commented: “O foolish and ridiculous question of the judge! As if a Christian could be without the Sunday Eucharist! Do you not know that it is the Sunday Eucharist which makes the Christian, so that one cannot subsist without the other?”

            My heart is burning with the connection between the Eucharist and life. We see Elijah in the first reading complaining, “Take my life, Lord, for I am no better than my fathers.” Well, physically Elijah was fine – it was his spirit that was dying within him. But once he had been fortified by bread from the Lord, he received back his strength and could continue his mission.

            Likewise, Jesus declares Himself the “Bread of Life”. There are three Greek words for life. There is bios, from which we get “biology” – the physical life of the body. There is psuche, from which we get “psychology” – the life of the mind in a person who is conscious and thinking. But then there is zoe, which means abundant life, fulfillment, happiness, achieving our fundamental purpose. Jesus uses zoe when He says, “I am the Bread of Life.” Meaning, I am not just something to keep your body together, like regular food – no, I am the abundant life of the soul that your heart longs for.

            Indeed, the Eucharist is the life of the soul, because the Eucharist is the divine life of Christ Himself. If you’ve ever been picking berries at Jones Family Farm, you notice how fresh-picked berries are far, far better than store-bought ones. Part of the reason why, perhaps, is because you are picking and eating berries that are alive, not sitting on a shelf for three weeks. In the same way, ordinary bread is dead – the grains have been ground and baked – but the Eucharist is alive – and therefore it becomes the life of the soul.

            Back in October of 1995, Pope St. John Paul the Great visited Baltimore (I was blessed to be in attendance at that Mass in Oriole Park – although I was much more fascinated by the fact that it was my first visit to a baseball stadium than to the fact that it was the Pope!). After his busy schedule, the last event of the day was a meet-and-greet on the front steps of the seminary in Baltimore. But, as was his custom, the Pope didn’t just want to meet the seminarians – he wanted to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. When he told his entourage this, they had to spring into action and do a security clearance on the building. They brought in Secret Service members with rescue dogs, who had been trained to find people hiding or trapped in rubble. The dogs and their handlers searched the whole building for any bad guys hidden within, but thankfully the whole place was secure. However, their last stop was the chapel, and when the dogs entered, they went directly up to the tabernacle and sat and whined, refusing to move. This was what they were trained to do if they found someone hidden. The handlers were amazed – the dogs had recognized that there is a Person in the Tabernacle, and that this Divine Person is alive!

            Even science confirms this. Every Eucharistic miracle that has been examined by science has recognized that it is living flesh, not dead flesh. In one of the most recent Eucharistic miracles in Buenos Aires in 1996, the Eucharist changed into visible flesh. A small portion was taken and sent to Dr. Fred Zugibe, a leading forensic pathologist, in New York – without informing him of where the sample came from. Dr. Zugibe had no trouble examining it under a microscope and declaring that it was heart tissue, clearly taken from a living person with both red and white blood cells still active at the time the sample was taken. This eminent scientist was amazed when he was told that it came from a Eucharistic Host in Argentina!

            This Living Eucharist gives life to the soul. Consider – what is the destiny of the soul? It is to spend eternity united to God in Heaven. The Eucharist, then, is the foretaste of that union. In Heaven we will be perfectly one with God; in the Eucharist, we are imperfectly one with God – still weak sinners, but truly imbued with His Real Presence. In Heaven, we will see God. In the Eucharist, God is hidden – but truly there nonetheless. In Heaven, we will dwell with Him securely in our homeland; here, we consume Him as we continue on our journey. In fact, the last Holy Communion that someone receives in their life has a special name: it is called Viaticum, which means “food for the journey” – the last meal before the journey into everlasting life.

            So, my friends, I give you two connected takeaways. First, remember that all true spirituality must be Eucharistic. Many people in our world are “spiritual but not religious”, or think that they can have spirituality apart from the Mass. But spirituality is essentially a desire for union with God, and union with God is achieved through the Eucharist. Second, and connected to that, is to resolve in your hearts to never miss a Sunday to worthily receive the Holy Eucharist. In fact, receive Him as often as you can – come to daily Mass if you have time! The greatest consolation we will ever have in our life will be the times we have worthily received the Eucharist here on earth, because that has prepared our soul for the final union with God in Heaven.

            During that Roman persecution, which really lasted off-and-on for three centuries, the Church did not shrink. In contrast, it consistently grew and spread throughout the Roman Empire. But a similar persecution arose in Japan in the late 1580s, and lasted for three centuries – and when Catholic priests were allowed back in the 1860s, they found only a tiny remnant. Why did the Church grow in one persecution and become almost nonexistent in the other? Because in Rome, they still had the Eucharist, while in Japan all priests were expelled and Christians had no Eucharist. Truly, without Sunday Eucharist, we cannot live, for the Eucharist is the life of the soul.