June 6, 2010 SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS
6 JUNE 2010, 5:15, 8:00, 10:00
READINGS: Genesis 14:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11b-17
SAINT MARY PARISH, VIROQUA
Introduction: In Luke’s account of the gospel he portrays Jesus nineteen times at dinner. The most important one, of course, is the Last Supper. But the meal in today’s reading is also very well known. The two are connected!
1. In today’s story, great crowds of people have been listening to his message. Now, they are hungry and without food. So, he takes a few fishes and a few loaves of bread; he multiplies them and everyone has his fill. At the Last Supper Jesus is dining with his apostles. They also have a hunger that goes beyond the hunger for bread. It is a spiritual hunger. Jesus satisfies it by giving them his body and blood to eat. You and I share in that same hunger; we share in that same sacred food. It is here, at Mass, where that hunger is satisfied.
2. We say that Christ is present in many different ways in our world. He is present in the Sacred Word we have just heard proclaimed. He is present in the Assembly. He is present in the priest who says, “This is my Body.” He is present in the poor. However, his presence in the Eucharist is a presence unlike the others. You remain you. I remain me. The bread and wine do not remain. Here the Church says that Christ is present par excellence!
Jesus prepared his apostles for this mystery. In John’s account of the gospel Jesus tells his listeners, “I myself am the living bread come down from heaven…the bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” You know, when he said those words some of his followers found his message very hard. John gives us their words. “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Now, Jesus could have won them back simply by saying, “Oh, don’t take this literally. I’m just speaking symbolically.” He doesn’t say that. He says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” John continues with the saddest words in the bible, “As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” We are blessed to celebrate this mystery, to eat his body and drink his blood, every day.
3. From earliest times Christians have recognized Jesus' real, substantial presence in the Eucharist. Tarcisius was a 12 year old boy in the early centuries of the Church; it was a time of persecution, they could not celebrate Mass openly, so they went into the Catacombs of Rome. After Mass, the priest chose Tarcisius to take Communion to someone who could not attend. He priest placed the consecrated Host in a special container that Tarcisius held under his robe near his heart. On the way some boys were playing. They called Tarcisius to join them. When he said he could not, they asked him what he was holding. The priest had told Tarcisius that could not show the "Sacred Mysteries" to unbelievers. The boys gathered around him and began to taunt him. As he held the Host tightly, the boys became furious, hitting and kicking Tarcisius. Eventually a man came who shouted and chased the boys away. The man picked the boy up only to discover he had died from the beating. We call him Saint Tarcisius today!
Like Tarcisius, many Christians have given their lives for the Eucharist – not just in the early centuries, but in modern times. In Nazi concentration camps priests celebrated secret Masses so they and other prisoners could receive Communion. A priest in a Vietnamese prison celebrated Mass by holding a tiny particle of bread and single drop of wine in the palm of his hand.
Conclusion: The Body and Blood of Jesus. It is most sacred to us. We hunger for it. It will give us everlasting life.