Homily for Corpus Christi Sunday Year C 2016
Genesis 14:18-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Luke 9:11b-17
Introduction
One way Catholics mark the great truths we believe in is to observe
them with feasts. And so we have Advent
and Lent, Christmas and Easter, marking the great events of our salvation. But there are a few more truths of our faith.
Last Sunday we celebrated Trinity Sunday, highlighting that
our God is both one and three persons.
Today we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of
the Lord. For some people, Corpus
Christi is simply a city in Texas, while for others, it is "hocus pocus", a parody of Corpus
Christi by those who make fun of the Eucharist.
But for Catholics, this feast of Corpus Christi celebrates an important
element of our faith. If Trinity last Sunday
reminded us of who God is, today's feast of Corpus Christi reminds us of how
God saves us.
Scripture and Theology
God saves us through the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. While today's feast
highlights this truth in a big way, every time we come to Mass we hear again
and again that our salvation comes from the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
For example, at the consecration, the
priest, while holding the host, repeats the words Jesus used at the Last Supper
as St. Paul reminded us in the second reading, saying, "Take this all of you and eat of it, for this
is my body which will be given up for you." Two things should strike us when we hear those
words.
First we must believe that the host is
truly the Body of Christ. After all that
is what Jesus said himself, and what Christians have believed from the very
beginning. Even Martin Luther, the
Protestant reformer, while he disagreed with the Church on many things, he strongly
believed that we must take Jesus at his word, when he commanded his followers
to take bread and eat it as his body, and the cup as his blood. That why our response to those words of the
priest is to bow in adoration at the host lifted high up for us to see. That is why in Ireland, for example, they
have the custom of saying at this time: "My Lord and my God," the
words Thomas blurted out when he finally saw the Risen Lord.
But did you notice that Jesus did not just say
"this is my body?" He also
added "which will be given up for
you." In other words, besides
being the Sacrament of Jesus Christ, the
Body and Blood is also his sacrifice. The
body we adore, the body and blood we eat and drink at communion, is a body that
was sacrificed, given up for the life of the world, for the forgiveness of
sins. The Body and Blood of Christ at
Mass make his sacrifice present for us in a very real way and allow us to
participate in its fruits. That is why just
before communion, the priest holding up the host over the chalice says: "Behold the Lamb of God, Behold him who takes
away the sins of the world, blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb."
The priest reminds us that the host and wine we are about to consume are
not only Jesus himself, but they are the lamb of sacrifice, offered for the
sins of the world. And then when we
realize the great mystery Sacrament and Sacrifice before us, we borrow the
words of the Centurion and say, "Lord,
I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof . . . ."
If you listen carefully to the words of the
Mass, you will hear the word "sacrifice", "my sacrifice,"
"your sacrifice" said over and over again. A sacrifice is essentially a gift we give to
God, to represent our devotion, our complete selves. But because there is really
nothing of value that we can give to God, not even the old sacrifices of sheep
and goats, Jesus generously told his disciples to offer his sacrifice in the
form of bread and wine, just as he did at the Last Supper, on the night before
he was to offer the actual sacrifice on the cross. It is like when parents give their children money
to buy a gift for the other parent, for Mother's Day or Father's Day. We too give to the Father, something of value,
the sacrificed Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, under the form of bread and
wine. That is why after the
consecration, we sing the words: "When
we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death O Lord, until you
come again." This is because at
Mass, at the Eucharistic celebration, together with our sufferings, our own
praises and thanksgiving, we offer the Body and Blood of Christ to God.
Christian Life
What does this feast of Christ's life-giving
Body and Blood, of his saving Sacrifice mean for us personally?
·
Thankfully today, there is a resurgence
of belief in the Real Presence of Christ, with many churches having benediction
and some even having round-the-clock adoration.
Come, let us adore the Lord.
·
As for sacrifice, there is also
a return to understanding what Jesus did for us as a sacrifice. There is even an appreciation that we too
have to offer our own sacrifices. For example,
on Memorial Day weekend we remember the men and women who serve their nation, by
putting themselves in harm's way, offering their lives as a sacrifice. Also, there is slight increase in the numbers
of men and women, entering seminary and convents to become priests, brothers
and sisters, to offer their lives as a sacrifice to God and their brethren. We cannot forget the daily sacrifices of mothers
and fathers who are up all night taking care of crying babies, but especially
raising children in the Christian faith, when this is not the popular thing to
do. Our belief in the Jesus' Sacrifice
of his Body and Blood seems to be inspiring our own small and big sacrifices.
But besides being the Sacrament of Jesus'
very Body and Blood, and his sacrifice, the Eucharist has a third meaning,
communion. The Body of Christ which we adore and offer in sacrifice should
build up the Church Body of Christ. That
is why we call it communion; the Eucharist enables us "become one body, one spirit in Christ" both on earth and finally in
heaven. Perhaps an image that best illustrates
this meaning of the Eucharist is the 1987 movie, Babette's Feast.
Babette, a French woman works as a
housekeeper for two Norwegian Spinsters, daughters of a Lutheran pastor. The sisters live modestly and are exemplary,
but the church community left behind by their father is now filled with animosity
and division. After working seventeen
years, Babette wins the lottery; and now she can return home. But before she does so, she asks the sisters to
allow her prepare for them and their church community, a lavish meal to
celebrate what would have been their father's hundredth birthday.
The meal is a great success; the food is
delicious, the wine exquisite and the company enjoyable. But something even more beautiful happens;
enemies forgive each other and broken friendships are restored. Babette's feast, like the Eucharist restores
communion.
But that is not where the analogy with the
Eucharist stops. At the end of the
story, all the hard work, all the sacrifice Babette put into preparing this
meal is revealed. But most importantly,
it is also revealed that to prepare this wonderful meal, this meal that brought
back unity to the community, Babette had spent all the money she won from the
lottery. She was back to being dirt
poor.
Conclusion
And so, the next time you receive
communion, when you hear the words: "The
Body of Christ," and you say "Amen,"
remember you are professing three things:
·
First, that host is a sacrament;
that while you see and taste bread, see and taste wine, it is really the Body
and Blood of Christ himself you are receiving.
·
Second, that host is also a
sacrifice; the Body and Blood that you are receiving is a body sacrificed,
blood poured forth, for your salvation.
·
Third, when you receive that
host, the Body of Christ, you commit yourself to build up the Body of Christ,
the Church, here on earth and in heaven.
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