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Gospel Reflection 20070610

The Holy Spirit is like air or electricity. You can't see those things but you can feel or see what they do.
The wind is invisible yet you see it bend a tree. Electricity can't be held in your hand but you're reading this message on a computer that wouldn't work without it. The Holy Spirit can be recognized by looking for signs of inspiration in other people's lives— especially people in the Bible—and in our own life. The Holy Spirit is a living presence in our lives—just like our heartbeat and pulse— that helps us do whatever we do. The Holy Spirit gives us a boost of creativity or insight or energy or patience or inspiration—whenever we need it— whether we know we need it or not.

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June 10, 2007
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)


Transubstantiation (in Latin, transsubstantiatio) is the change of the substance of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ occurring in the Eucharist according to the teaching of some Christian Churches, including the Roman Catholic Church. In Greek, it is called μετουσίωσις (see Metousiosis).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transubstantiation

THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt1art3.htm


Gospel
Lk 9:11b-17

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God,
and he healed those who needed to be cured.
As the day was drawing to a close,
the Twelve approached him and said,
"Dismiss the crowd
so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms
and find lodging and provisions;
for we are in a deserted place here."
He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves."
They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have,
unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."
Now the men there numbered about five thousand.
Then he said to his disciples,
"Have them sit down in groups of about fifty."
They did so and made them all sit down.
Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,
and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing over them, broke them,
and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up,
they filled twelve wicker baskets.




We celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi by being the Body of Christ, being what we have received. What is important in those words today?
The words today are meant to help us celebrate a feast formerly called simply the Body of Christ, Corpus Christi and now the Body and Blood of Christ. Starting from the 13th century it grew to be a feast with processions and incense and fancy vestments on the priests and servers. They were accompanied by the knights with swords and plumes and all. In some ethnic communities it was a feast with a procession through the neighborhood. In others it was celebrated solely inside the church. Certainly it was a celebration with "bells and smells". The problem was that people had stopped receiving the Eucharist and it became a celebration of a distant Jesus we bowed down to, but seldom touched. It was a celebration in which Jesus seemingly touched us with good ethnic piety, but not with the vigor to go and do what he did. We had forgotten that the Body and Blood are really to be eaten and drunk. Today we listen with new ears to the same readings and with a renewed sense of this Body of Christ not as some untouchable bread, but as us, touchable and needing to touch us as an example of how to be like Him.
In today's feeding of the multitude Luke shows us another lesson of the Body of Christ and the patience of Jesus in forming those he had chosen. The story, again, needs to be placed. The 12 had just returned from a preaching and healing mission. They were trying to get away for some quiet time. But the crowds came and the 12 felt lost in trying to deal with the crowds. So, they ask Jesus to send the crowds away to care for themselves. The apostles understood that what they had was scarce, so it could not be shared with so many. Jesus however knew something more about plenty, so following the ritual of a meal and he took what seemed like limited bread, blessed it, broke it and distributed it for all. He not only fed the multitude, there was so much left over that it could continue to feed. So it is with Eucharist, there is plenty to feed a multitude far greater than we can begin to understand. Is it not so with those called the Body of Christ? There is no scarcity if only we will pay attention.
Our celebration as the faithful, hearing Luke, is to know what the apostles did not know, that the body of Christ is not limited and can feed the whole people and still be left over to serve more.
Perhaps hearing these words of bread we might see ourselves as a lot like this loaf of bread. This loaf is beautiful as a whole; it has some weight to it, it smells good, the surface is great to touch, the color shows being well baked. But it is hardly able to be eaten, much less shared as a whole loaf. If it is broken open it can be shared and feed more than the one holding it. (Here tearing open the loaf symbolizes opening the word and the Eucharist we celebrate) It is a wonder someone could call something soft, crushable, sliced and bagged wonder bread when one notes the wonder of this loaf now broken open. The loaf has a crust and a soft interior, yet all of it is bread. There is no distinction or class here. This one loaf will not feed all, but bits torn off will feed far more than we might have imagined. Paul's word, Luke's word, our word!
Now let us celebrate the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, giving thanks for being called to participate in the Body and Blood coming to be in our midst. Let us give thanks for our coming to be the Body of Christ as we receive the consecrated bread. And let us give thanks for being called to dare to drink in being HIM as we share the cup. Finally, as you are sent out at the end of the celebration, take with you the food you have become and share it with the multitudes who will need to be fed this week. Knowing that only we can try to limit the reality of Jesus and only we can let go of limits we might place on him.




In a short story named "Meridan", a little girl is playing in her back yard, when she discovers a piece of metal. As she picks it up, she recognizes it as a bar of gold. After she digs it up, she carries it into the house to show her mother.
Her mom was busy shelling peas on the back porch and said, "Move that thing out of the way. Don't you see that I'm trying to get supper ready"? "But it's gold", the little girl insists. "Feel how heavy it is. Look how yellow it is. It's gold. It could make us rich".
But her mother wasn't impressed and the little girl felt rejected. So, she takes her bar of gold and puts it in a shoebox and buries it under the magnolia tree in their yard. Once a week, she digs it up and holds the bar of gold in her lap. Then, she does it less and less often. Soon, its only once a month, until finally she forgets to dig it up at all. And then she acts like everyone else, as someone who has no gold at all. I'm wondering if our celebration of Corpus Christi hasn't fallen into that trap too. I'm told that, for many centuries, this feast was one of the most popular in the Church-with processions in the streets carrying the Blessed Sacrament. Apparently that tradition has fallen by the wayside today-especially in the United States.
When this feast was established, it had a twofold focus but, for whatever reason, the focus that got emphasized was the Real Presence of Jesus under the appearance of bread and wine.
The other meaning, which I'm going to try to focus on is that the Body of Christ, (Corpus Christi) refers to the whole people of God-us-you and me. The Body of Christ in the Eucharist is there so that we might be the Body of Christ in the world. To perhaps put it in a different way; the Jesus-presence in the Eucharist is for the sake of the Jesus-presence in the world through us. The Real Presence in the Eucharist is there to make us the Real Presence in the world.
We aren't expected to be a Mother Teresa or an Oscar Romero or Padre Pio or any other 'great' saint for that matter. We can, however, reflect on some of the saints and try to emulate them.
All of us come from different backgrounds and have different gifts from the Lord. Jesus just wants to blend Himself into our lives so that we can bring Him to our world.
What I'm trying to say-what this feast is trying to say-is that we must realize that we are not here alone. Because of our baptism, we are one with believers all over the world. We break bread with them, wherever they are. None of us are just innocent bystanders. We are connected via this feast to people who are sick or in prison or enslaved or whatever. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ.
That is the feast's original intent. Apparently, it has fallen by the wayside. Maybe it's our secular culture or, perhaps more likely, it's because we have venerated the Body of Christ from afar-only on the altar or in monstrances. Maybe it's because we have not become the Body of Christ to the world.
What I'm trying to say is that, in the beginning, this feast was not just a passive feast--with us only gazing on the Real Presence. We must remember that this feast has an active element also. And, that active element is us-showing the Christ in us to the world.
So, in a few moments, when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, let's remember our faith, not only in the Real Presence in the Host but also Jesus' Real Presence in us too. That's why we're here. And, that's why Jesus nourishes us, so that we can nourish others.
We are the Body of Christ. When we realize that, maybe then the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ will become more appreciated again. It would be nice, wouldn't it? Let's not 'bury' our gold.



We still find people who want to live in the past. "The Mass was so much better then". In Latin - with the priest celebrating and the people silent. "Much more reverent". This some 40 years after Vatican II [1962 - 1965] when it was decided the Church had migrated away from the people, out of their reach, away from their understanding, away from their God given obligation to participate and through their participation to spread the news - to mission.

Picture the scene - Priest facing the Altar - his back to the people - speaking, singing, chanting, the words in a language you mostly did not understand - or learned parrot fashion. A splendid celebration 0 incense - magnificent vestments - and the tabernacle - gold [gilded], ornate - high on the wall above the altar, housing the Body of Christ - for all to see - for al to reverence, kneeling in adoration - untouched - untouchable!! was this what our Lord wanted? Was this why he celebrated the Last Supper with his friends?

Now picture this scene. Leonardo de Vinci's Last Supper. One of the most copied pictures of art in all the world. Have you seen it? Do you have a copy? If so look closely - this is the artists concept of the first Mass - there is no altar, no altar rail, no white hosts, no altar servers, no Latin, no vestments. The "congregation" is gathered around Christ - with him - sharing his physical and Eucharistic presence in common bread and wine in their native Aramaic language.

Note this - we cannot understand the Mass unless we understand the Last Supper - we can't understand the Last Supper unless we understand the Jewish Passover meal - we cannot understand the Passover meal unless we understand what it celebrated - the Exodus - the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

Jesus and his disciples were celebrating a ritual meal. Jesus did not invent the themes of the Passover meal - he took a meal already there, heavy with liberation themes, and gave it a new dimension. The change he made and the emphasis he out on this already highly established, symbolic, ritual meal, would bring the theme of freedom to its fulfillment. His death - the next day ("... My body, broken for you ... my blood, given for you ...") would give genuine release to all.

The covenant between God and man remembered - reenacted - every year in the Jewish Passover meal, suddenly took on a new dimension. "This is my body - for you" "This is the new covenant in my blood".

The young Church was not concerned that Jesus was truly present in the Bread and Wine, or how he was present - he just was present - that's all. But what really mattered was what Jesus was doing - what demands was he making on them in that ritual meal? Jesus was not there as a passive presence - to be marveled - he was active! He had something to say, and he needed someone to say it - proclaim it - "Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death - the true Paschal Lamb, laying down his life that we might live. The ritual sacrificial meal originating in God's deliverance of the Israelites culminates in Jesus' deliverance of all mankind on the cross, and that, for us, is not the end. That for us is the beginning. Jesus, the new covenant is alive in us, we consume him, and he consumes us by this celebration, and we are empowered by him to pass on the ongoing history of salvation. We are called to make the crowds welcome - and talk to them about the kingdom of God - and feed them the bread of life. Yes silent adoration is required - silent adoration has its place - reverence of the Blessed Sacrament is most honorable and should be encouraged - but then we are asked by our Lord to feed his sheep - pass on the message of salvation. Are we ready for the challenge ... "This is what I received from the Lord, and in turn pass it on to you". Let us pray the courage to do this in our world, in our time.

posted by Mike Young @ 7:16 PM