For the past three years in America, we have been preparing for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, which will be on July 17-21 in Indianapolis, Indiana USA. Thousands of people from four corners of America and faithful Catholics from other countries will converge to worship, adore, and celebrate mass together with the papal envoy, His Eminence Luis Cardinal Tagle, DD. We gather together to experience profound and personal renewal through the power of Christ’s love in the Eucharist. This is a kind of a new Pentecost to bring revival in the church to return and believe in the very source and summit of our Catholic Faith, the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
As we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ this year, I am mindful of the tremendous importance of renewing our faith in the sacramental presence of God in the Eucharist and especially in the meal of the gifts of consecrated Bread and Wine that bind us so closely to one another as the Body of Christ. We thank God for the increasing number of Catholics coming back for the celebration of the Eucharist in person, singing praises of God, hearing the word proclaimed and sharing the meal of sacrifice Jesus has given us.
The epistle today, taken from the 1st letter of St. John, expresses the need of putting other’s needs before ourselves which is the pursuit of sacrificial living, and this is precisely what Jesus did for all of us. He offered Himself for us on the cross and instituted the Eucharist as His perpetual presence here on earth. This is what John says is how we know what love is. St. John says, “Let us not love in words nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” Our love is manifested, not so much through what we say, but through what we do – our actions and deeds.
We live in a world today that is so full of anger and hate. We have been overwhelmed by the depth of hate messages and threats that some of us have received, purely for doing our jobs. OK, we may or may not agree with their perspective or points of view, but when did it become OK for those who call themselves Catholics or Christians to show anger towards others? I believe that it’s absolutely not OK to do that.
What is happening to the world today? We see it on social media, we see it in road rage, we overhear it in conversations… wars going on, so much anger that is just bubbling under the surface. And what the world needs now, more than ever before, is a counter-cultural witness from us, the Church, the living out of an alternative way of being, which is based on kindness and compassion and respect. I am sure that kindness is the greatest gift that we have to offer the world in this day and age.
Our Lord Jesus Christ often uses the phrase ‘one another’: Love one another, encourage one another, pray for one another. But it never says: Judge one another, scrutinize one another, humiliate one another, shame one another, embarrass one another, point out one another’s failings… We are to use words and actions only to build up one another and never to seek to destroy one another. That absolutely is not the way of Jesus Christ, who is present in the Eucharist. Thus, we must choose how we live. Are we going to live with kindness and compassion, putting the needs of others first, or are we going to use our words and actions to humiliate and undermine and destroy others? How we live is our choice…and the way of Jesus Christ is to choose love.
It is God’s will for us that we choose to love others, not only in words but also in actions. And when we choose to love through our actions, together we can make a huge impact on the world. Together, we are stronger and become true and faithful to Christ in the Eucharist, for Jesus instituted a sacrifice by sharing His Precious Blood, as its own form of the Eucharist.
The gospel from St. Luke narrates to us this parable of Jesus. Jesus says, “a certain man made a great supper, and invited many.” So here’s a big party, free of charge and the invitation is available. During the olden days, there was no speed mail or any electronic invitations to check in, but the one inviting would just send servants to remind the people a week or a month before the big celebration begins. So we know that it was not the first time they heard about the invitation.
In the same way, how many times have we heard about God’s invitation for us?How many Sundays in a year have you accepted the invitation to partake in this banquet? God has given you an invitation to come and celebrate, to love Him for you to be blessed, and to come in order to grant you grace and forgiveness and to shower you with His blessings.
God’s invitation is not potluck, for us to have reasons not to act right away. How do people respond? The scriptures say, the first said, “I have bought a farm, and must need to go out and see it, I pray thee hold me excused.” Another said, “I have bought 5 yoke of oxen and I go to try them. Please excuse me.” Still another said, “I have married a wife, and therefore, I cannot come.” Those are the best excuses these people can come up with. What is ours? Does God’s invitation simply not matter to you personally?
What is possibly more important or precious than spending time with Jesus and hearing His Word? A dance competition? A basketball or volleyball tournament? Family reunion? What’s more important than our Lord? Please look into your heart. Have you made excuses before but now you don’t want to miss Jesus in the Eucharist and be angry or hateful towards others?
My role as your priest is to give you the right guidance and to simply remind you again about Christ’s bleeding heart especially for those who are lukewarm in their faith. This is my clear message.
The basis of this celebration is that Jesus gave Himself for you and not only that, but that He rose from the dead to redeem us and ultimately stays with us forever through His Eucharistic presence.
You shouldn’t ignore God’s presence in the Eucharist because, through this Sacrament, emanates or springs His abundant grace, for we do believe it is the summit of our Christian life. That’s not why He gave it to us.
Think about the full measure of Jesus’ joy in your heart, the joy of the Son of God, perfect and complete and holy in every regard, and the joy and delight He had with the Father and the Holy Spirit before time began and that they still have today at this very moment. It is offered to you and moves into your heart and fills your whole life because Jesus is your Savior and He did everything for you, and in His grace, He invites you to share His joy every day. How many people in the world miss out and ignore this invitation because they lack faith and never understand His sharing His fulness of life and joy?
Today as we celebrate Corpus Christi, we become more conscious that the sacrifice of Christ is for all, and that the Eucharist thus compels all who believe in Him to become “bread that is broken and shared” for building fraternal fellowships in the world. Each of us is truly called, together with Jesus, to be broken for the life of the world.
Finally, we must prepare for the Eucharist each time we receive Jesus by our fidelity of living-out our mission, “Ite, Missa est…” always resonates in our ears that the mass has not yet ended but it is a dismissal in order to begin our understanding that we are being sent to love and serve the Lord. We claim our real identity as His Holy Body and Blood. Each of us is challenged to pour ourselves out for others as Jesus did; and the entire community is equally challenged to BE CHRIST for others.
May the Body and Blood of Jesus transform us to be a caring and a loving person in our own family and community.
Fr. Arlon, osa
