Last Sunday we celebrated the Most Holy Trinity; what we call the mystery of our faith. This weekend’s feast of Corpus Christi is just as much of a mystery; the real presence of Jesus, that is, his real body and blood in the bread and the wine of the Eucharist. Last weekend I was in Glennallen and as I mentioned in my homily last weekend concerning the mystery of the Holy Trinity, some people have a problem with mysteries. There are also many people who do love a mystery. Mystery books, mystery movies all have big followings as long as they know the mystery can eventually be solved. But tell people there is no answer to a mystery, and many people get frightened. And that’s what makes today’s feast so difficult for many; that there is no answer, at least not one that we will understand in this life. But for those who have faith and trust in Jesus’ words, the mystery is not so great.
The institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Mass is clearly expressed in all four Gospels, as well as St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. We most commonly attribute the institution of the Holy Eucharist to the accounts of the Last Supper in the Synoptic Gospels. But St. John also gives us a more expanded teaching on the Eucharist. It comes in his Gospel right after Jesus’ miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish, of which we heard Luke’s account today. But in John’s Gospel where Jesus is speaking to the large crowd of his disciples, he tells them “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” He continues on and tells them they must eat his body and drink his blood. Many of his followers questioned him and said, “How can this be?” A very reasonable question, and a question that we still ask today; but the answer is beyond reason. A question that is answered only by faith. So, Jesus repeats himself, even more emphatically; “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” Continuing on in John’s Gospel, many of his followers begin to walk away thinking Jesus was mad. But what was even more important is what Jesus didn’t do. He didn’t call them back and try to tone down his words and tell them not to take him literally. He meant exactly what he said, and he knew that they understood him perfectly.
Jesus has given us the Eucharist, which is his real presence. The Eucharist is truly his body and blood. Yet it remains a mystery for us, and we are still asking “How can this be?” It all comes down to faith; ——faith in Jesus, who tells us; “This is my body. This is my blood.
At the Last Supper, Jesus knew what the next day held for him. So, he left the Apostles, and us, with the great gift of the Eucharist to let us know—— to remind us, that he will always be with us, truly in body and blood. When Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, he gave it to his disciples saying; “Take this and eat it. This is my body which will be given up for you.” He didn’t say “This bread is like my body.” Or “This bread represents my body.” He said, “This is my body” And likewise with the Cup. He said, “This is my blood.” That is at the core of our faith as Catholics. We must believe that. If we don’t believe that, we have a hollow faith. Jesus has been present at the banquet table for all these centuries, making himself available to all who sincerely believe and love him. His invitation is as strong today as it was 2000 years ago; “Take this and eat it”.
To help us believe, God has allowed, from time to time, visible miracles of the Eucharist to occur. These are miracles that have occurred during Mass when the bread physically changed into the form of flesh during the consecration and the wine physically changed into the form of blood during the consecration.
In the year 1263 a priest from Prague was on route to Rome making a pilgrimage asking God for help to strengthen his faith since he was having doubts about his vocation. Along the way he stopped in Bolsena, 70 miles north of Rome. While celebrating Mass there, as he raised the host during consecration, the bread turned into flesh and began to bleed. The drops of blood fell onto the corporal, the small altar cloth. The following year, 1264, is when the Feast of Corpus Christi was instituted by Pope Urban IV. The blood-stained corporal can still be seen in the Basilica of Orvieto north of Rome.
Another such miracle occurred in the year 700 in Lanciano, Italy. A monk who feared he was losing his vocation was celebrating Mass, and during the consecration the bread physically turned into flesh and the wine into blood. That miracle took place over 1300 years ago, but the flesh and blood can still be seen today exposed in a monstrance and a glass chalice in a chapel in that city. Both of these miracles have been authenticated by the Church along with many others that have occurred throughout Church history.
In a short while, Fr. Jaimie, at the altar, will repeat the same words as Jesus at the Last Supper. Listen to the Eucharistic prayer carefully. Every priest during Mass, acting in “Persona Christi”, that is, the person of Christ, calls upon heaven. Heaven opens up for us briefly and Christ’s’ sacrifice on Calvary becomes present to us so that we can receive him in Holy Communion. I say it becomes present to us, because it’s not happening again. There was only one sacrifice on Calvary. During Mass when heaven opens up, time also opens up. Remember time is an earthly concept. We may be controlled by time, but heaven is not. The one sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary is extended through time to us at every Mass, so Jesus can truly say to us, “This is my body which will be given up for you.” The great gift of the Eucharist is a Holy Mystery, and we are led into that mystery in the Eucharistic Prayer. It’s up to us to proclaim our belief in that mystery whenever we come up to communion. When Fr. Jaimie, or the other ministers say to us, “The body of Christ” and “The blood of Christ”, we respond with “Amen”; proclaiming “Yes, I believe.” We can’t let that be just an automatic, empty response. That must be our proclamation of belief.
The “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Eucharist is a big challenge to our faith in the Church today; but it’s also the biggest comfort to those who believe. Once we truly believe that the Eucharis is Jesus’ Body and Blood, we can find the courage to stand firm in our faith and also make it much easier for us to see how it is the source of eternal life.
In our first reading today, Melchizedek made an offering of bread and wine. Earlier in the Book of Genesis, Moses made a sacrifice of a bulls’ blood. All through Old Testament history God’s people made sacrifices in thanksgiving to God; but these sacrifices were imperfect, as they had to be repeated over and over. Jesus’ was the perfect and eternal sacrifice. The Hebrews had no hope of survival except to have a blind trust in God. Every time that they turned from God they got into some kind of trouble, but when they returned to God, he would always receive them with open arms. And so, it is today, we must have faith in God. If we want to meet Jesus; if we want to have a closer relationship with him, we’ve come to the right place, to the Eucharist. He tells us, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” We could not be closer to Jesus than when we receive him into our own bodies.
Three weeks ago, Annie & I were in Rome. Going to Rome has been on our bucket list since before I was ordained. We spent 12 days there, so we had a lot of time to visit and tour the Vatican as well as many of the other historical sites in Rome and many of the other large Basilicas around Rome. Being Catholic you have to love a city that has approx. 900 Catholic Churches. In that city the history of the Church really comes alive, especially when being able to tour the catacombs underneath St. Peters, to many of the Pope’s tombs, and then eventually all the way to St’ Peters tomb; actually seeing the bones of St. Peter. It was amazing. And of course, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel were highlights as well. Annie, being an artist, was overwhelmed by the artwork, and me, being a rockhound, was amazed at the stonework. The immensity of the work that went into those places and the other major Basilicas in Rome is mind-boggling, all built long before there were any power tools or even electricity. But it’s easy to get caught up in the beauty and the grandeur of everything and overlook the real meaning of it all; what it was all built for. There was one thing that I always looked for upon entering any of the Churches. One thing that I always look for upon entering any Catholic Church; the most beautiful thing of all, and we also have it right here at St. Michael’s as well. You don’t have to go to Rome. It’s that red light near the tabernacle. That tells me that Jesus is present here. Not just in spirit, but in body as well.
Today’s feast of Corpus Christi should inspire us not to forget what Jesus did and continues to do for us through the Eucharist. Through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, we find the strength to persevere in this world and also receive the Blessed Hope and the assurance of our salvation. What a great gift that Christ left for us. May Jesus in the Eucharist always be the very center and heart of the Church, the center and heart of our faith, and the center and heart of each of our lives.