Feast of Corpus Christi (John 6:51-58) “A Mature Understanding”
Feast of Corpus Christi (John 6:51-58) “A Mature Understanding”
When I was a child, I was fascinated by the tabernacle on the high altar of our church. I was told that God was in the bronze box that stored the Eucharistic hosts. As a child I struggled to understand how God could fit in that box. I tried to wrap my brain around the fact that the Body of Christ was taken out of the tabernacle to feed the people who came to Mass. I was like the Jewish people who listened to Jesus in the Gospel of John, I was repulsed by the cannibalistic descriptions I heard. Such is the literal way children perceive things.
As I grew older, I wanted to understand in a more mature way. I realized that that the Eucharist has many levels of meaning. The words of Thomas Aquinas’ prayer in preparation to receive the Eucharist can help us grasp the far-reaching implications of the Eucharist.
He says:
“Grant, I pray, that I may receive not only the Sacrament of the Lord’s Body and Blood, but also the reality and power of that Sacrament. O most gentle God, grant than I may so receive the Body and Blood of your only Begotten Son, which he took from the Virgin Mary, that I may be made worthy to be incorporated into the Mystical Body and to be counted among its members. O most loving Father, grant that I may in the end gaze forever upon the unveiled face of your beloved Son, whom I, a wayfarer, propose to receive now veiled under these species: Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.”
Aquinas’ prayer symbolizes three levels of meaning. We speak of this as the true presence of Jesus.
1. The Eucharist is a banquet of spiritual food that we receive. The Eucharistic food becomes a part of us physically as any food does. Jesus is bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh.
2. The sacred passion is renewed when we celebrate Mass. We are reminded that Jesus’ body was broken for us, his blood was poured out so that we many experience the gift of reconciliation with God and others. What a grace it is to be able to get a fresh start when we have sinned!
3. We also receive the pledge of future glory. The Eucharist is a heavenly food that we will continue to consume forever.
The most important Theology of Eucharist is that the sacrament is food for the journey. We read from the Book of Deuteronomy today. Moses reminds the people of the mana they received in the desert when they were starving that fed them so they could keep moving forward. We recall today how the People of Israel were led through the desert by the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was a throne, under that throne was a box containing the Law. God sat on the Throne. Even though God was invisible the people knew the Lord was present. The ark was a reassuring sign as the People of Israel overcame many obstacles on the road to the promised land.
Today, we have a Eucharistic procession which reminds us of who we are. We are reminded of what we are supposed to be about. A consecrated host will lead our Eucharistic procession. The Eucharist is the sign that God leads us, God also walks with us, sometimes God pushes us along on the journey from behind. The most reassuring thought is that we never journey in life alone. Jesus is always with us. We are his pilgrim people. We don’t know what lies ahead, but we move forward in faith.
Lastly, and most importantly, we are reminded by this feast that Jesus isn’t meant to be left here in the church in the tabernacle. Jesus is to be carried out into the world by we, his disciples. We have been given a mission. Our procession reminds us that Jesus is meant to be a reassuring sign to everyone. The Lord’s true presence is encountered by others when our actions reflect the words and actions of Jesus. Jesus should never be confined to one moment. Nor should Jesus be limited to one place. Jesus’ presence should be dynamic, an ever-growing reality in our world. With God’s help it is up to us to make that happen.
Reflection Questions:
1. How did I understand the Eucharist as a child? What do I remember?
2. Have I grown in my understanding? How so?
Dear Parishioners,
In 1923 our present church was consecrated. This was a joyful day in April of that year. Several thousand people were present. Years of planning had taken place that led to our Gothic church. Many more years would be needed before the debt was retired. The Great Depression was on the horizon. Little did the people gathered that day know that economic catastrophe was right around the corner. If they would have known, they might have stopped the construction. Such are the risks we take when we try to invest in the future.
We will be having several events that commemorate the centennial of our church. The next one will be on July 9th when we will have an outdoor Mass. After that Mass, we will bury a time capsule near the cornerstone of our new additions. This capsule will contain artifacts from the original cornerstone and historic items from today. Perhaps sometime in the future parishioners will dig up this capsule and reminisce about all of us.
We will be announcing more activities in the coming months. I hope that everyone can take part in these celebrations.
May St. Damian continue to intercede for us as we complete the building process.
Fr. Mark
P.S. Thanks to all those who worked so hard on our secondhand sale. It seems to have been a big success. We will move forward with the audio-visual project in the Gathering Center soon because of the funds raised.
P.P.S. Congratulations to all public-school students on their graduation. Everyone is now out of school for the summer, so all graduations are official. May God bless our young people as they move forward with their lives.