HOMILY FOR FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI (MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST)—B (MODIFIED 2012)

TODAY IS THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST, THE CELEBRATION THAT WE COMMONLY CALL CORPUS CHRISTI.  THIS CELEBRATION WHICH BECAME PART OF THE CHRUCH’S LITURGICAL CALENDAR IN THE 1200’S HAS A THEME THAT RELATES TO US IN TWO WAYS.

FIRST, THE BELIEF IN THE REAL PRESENCE OF CHRIST ON THE ALTAR IS ONE OF THE MAIN PILLARS OF CATHOLICISM, ONE OF THE THINGS AT THE HEART OF OUR RELIGION AND THE KEY TO OUR REDEMPTION AND SALVATION.  RECEIVING THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST RAISES US TO A DIFFERENT WAY OF EXISTING.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EUCHARISTIC AS THE KEY TO REDEMPTION AND SALVATION WAS CLEAR EVEN AT THE LAST SUPPER WHEN THE SACRAMENT WAS INSTITUTED.  FOR THE ELEVEN, ITS GRACE CEMENTED THEM INTO A COHESIVE GROUP.  BUT IT WAS ALSO THEN THAT JUDAS DEFINITELY SEPARATES HIMSELF FROM THAT GROUP.BY REJECTING THE MEANING AND GRACE PRESENT IN THAT SUPPER.

 SECOND, IT RELATES TO OUR MISSION, WHAT WE SHOULD DO.  AND, AS WE’LL SEE, THAT MISSION IS ESPECIALLY RELEVANT TO US SINCE OUR CHURCH IS NAMED IN HONOR OF THE SACRAMENT OF CHRIST’S BODY AND BLOOD.

FIRST POINT: TODAY IS A CELEBRATION OF CHRIST’S BODY IN TWO WAYS.  FIRST IT IS A CELEBRATION THAT CHRIST CAME AS A HUMAN FOR OUR REDEMPTION WITH A BODY LIKE OUR OWN, CONDITIONED BY BIRTH, DEVELOPING THROUGH LIFE AND UNDERGOING THE MOST PHYSICALLY TERRIBLE OF DEATHS.

WE ALSO CELEBRATE CHRIST’S BODY IN A SECOND WAY.  WE CELEBRATE HIS BODY AS IT IS PRESENT TODAY IN THE FORM OF BRE AD AND WINE, THE FOOD OF OUR FAITH.  WE LITERALLY TAKE INTO OUR BODIES THE BODY OF OUR SAVIOUR.  WHEN WE RECEIVE COMMUNION, THERE IS, IN A SENSE, A NEW INCARNATION.  GOD BECAME FLESH IN JESUS.  WHEN WE RECEIVE COMMUNION, GOD IS YET AGAIN INCARNATED BUT THIS TIME IN US.  GOD DWELLS IN US AS HE DID IN JESUS.

JESUS CHRIST, IN HIS BODY, HIS BLOOD, HIS SOUL AND HIS DIVINITY, BECOMES ONE IN SUBSTANCE WITH OUR BODY.  WE ARE RAISED FROM ONE LEVEL TO ONE YET HIGHER, FROM THE MERELY HUMAN TO THE DIVINE.  THUS WHEN THE FATHER BEHOLDS EACH OF US, HE SEES HIS BELOVED CHILD, JUST AS HE DID WHEN HE GAZED ON JESUS.

WE HAVE BECOME IDENTIFIED WITH JESUS.  WE AND HE ARE ONE AND THE SAME.  WE ARE THUS REDEEMED FROM A LIFE OF NO MEANING TO ONE INFUSED WITH THE ULTIMATE AND MOST COMPLETE MEANING, FROM A LIFE AS A SPIRITUAL ORPHAN TO A LIFE AS A CHILD OF GOD, A CHILD OF GOD JUST AS JESUS WAS.

THE SECOND POINT IS THIS.  WHEN EACH OF US RECEIVES COMMUNION TODAY, WE WILL WAIT IN LINE.  WE WILL BE BUT ONE OF MANY.  THUS IT IS NOT ONLY GOD’S VISION OF US THAT IS TRANSFORMED WHEN WE RECEIVE CHRIST’S BODY AND BECOME ONE WITH HIM.  OUR VISION OF EACH OTHER MUST BE TRANSFORMED.

IF WE FULLY GET IT, IF WE FULLY PENETRATE THIS EUCHARISTIC MYSTERY, WE ARE EMPOWERED TO SEE EACH OTHER AS GOD SEES US: AS A PERSON WHEREIN DWELLS THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST.  AS THE FATHER LOOKS AT US AND SEES THE SON, WHEN WE LOOK AT EACH OTHER WE SHOULD SEE JESUS IN OUR NEIGHBORS’ FACE.

AT THE WORDS OF CONSECRATION, THE BREAD AND WINE UNDERGO TRANSUBSTANTIATION INTO THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST.  AT OUR RECEPTION OF THE BODY AND BLOOD WE UNDERGO A SIMILAR TRANSUBSTANTIATION OURSELVES.  WE APPEAR THE SAME, BUT WE ARE CHRIST.  MAYBE THIS IS WHAT JESUS MEANT WHEN HE SAID IN MATTHEW 25, WHEN YOU DO IT TO THE LEAST OF THESE, YOU HAVE DONE IT TO ME.  I AM YOU, AND I AM ALL OTHERS.

THE WRITER C.S. LEWIS PUT IT THIS WAY.  “NEXT TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT ITSELF, YOUR NEIGHBOR IS THE HOLIEST OBJECT PRESENTED TO YOUR SENSES.”   CHRIST’S BODY IS IN EACH OF US JUST AS IT IS IN THE BREAD AND WINE.  WE EVEN HAVE THE HONOR OF CALLING OURSELVES AND OUR CHURCH THE BODY OF CHRIST.

THERE IS A FURTHER IMPLICATION: NOT ONLY DOES GOD’S GAZE TRANSFORM US AS INDIVIDUALS AND NOT ONLY DOES GOD’S GAZE TRANSFORM OUR NEIGHBORS, GOD’S GAZE TRANSFORMS OUR WHOLE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY, OUR CHURCH.  WE AS THE PARISHIONERS OF BLESSED SACRAMENT ARE INDEED A BUILDING BLOCK IN THE ENTIRE BODY OF CHRIST, THE CHURCH.

FROM THAT POINT COMES OUR MISSION.  IN INSTITUTING THIS SACRAMENT JESUS GAVE HIMSELF TO ESTABLISH A NEW COVENANT.  NOW WE TODAY UNDERSTAND THE WORD COVENANT TO MEAN A CONTRACT THAT DEFINES RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS.  I GIVE THE CLERK THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF MONEY, NO MORE AND NO LESS, AND THE CLERK GIVES ME THE PINT OF BEN AND JERRY’S CHERRIES GARCIA ICE CREAM, NO MORE AND NO LESS.

BUT THE DIVINE COVENANT IS DIFFERENT.  IN THE DIVINE COVENANT BOTH PARTIES OFFER THEMSELVES FULLY TO THE OTHER, JUST AS JESUS OFFERED HIMSELF FULLY TO US ON THE CROSS AND OFFERS HIMSELF TODAY FULLY TO US ON THE ALTAR.

WITH CHRIST IN US AND WE IN CHRIST, WE MUST DO AS HE DID.  JUT AS HE OFFERED HIMSELF FULLY TO US, WE MUST OFFER OURSELVES FULLY TO CHRIST WHEREVER WE FIND HIM.  WE FIND HIM ON THE ALTAR.  WE FIND HIM IN OUR NEIGHBORS.

SO WHEN WE FEED THE HUNGRY, GIVE WATER TO THE THIRSTY, CLOTH THE NAKED, TAKE CARE OF THE SICK AND ELDERLY, VISIT PRISONERS, AND PROTECT THE SANCTITY OF LIFE, WE DON’T DO THESE THINGS BECAUSE WE’RE SOCIAL WORKERS OR POLITICAL ACTIVISTS.  WE DO THEM AS A PEOPLE IN WHOM GOD DWELLS.

FOR US HERE IN THIS CHURCH TODAY, PARISHIONERS OF A CHURCH NAMED AFTER THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, WE ESPECIALLY WOULD SEEM TO HAVE A SERIOUS OBLIGATION IN THAT REGARD.