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2023-06-11– Corpus Christi ●● Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a ●● Psalm 147 ●● 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 ●● John 6:51-58 ●●
TITLE: Corpus Christi
[_01__] The Book of Deuteronomy has a distinct literary style and purpose, in that the entire Book of Deuteronomy is in quotation marks. It's not air quotes, because Moses is trying to make some sort of symbolic point or emphasis in with air quotes. But the entire Book of Deuteronomy is in quotation marks because the entire book is a speech by Moses, at the end of his life. Before he dies, Moses is giving his deathbed speech. And he's reminding the people in this part when they were hungry, that God fed them in the desert with the manna from heaven.
[_02__] The manna was a mysterious
substance, which they had never seen before, but did in fact, tide them over.
The word Manna actually does not translate as “bread”, but as a question: “what
is it?”
What is this mysterious substance? They were still
in the wilderness. The manna momentarily solved their hunger problem. But it
also asked invited them to ask the question on who were they really relying on?
Who were they trusting in and who do you and I trust in?
[_03__] There are trusted people listening to Jesus today. Some of his disciples, they trust him. This is John chapter 6, we read of Jesus’ debate with “friends”… with “enemies” and some who could be called “frenemies”. There hung around Jesus for the good times, the miracles and a free meal
They were friendly
to Jesus but fundamentally disliked his teaching. Now, Jesus is asking everyone – the friends,
the enemies, and the frenemies to recognize he is going to lay down his life,
and bless us with his Body and Blood in the Eucharist.
And in our final Communion meditation today, we will
pray the words and sing with help our choir, cantor, organist, “we adore you, o
Christ, and we praise You for by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world”
= Adoramus Te Christe.
In John 6th
chapter, today, Jesus reminded them that
their ancestors ate the manna in the desert and still died. In other words,
there is more to life than getting earthly food and material things.
[_04__] And,
is not true that even earthly banquets give us “nourishment” that is more than
simply more calories and carbohydrates?
In 1991, a good
friend visited our house in my hometown
for the first time. He originated as my friend, someone I knew, but quickly
endeared himself to the whole family and became a friend to all of us. My
mother cried when he departed our home.
[_05__] He came from Japan and was
travelling in the U.S. Our house was his
first stop for about a week.
On the final day of
his stay, we went shopping so he could
prepare us a typical Japanese meal with Kirin beer and everything which we very
much enjoyed.
Right before
dinner, my sister returned home and was dropped off by a neighbor who wanted to
know what was going on in our house.
We told our
neighbor about our Japanese visitor, the meal, everything to which she said,
“You have such an interesting life!”
My mother thought
this was funny because hey it was just one meal, just one night !
But, is it not true
that sometimes we have such treasured memories about a Thanksgiving, a
Christmas, an Easter, a birthday party,
that that meal can stand for or symbolize our lives.
This is what the
Eucharist and new Passover is meant to be.
It's not just a symbol, it is Jesus's Body and Blood. It is his whole life given to you and me.
Now, why do you come to Sunday Mass, to church? You
might say, Padre, I don't really come to mass just for the eucharistic prayer
because that's the same every week almost the same every week. Padre, I come to
mass because I want to hear the readings and the homily and maybe the other priest
instead of you once in a while.
Because readings change every week and homily
changes every week. And the Eucharist seems to be the same every week. You're
right. But you are changing every week. I am changing every week and we need
different graces from Holy Communion every week and it invites us to change.
Father Ronald Knox,
writing about the Holy Eucharist: “we cannot estimate the value or gift of the
Holy Eucharist by any human standard of “rarity” – availability. We confuse value with the price in dollars
online or in person, or because a product (object) is difficult to come by
…therefore it is worth a great deal or that because an opportunity to enjoy a
thing may be rare, that opportunity should not be lost.”
We are tempted to
devalue “church” and God’s Real Presence for example because He is available 24
x 7 and 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 am, 52 Sundays a year and more on Holy Days !
The Church is here all the time
for you – not because your worship and prayer are less valuable – than the
latest and greatest tournament or concert, but because they are more valuable.
Taylor Swift’s
concert performance at MetLife was not an act of charity. Your prayer is.
[_06__] The reason I treasure our family meal and Japanese cuisine memory was not because it was “rare” and “one time only” but also because it was a high point of an ongoing journey and relationship in our family family.
The moment neither
stands alone – nor defines – our family connection.
The family
connection defines the one-time event, not the other way around.
I am not saying we
had a perfect family – far from it !
[_07__] I am saying that family meals and
connections – over time – are made possible also by more than a desire for excellent
cuisine or the secret sauce or perfect table setting
To come to a family
table, or to come together in any community, or marriage or even workplace
requires that we are seeking more than our own personal satisfaction.
The Eucharist today
is not only about what you receive but also about what you give.
This is a new
Passover which is
also meant to be a liberation and a new journey which will – at
times – make us hungry.
But we gain
forgiveness and freedom – Forgiveness = Freedom ! because we have the
opportunity – in the church – to confess our sins, to bring our sorrow and
humility before God.
It is important to
note what we give back God in act of repentance. It is not our sins. It is our
sorrow for our sins. Sins are bad. Sorrow
is good.
Similarly, when you
sit down at table, for a family meal, you also come with your own sinfulness,
your own brokenness. But, you also come to the table not to lament what you did
wrong, but rather to come to the table in repentance, to give your sorrow and
humility to your family, to your loved ones. This is Good News
In this regard, you are united by God who knows what you need before you ask Him. Nevertheless, ask Him. This is the Body of Christ. Amen. [_END__]
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