Homily for the celebration of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
I am going to preach a revival this morning. Who knows, I may even ask for an “Amen” or two. That’s right, for the next three years, we will have a revival. Not just any revival, but a three-year Eucharistic revival. By the end of three years, we hope that those who don’t really understand the Eucharist will come to know exactly how amazing a gift it is. We hope that those who do know how amazing a gift it is will move even more deeply into the mystery.
Let the wonder of the Eucharist be revived in your own hearts!
In our second reading today, St. Paul gives us a quick summary of the origin of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. It is a good summary of the events that took place. “This is my body that is for you…this cup is the new covenant in my blood.”[1] Bread becomes the body of Christ; wine becomes his blood. This is what Jesus says, and we take him exactly as he meant it. St. Paul doesn’t say everything there is to say about the Eucharist in first Corinthians, but the over the years the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit certainly has filled in the gaps.
Here is some bread. I have here the bread that the priest uses in the Eucharist, some large ones and some small ones. We buy them, and they come to us in these plastic bags. Pure wheat; pure water; plain unleavened bread. As bread goes, these aren’t really very good. I strongly prefer a good sourdough with a nice crisp crust and moist, chewy crumb. This bread is not that at all. And don’t get me started on the wine. Sacramental wine is in a category all of its own.
And yet, we bow before the tabernacle. We kneel before the Blessed Sacrament, and we adore. This bread that we buy is just bread. But in the tabernacle we have the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. This bread becomes nothing less than the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are many who participate in Church with us who don’t fully understand this mystery. Actually, none of us fully understand this mystery, but some look only with earthly eyes. They see no change. I have looked hard during many Masses and I have never witnessed with my eyes anything strange or unusual. I can understand how someone might mistake what happens on the altar for something symbolic, a ritual remembrance. “[But t]he truth is that the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. It is not just a symbol. It is not just a remembrance.”[2] The bread and wine do not symbolize Jesus. The become the body and blood of Christ. The bread and wine don’t remind us of Jesus; they become Jesus. Why doesn’t God show himself to us more clearly? I don’t know, but to be honest, the thought of coming face to face with the majesty and awe of God himself kind of scares me. It might be more than I could handle. I am just a little relieved that the body and blood of Christ still look a lot like bread and wine. I find that reality a little easier to bear.
But yet, when we receive Communion, we come into intimate contact with all that Christ is.
We see the priest and hear him say the words that Christ said. But “It is not [even the priest] that causes the things offered to become the Body and Blood of Christ. [It is] …Christ himself. The priest, in the role of Christ, pronounces [the] words, but their power and grace are God’s.”[2] What was once bread is no more. What was once wine is no more. That is why we so reverently care for the Eucharistic hosts after consecration. That is why we keep them not in a plastic bag, but in a beautiful tabernacle. That is why not just anyone carries the Eucharist to the sick.
The truth is that the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. It is not just a symbol.
Bishop Michael Sis
It is not just a remembrance
You may have heard that recent polls have shown that a great many Catholics do not fully appreciate the Eucharist. They see it in purely human terms, not for the wonder that is truly is. If you are one of them, then let me tell you first that I understand how you may have reached that conclusion. Secondly, let me tell you that reality is much broader than our minds can fully comprehend. I was once asked by a non-Catholic why we genuflect before the tabernacle. My reply was simple. We believe that what was once bread (and still looks like bread) is actually the Body of Christ – God himself. With that understanding, the better question might be, “Why do we only genuflect?”
It is sad that so many do not realize just how profound the mystery of the Eucharist is. All of us can benefit from entering more deeply into this mystery. With these two things in mind I invite each and every one of you to our three-year Eucharistic revival. Can I get an “Amen?” Can I get each and every one of you to make a commitment to this cause?
The first year of the revival focuses on the diocese. We began officially yesterday evening when Bishop Sis said Mass and then led a Eucharistic procession through the streets of San Angelo. We walked about a mile in the heat with Bishop Sis carrying our Lord in procession. Anyone looking on had to know that something special was happening, and indeed it truly was. For our part in the Eucharistic Revival, Bishop Sis is asking each of us do three things: – invite, explain, and reflect.[3]
Invite friends and family members to the Eucharist, and then accompany them on their journey to the Catholic Church and to the sacraments. “Jesus is our churches, in the Mass and in the tabernacle. Bring people to him.”[2] This requires us to do two things – move a bit out of our comfort zone to actually make the invitation, and secondly to become inviting. It requires us to become the kind of person that others like to be around and find to be welcoming.
Second, we should become able to explain why we believe as we do, that the Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Christ, in particular by pointing out the Bible passages that relate to the Eucharist. You could start with John 6 to see how important the Eucharist was to Jesus.
Third, we should reflect – like a mirror does. Remember, “[t]he Eucharist is the source of our unity. We mirror the Eucharist when we serve to unite people rather than divide them.”[4] When our friends, your family, and your neighbors look at us they should see Christ reflected in us. How we act, how we talk, and how we live are all important in reflecting Christ.
Finally I’d like to suggest that you take this three-year opportunity to open yourselves to revival. Allow our Eucharistic Lord Jesus to revive, refresh, and restore you!
Let the wonder of the Eucharist be revived in your own hearts! This sacrament – this reality is the source and summit of our Christian life. We are intimately joined with Jesus in the Eucharist! Let’s invite everyone to experience and remind them that here in this Church, each and every day a miracle happens. Jesus Christ, body, blood, soul and divinity becomes truly present. What was once bread becomes body. What was once wine becomes blood. And we, with all of our imperfections receive nothing less than the Lord. Then, let us each be a perfect reflection of Christ!
[1] Sis, Michael, Homily on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, June 18, 2022.
[2] Sis, Michael, Homily June 18, 2022. https://sanangelodiocese.org/eucharist-sis
[3] 1 Cor 11:24-25
[4] Catholic Church, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Ed. (Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 2000), 1375, quoting St. John Chrysostom, prod. Jud. 1:6: PG 49, 380.