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Click here for information on the Knights of Columbus Charity Golf Tournament held on Saturday, June 15, 2024.
Every Sunday we hear a passage from the gospel. The problem is so often we fail to see how each Sunday’s passage ties in with the previous weeks and because of that we miss the big picture. For the last four weeks we have been reading from the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel. This chapter is so important to Catholics because it is at the core of what we believe about the Eucharist, namely that it is the real presence of Christ, the true body and blood of Christ. All of that theology comes to a head in today’s reading. But to understand today’s reading we really have to go back to the beginning of chapter 6 and see how this theme develops.
The chapter started with the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Christ shows his love and concern for people. He cares for their physical needs. But he must do more, he has to care for their spiritual needs also. So we move from that miracle into the Bread of Life discourse that we heard last week. This is God’s self-revelation - I am the Bread of Life. Christ says that he will make himself available to everyone, not just the 5,000 that he fed previously. How? That brings us to today’s reading. Christ makes himself available to everyone through the Eucharistic Bread - my flesh for the life of the world.
From now on all we hear is flesh and blood, eating and drinking. Very different from last week. Today we are taught about the Eucharist and the necessity of it if we want to fully share the life of Christ. Over and over we hear that word “life.” Life of the world, life within you, eternal life. Life everlasting comes through the indwelling of Jesus in the believer.
Now you may not have noticed but I just slipped something very important into that last sentence. Belief. The prerequisite for the Eucharist is belief. Two weeks ago we heard “whoever believes in me will never thirst.” And last week, “whoever believes has eternal life.” That is what Fr. Mike meant last week when he talked about receiving worthily. You see, when we walk up to this altar and hear “The body of Christ”and “The Blood of Christ”and respond “Amen”we are really saying, yes, I believe. And that one simple word may be the most dangerous thing you have ever said. If you believe, truly believe that this is the body and blood of Christ, the true presence of God in your hands, on your lips, in your body, then you will be changed, transformed. No one can touch God and not be changed.
The challenge for a homilist is to get the homily out of the four walls of the church, get it out into the everyday world. I wish I could do that for you, wish I could give you a simple formula, a couple of key ideas or a phrase that would change your life, change you. But I can’t. Each one of us has to answer that for ourselves. We have to ask - am I willing to be changed, transformed today, willing to be Eucharist tomorrow? It might be where we work or volunteer with that person that always wants to talk and we just get tired of listening to them. Will we be Eucharist? It might be at school with the person that everyone says is weird. Will we be Eucharist? It might be on the tennis court or golf course. It might be as we walk around our neighborhood. Will we be Eucharist to those we meet, those we love and yes, those we just don’t love? If we are going to be Eucharist to the world, we have to be willing to sometimes bite our lip, to sometimes choke back that sharp reply, to sometimes say I’m sorry even if it isn’t our fault. We have to be willing to be Eucharist. It might be by a smile, a hug, a word or just being with someone when they’re alone and hurting.
Why do we come back here week after week? Because we need to be transformed. We need God. Not just out there somewhere but in here, part of us, transforming us. When you say “Amen”to “The Body of Christ” and “The Blood of Christ”don’t say it casually, it can transform you!
The chapter started with the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Christ shows his love and concern for people. He cares for their physical needs. But he must do more, he has to care for their spiritual needs also. So we move from that miracle into the Bread of Life discourse that we heard last week. This is God’s self-revelation - I am the Bread of Life. Christ says that he will make himself available to everyone, not just the 5,000 that he fed previously. How? That brings us to today’s reading. Christ makes himself available to everyone through the Eucharistic Bread - my flesh for the life of the world.
From now on all we hear is flesh and blood, eating and drinking. Very different from last week. Today we are taught about the Eucharist and the necessity of it if we want to fully share the life of Christ. Over and over we hear that word “life.” Life of the world, life within you, eternal life. Life everlasting comes through the indwelling of Jesus in the believer.
Now you may not have noticed but I just slipped something very important into that last sentence. Belief. The prerequisite for the Eucharist is belief. Two weeks ago we heard “whoever believes in me will never thirst.” And last week, “whoever believes has eternal life.” That is what Fr. Mike meant last week when he talked about receiving worthily. You see, when we walk up to this altar and hear “The body of Christ”and “The Blood of Christ”and respond “Amen”we are really saying, yes, I believe. And that one simple word may be the most dangerous thing you have ever said. If you believe, truly believe that this is the body and blood of Christ, the true presence of God in your hands, on your lips, in your body, then you will be changed, transformed. No one can touch God and not be changed.
The challenge for a homilist is to get the homily out of the four walls of the church, get it out into the everyday world. I wish I could do that for you, wish I could give you a simple formula, a couple of key ideas or a phrase that would change your life, change you. But I can’t. Each one of us has to answer that for ourselves. We have to ask - am I willing to be changed, transformed today, willing to be Eucharist tomorrow? It might be where we work or volunteer with that person that always wants to talk and we just get tired of listening to them. Will we be Eucharist? It might be at school with the person that everyone says is weird. Will we be Eucharist? It might be on the tennis court or golf course. It might be as we walk around our neighborhood. Will we be Eucharist to those we meet, those we love and yes, those we just don’t love? If we are going to be Eucharist to the world, we have to be willing to sometimes bite our lip, to sometimes choke back that sharp reply, to sometimes say I’m sorry even if it isn’t our fault. We have to be willing to be Eucharist. It might be by a smile, a hug, a word or just being with someone when they’re alone and hurting.
Why do we come back here week after week? Because we need to be transformed. We need God. Not just out there somewhere but in here, part of us, transforming us. When you say “Amen”to “The Body of Christ” and “The Blood of Christ”don’t say it casually, it can transform you!