Today’s Feast focuses on the Body and Blood of Christ, which is present in our Eucharist, the very heart of what a Catholic is all about.  Vatican Council II reminds us that the Eucharist is the summit toward which we Catholics journey, and from it flows the spiritual nourishment for our daily lives with the Lord.

Regrettably we don’t often reflect on this beautiful reality of our Catholic life.

Today let us turn our attention to this important reality.

I  Context of the Eucharist

Why is this Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ important?

Let’s put it into context. 

Let me briefly review for us our story.

We believe that our loving God created our world and indeed our whole universe.  Loving God whom we call Father created the heavens, the stars, the innumerable galaxies… and created our earth, with its plants, its animals, and all of us human beings.  Loving God shares life and blessings with all of us.  And Genesis reminds us that God’ reaction to creation was, “It is good, very good!”

But something tragic happens to this beautiful and awesome creation of God.

Humanity gets into trouble.

Sin enters God’s beautiful creation. 

You know what “sin” is…

You encounter it every day of your lives, and perhaps even in your own life. 

The ugliness pride and arrogance stain God’s beautiful tapestry of life. 

The cancer of envy and greed misshape and deform life’s beauty.

The malignancy of lust warps and tries to destroy the beauty of love. 

Storms of anger, resentment and meanness deluge people and tear them apart.

Addictions of all sorts hold God’s marvelous creatures in bondage.

How does God react?

Today’s first Scripture reading tells that God chooses a special people to bring God’s message of love and to bring God’s saving action into our world. 

But the darkness of sin continues.

Loving God sees struggling and sinful humanity unable to rise above its sinfulness,

Paul continues the story from here in his letter to the Christians in the city of Philippi when he says that…

loving God does not deem equality with God something to be clung to,

but once again pours out God’s self

and this time God takes on a human nature,

and becomes one of us…

God goes even further.  God faces sin and evil and suffering,

and endures even death itself – death on a cross,

in order to free God’s beloved humanity from the clutches of sin and evil.

Jesus did this for us.

Loving Jesus pours himself out, even unto death… for us.

What does this mean to us?  Do we ever think about it?

How do we need saved? 

What sins stain or tear at the fabric of our life?  

Are we angry too much, torn by resentments, which we can’t seem to get rid of… or don’t want to get rid of – after all, don’t we deserve to be resentful?   But who are we hurting, if not ourselves?

Are we perhaps a little too jealous, or arrogant…

Maybe we’re greedy – but then what’s wrong with wanting all of the pie?  What’s wrong with the Enron story?

Does lust have a hold on us? Porn, and especially internet porn, is a 12 billion dollar a year industry in our country… and it’s a growth industry.  It’s also hurting men who learn to relate to women as sexual objects for their gratification – boy’s toys.

Maybe gluttony runs our lives amok – too much booze, too many pills, too much shopping!

Or maybe sloth slows us down, making us into couch potatoes, selfdom concerned about others, always just wanting to take it easy.

Do we have a sense of our sinfulness, or have we lost all consciousness of sin – our sinfulness? 

Do we realize that our sinfulness hurts God’s creation – ourselves and others, and even our environment?

You won’t hear too much about sinfulness on MTV, or the major TV networks. 

But if you watch Desperate Housewives, or the Sopranos, you’ll see sin in action – and it seems to be so alluring to so many.

Do we recognize that we need God’s help, and that God wants us to flourish, not to become addicted to sin… for sin works ruin in God’s creation?

This is what Jesus came to tell us, and he himself, the innocent one, suffered at the hands of sinners…

he himself was subjected to the Powers of death –

to anger and resentment, envy and arrogance, lies and intrigue.

Jesus even underwent death, death on a cross… to overcome the Powers of Evil in our world by his love and his forgiveness.

Do we realize that Jesus suffered and died for us…

to save us from our sinfulness? 

Or have we forgotten about our sinfulness?

Do we pay too little attention to our need for God’s help in our lives, each day?

Do we buy the Story of our society about the meaning of our lives…

that we are meant to be consumers,

that buying stuff, more stuff, new and improved stuff is what will make us happy and fulfilled,

and that salvation is found in being entertained consumers.

II  The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ

Now we can talk about the meaning of this Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus. 

We gather at Mass today to remember what Jesus has done for us, and to take our sinfulness to the altar and ask God’s saving grace in our life today.

Our sinfulness need not paralyze us or frustrate us,

nor do we need to deny it or pretend we are sinless.

The Mass reminds us that we are precious to God and that God wants us to flourish, to be fully alive. 

The Mass reminds us, and re-presents before us, all that Jesus went through to save us from our sinfulness.

The Mass reminds us how special we are to Jesus, how significant we are in the eyes of God, how much God loves us…  how often we forget this.

Then at Communion time God offers us the very Body and Blood of Jesus to take into our hearts and lives,

as nourishment and strength for the journey of our lives,

that we might live our daily lives as Catholics,

doing what Jesus commanded…

not just being entertained, self centered, self pampered consumers….

But being disciples of Jesus, walking in his footsteps…

What does that mean… the prayer of St. Francis says it so well…

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me bring love,

Where there is despair, hope,

Where there is darkness, light,

Where there is anger and resentment, forgiveness,

Where there is envy and greed, gratitude and sharing,

Where there is lust, mature caring and loving relationships,

Where there is arrogance, a humble understanding of our own worthwhileness, and the goodness of others,

Conclusion…

I believe that is our Christian story. 

The Body and Blood of Jesus remind us of this.

And so we pray,

Jesus, you promised to remain with us til the end of time. 

Help us to recognize you in this Eucharist.

Help us to have a deeper understanding of your love for us, and of how precious and special we are in your life.

Help us to be nourished and strengthened in our reception of you at this Mass.

Help us to walk in your footsteps as your disciples in our world today.    Amen