Years ago, I was teaching a class where I was discussing going on pilgrimages to Marian apparition sites, when someone asked me why we need to go to such places, since everything we need spiritually is right here in our church at home. My response was that sometimes we need to go to a faraway holy place to be open to the grace to appreciate what we have at home. Little did I know that I was talking about myself.
When I journeyed to the Marian apparition site of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina for the first time, I received the grace to see the gifts of the Church in a whole new light. I realized that God supplies us with everything we need spiritually through the day-to-day life of our parish church. The sacraments, the prayers, the devotional life - all these are there for me.
Above everything else is the Eucharist. The night before I went to Medjugorje, I attended Mass at the beautiful cathedral in Zagreb, Croatia. As I went up to Communion, I had a very strong sense that no matter what extraordinary experiences I might have at the apparition site, nothing would be as important as what was about to happen - receiving Christ in the Eucharist.
As Catholics we believe that, through the prayers of the priest at Mass, the bread and wine are transformed into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the Risen Christ. When we receive Communion, we receive Christ himself, really and truly. Our belief in the Eucharist is affirmed by Scripture, as we see, among other passages, in today's Second Reading, as well as by the writings of the earliest Church fathers and by the lived experience of countless Christians throughout the centuries.
Indeed, if we truly appreciated the Eucharist, we would spend half our time preparing to receive Communion and the other half thanking God for this great gift. An important part of our preparation is to be in the state of grace. If we are conscious of a mortal sin, that is to say a sin that ruptures our relationship with God completely, then we should go to Confession before receiving Communion. As we prepare for Mass, we should also express with our attire our belief in the Real Presence of Christ. In the summer heat, we might be tempted to dress for church as if for the park or beach. But let us remember that we are in the presence of our Lord and Master, the maker of the universe. Already on our way to Mass, we should place ourselves in a spiritual state of mind. When we arrive to church, we should spend a few minutes in quiet prayer to prepare. When we receive Communion, we should do so with the utmost reverence, showing with our gestures the true significance of the moment. After Communion, we should spend some time in quiet prayer, welcoming Christ into ourselves and giving thanks for God's infinite love for us.
Our profound encounter with Christ through the Eucharist should not end with Mass. We are to live out the meaning of the Eucharist in the way we live our lives. We see in the Gospel reading for today Christ sharing abundant food with the people. We too should share our resources, our life itself with the people God has placed in our lives. We can do so in a variety of ways - the main thing is for us to share of ourselves so as to give others life. We may not think that we have much to share, but, as it has been said before, Christ asks us to share the little that we have and he will produce an abundance out if it, just like he did with the loaves and fishes.
The theme of self-sacrifice is central to the Eucharist. Through the Mass, we are transported across time back to the sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross. As the priest transforms the bread and wine with his words, we are mystically taken across the centuries and placed before Christ dying upon the Cross for our salvation. Just as Jesus gave his life for us, we are to give our lives for others. Just as Christ was broken for us and the consecrated host is broken by the priest, so too we are to be broken for one another by giving of ourselves to the others in our lives.
The mystery of the Cross is that the more we accept suffering joyfully for each other, uniting our suffering with the suffering of Christ, the more peace and abiding joy we will experience. The more we give of ourselves, the more we will receive. Let us, therefore, imitate Christ and give abundantly.
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The readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Cycle C are:
Genesis 14:18-20
Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Luke 9:11b-17
The full text can be found at the USCCB website.
Photo Credit: Adoration in Medjugorje by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2019.