Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time 2018 – “Words of Eternal Life”

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Readings:  Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b; Psalm 34; Ephesians 5:21-32; John 6:60-69

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”  (John 6:41)  What about you, “Do you also want to leave?”  (John 6:67)  Many of Jesus early followers also left the fold on account of this teaching, which they found too hard to accept.  Acceptance of Jesus discourse on the ‘bread of life’ was not well received 2000 years ago and it falls on deaf ears for half of the active Catholics today.  A study was done by the National Catholic Register seven years ago (October 24, 2011) gives credence to the shocking statistic that 50% of Catholics who attend weekly Mass side with the Jews in today’s scripture.  Like the Jews, one-third of doubters do not believe and do not know about Jesus teaching on the real presence.  The remaining present-day doubters (17%) are aware of the Church teaching, but believe Holy Communion is only symbolic.  Why was the presence of Christ in the Eucharist hard to accept 2000 years ago and why does it remain to be a hard teaching today?  Where do you stand, and why?

Jesus words were shocking to the Jews for a number of reasons.  First of all, his claim that he came down from heaven was heresy.  To claim that he was the Son of God was tantamount to claiming divinity.  Secondly, to invite others to eat his flesh was cannibalism and nonsensical.  How could he make the offer to eat his flesh, would it not annihilate him?  Wasn’t it abhorrent and against the Law to eat human flesh?  (Genesis 9:6)  Perhaps some of these same arguments against the real presence are at play today for the doubters among us.  The idea of engaging in cannibalism is still abhorrent when seen on the level of the physical world.  And how can we continue to consume the body and blood of Jesus without diminishing him?  

The Eucharist, like the Cross, is a stumbling block and never ceases to be an occasion for division.  (CCC ¶1336)  If you find it hard to accept this teaching, do not lose heart.  Like most of our beliefs, faith is assimilated over a lifetime and throughout evolves and deepens as we mature in our faith.  So don’t lose heart, God is patient with us just as Jesus was patient with his disciples who were at times “slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!”  (Luke 24:25)  There are some helpful perspectives to consider if you struggle with the real presence – and who doesn’t at time struggle with faith.  I am talking about perspectives, not proofs.  Remember faith believes in something for which there is no proof.  A new perspective is a new way of seeing.  

Jesus told his disciples “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  (Matthew 18:20)  As we gather at Mass today can we trust in the presence of Jesus?  If we cannot trust in the presence of Jesus can we at least trust in the presence of one another?  This too may be a challenge today, because of the many distractions we allow in our lives from dwelling in the past to our preoccupation with tomorrow.  Standing in the present moment is a gift we can give each other now as we gather and pray.  To be truly present to each other as we pray.  

This requires trust; can you trust those around to hold your best interests in prayer as you hold their needs in prayer?  A test of this may be how comfortable we may feel to close our eyes as we sit in the presence of this congregation.  Try this now, close your eyes, and exercise your trust.  With your eyes closed thinking about the many needs in our community that we will voice in a little while.  Let’s begin now by allowing our intention to be present to the needs of each other.  This is the same presence Jesus promises us when we join in prayer in his name.  Trust is how we can be really present to those around us.  This trust is how we can approach the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. 

To be present to each other, as the body of Christ, is to be present to Christ.  By allowing ourselves to be present to each other and to Christ is to allow Christ to be present to us in a very real and immediate way.  Next, we will join with our priest to offer our gifts of bread and wine and pray that God will join us in the real presence – the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ.  When we accept this gift of Jesus presence we will sustain ourselves by partaking in the Body, and Blood of Christ.  As Jesus was both God and man, his body and blood is both spiritual and physical food.  The Holy Communion sustains us in the present and in the life to come in the same way that the Kingdom of God is already present among us and is yet to come.  In eating of the Body and Blood we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes us sharers in his Body and Blood to form a single body.  (CCC ¶1331)  In this way, we come to realize that we are the body of Christ in every way.  To others, this may look like foolishness, but for the believer, we know that this is the source and summit of our faith.  (CCC ¶1324)

CCC – Catechism of the Catholic Church, Liguori Publications, 1994

  1. I am the bread that came down from Heaven.
    1. Jews murmured
    2. Disciples – 
      1. Hard teaching
      2. Will you leave too?
    3. Christians
      1. Most Protestant denominations do not accept this hard teaching
      2. NCR Study on Catholic acceptance at 50%
        1. 30% of Catholic’s doubters don’t know the teaching
        2. 17% of Catholic doubters know but don’t believe
    4. Why was this a hard teaching 2000 years ago and why is it hard to accept today?
    5. Where do you stand on the true presence?
  2. Why was Jesus teaching rejected by so many?
    1. I came down from heaven (Son of God) is a heresy.
    2. Cannibalism
      1. Shock & revulsion 
      2. Against the Law of Moses
    3. Nonsensical – eating Jesus would destroy and diminish him
    4. Cannibalism & revulsion & nonsensical logic are still reasons today.
  3. Like the Cross, the Eucharist is a stumbling block and occasion for division
    1. If you find this a heard teach do not lose heart 
      1. Faith is evolutionary as we mature.
      2. God is patient with his children
        1. Even the disciples of Jesus were “slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!”
        2. Everyone must struggle with his or her faith like Jacob wrestling with the angel of God.
    2. Do not seek signs or proofs.  Look for new ways of seeing 
      1. New Perspectives…
  4. “Where two or more are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”
    1. Today we are gathered in the name of Jesus to pray.
      1. Can you trust that Jesus is present in this assembly?
      2. If not, can you trust the assembly?
    2. We have listened to the scriptures proclaimed
      1. Can you trust that Jesus is present in the Spoken Word
      2. If not, can you trust in the truth of the word proclaimed?
    3. There are many distractions that may erode our trust.
      1. Preoccupation with the past and future?
      2. Let’s take a moment to center us in the present.
        1. Close your eyes.  This is an act of trust.
        2. Take a deep breath and let go of the distractions and be present.
          1. In your nose and release it slowly through your mouth
            1. And again
            2. And again
        3. Now entrust those around you with a prayer for their wellbeing 
          1. For peaceful lives
          2. For meaningful lives
        4. Trust is how we can be present to those around us
          1. This is the same presence that Jesus promises in our prayer
          2. This is the same trust with which we approach the Eucharist
  5. This communal and immediate presence is called the Body of Christ.
    1. Present to each other
    2. Present to Christ
    3. Christ present to us
  6. Next, we will bring our gifts to the altar
    1. The gift of our presence
    2. The gifts of our treasure
    3. Gifts of bread and wine
  7. Together with our priest, we pray that God will be present
    1. To each other as the body of Christ
    2. That we will be present at Christ’s body on earth
    3. That God will be present to each of us as the body and blood of Christ
  8. We partake of this meal so that 
    1. We become what we eat
    2. We share Christ’s presence by going out to the world

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