Fr. Charlie’s Homily – 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 7-25-21 930 am

The Liturgical Year we’re in, we’re reading Mark’s gospel. So, one year we read Matthew, one year we read Mark, one year we read Luke. And since Mark’s gospel is the shorter gospel, they need to do a little fill-in, so over the next few weeks we’ll be reading from John’s gospel the Bread of Life Discourses.

And it gives us a chance to reflect on the significance in the meaning of the eucharist. You notice today as he breaks the bread, he breaks, blesses and gives – the words we use in the Consecration. And so, the reference here is going to take us into that mystery of the eucharist to the point where first the crowds are coming because they see him and they want to make him king. I mean when you think of this, if you were going into war you didn’t have to carry all those provisions, he could just multiply them; it’s (not) like he’d be a good king to have around. But, remember, by the time we get to the end of the bread of life discourse, when he says, “unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood” even some of his own disciples walk away.

That should be a warning to us, of trying to understand what this eucharist is all about. We’ve had the bishops of the United States decide, in this postpandemic time, to try to re-awaken our understanding of the real presence, the importance of the real presence – of us gathering together around the altar to share that eucharist. Unfortunately, the media focused in right away on should Biden be able to go to communion or not. That wasn’t the purpose of what the bishops are calling and bringing us together.

See that’s the problem - we’re bringing religion – and I don’t know if it’s because half the population doesn’t believe in God anymore – but, we’re bringing religion, religious fervor into the political realm, and then find everybody passing judgement and playing God and having no concern for this deeper reality which Jesus is trying to get us to.

Pope Francis is beginning wrote that “Moto Proprio” about the idea that they were going to start suspending this ability to keep saying Latin Masses. Benedict XVI had given us that permission in sensitivity to the older people who were having a difficult time adjusting to the new liturgy. And so, he gave permission for like a church or two in the Diocese to be able to celebrate the Latin Mass for them to come to. Well, all of a sudden, the new generation of priests kinda like that – they don’t know Latin – but they like the Latin Mass, the Tridentine Mass, and they’re celebrating it with their backs to the people, in Latin, and going to the Communion rail separating, that, and the problem and the reason Pope Francis is concerned about this, again, it’s almost like politicizing the eucharist: what’s this eucharist about? What’s it for? It’s to draw us into communion with our God.

I keep mentioning over and over, we’ll get it down, how in the old days, we’d emphasize the sacrifice, which was a later, almost beyond the New Testament time, development of the breaking of the bread; we assume by the Middle Ages was the privilege of this priest, this special person, to be able to say this Latin language, offering to God the blood of his son, this angry father, in payment of the debt. This was redemption.

And Vatican II went back to New Testament times, very much in tune with today’s second reading. And it said, in the breaking of the bread, the whole point is to draw us into communion. That through this depth, of sharing the Body and Blood of Christ; part of the issue is some are wondering now about what the eucharist is. Transubstantiation is always the word we used for it and again, that was the bishops’ concern - that maybe 25% believe that this is the real body and blood. I think if we work with that word we have problems because unless you’re an Aristotelian, who believes in essence and existence, substance and accidents, it’s not gonna work.

So, what we say is, the accidents of – looking like bread, tasting like bread – stay the same, but the substance is what changes. I think a better way of thinking about it, I remember when I was in college, reading Edward Schillebeeckx, the theologian, and he talked about transignification, transfinalization. So, we say “when two or three gather in his name,” Jesus said, “he’s present in our midst.” At that Last Supper, after he said those words over the bread and over the wine, he said, “do this in memory of me.” “Do this in memory of me.”

When we gather together, all of us, holding this memory, God communicates himself. So we don’t need to go to a scientific explanation that’s taking us deeper than the Word made flesh, mingling ours with his, becoming one with him.

So, that’s why it’s so critical for us to receive that eucharist, to participate, and grow together, that if we are in love with the Lord, we can’t hate anybody else. So, that’s that second reading. In Ephesians, the encouragement, to have that peace of the community; the love and the care for one another. That’s the essence of what it means to be a Christian to be a disciple. And the grace comes through this eucharist because as we share that gift, we can see in the spirit of one another, Christ’s presence. And it’s Christ we serve in one another. That’s what heals divisions; that’s what builds us together into the Body of Christ.

That’s why we are grateful today, that as we gather at this table, we are able to share in this mystery of God’s love for us, this bread and wine, as we hold the memory, it becomes Christ present in our midst, that through this commingling - his with us, he takes us to himself, he gets us through death’s door, and prepares for us for that time when we enter… [(unintelligible)…the feast with him.]