Homily Feast of Corpust Christi
Homily Feast of Corpust Christi
Something has seemed out of sync with our worship over the last three months. Before March, if you were to ask Catholics if they might like to stay at home to watch Mass on their smart phone rather than go to church, they might have said that sounds like a good idea. But it has not been very satisfying.
Some things in life are meant to be experienced in the flesh. Take a major league baseball game for example. What if we drove all the way to watch our favorite team play, but once we got there, we sat in the parking lot in our car for nine innings listening to the P.A. system inside the stadium, but never going in? And after that, what if we drove home without speaking to anyone. How many of us would say that was a satisfying? None of us would.
Let’s imagine we got to the game, but we were not allowed to stay for the whole thing. We were told to leave after 4 ½ innings. Even if we believed baseball games are too long, we wouldn’t be unhappy to only see half a game. We also wouldn’t be pleased if we couldn’t eat peanuts, popcorn and cracker jacks. We would be disappointed if we didn’t get to sing, Take Me Out to the Ball Game. We want to have the whole baseball experience.
The other night, I heard people who are part of the A.A. program sharing their experience of the pandemic. Many had tears in their eyes. A.A. members haven’t been able to go to regular meetings. Zoom meetings have been substituted. Such an arrangement sounds like a good use of time. You don’t have to drive to a meeting. You don’t have to wait around for it to start. You might also meet people from all over the world at a Zoom meeting which gives you a different sense of community. But as one young woman said, “I miss the chit, chat that goes on before the meeting. I long for the experience of having a cup of coffee with others afterwards. I miss talking to people in the parking lot.” Another man said that he missed seeing familiar faces that he might see also at the grocery store or driving down the street later in the day. Battling addictions isn’t easy without face to face encouragement, without a pat on the back, or a hug.
If we were to ask Catholics what the Eucharist was before the experience of the last three months, a typical Catholic might say that the Eucharist is a host that has been consecrated at Mass. In other words, the Eucharist is a sacred object that we worship. The host is the Corpus Christi. But all Catholics have learned, in a most dramatic way, recently, that the Eucharist isn’t just a sacred sign. The Eucharist is a liturgical action that we engage in with other believers.
Traveling to worship is part of the experience. The polite conversations that we have before Mass as we greet other believers is part of the Eucharist. The sharing of scriptures is essential to Eucharist. Preaching is one of the principle parts of the Mass. The congregational singing enhances the liturgy. Yes, even the offertory helps make the Eucharist the Eucharist.
We say that the Eucharist is about celebrating the true presence. We come together here as the Body of Christ. We have learned in a very practical way that the true presence is not just in the consecrated bread and wine that we consume together. But the true presence of Christ is in the other believers we meet at church. Each person is an image of Christ. Has the last three months been totally without spiritual benefit? Have we not only been deprived of the Eucharist, but have we been deprived of all grace? The answer is no. Sometimes a Eucharistic fast can lead to greater holiness.
Some of the first saints were our desert fathers and mothers. The hermits who lived in the Egyptian wilderness, in the time of the early church, would go for years without attending Mass. Simeon the Stylite lived in the 5th century. He longed for solitude. He tried to stay alone in a hermitage, but people kept coming to him day and night seeking his counsel. Eventually, he began to live on a platform atop a 75-foot-high pillar in an ancient ruin. He lived on that small platform for 37 years. He became known for his holiness and many people came to him asking for advise. His humility was legendary along with his kindness. As he lived his life of penance, he gradually became more attune to the liturgical life of the church. One aspect of this is that whenever Simeon ended a long fast, he concluded with a Eucharistic celebration. His fast from the Eucharist caused him to treasure it more when he received it.
We have learned a lot these past weeks about our faith. Many of us now know we need the ritual that is the Mass in all its fullness. The Mass is not a spectator sport it demands full active participation. Eucharist means thanksgiving. We give thanks that the Eucharistic fast is over for us today.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do I think of the Eucharist as an action I participate in or as the consecrated host? Why does it make a difference?
2. What have I missed most about Mass the last few months? What would make my Eucharistic experience better?
Dear Parishioners,
We are slowly trying to open our parish church for sacramental celebrations. We have run into some complications as we have tried to complete the work in the church. Some of the ornamental limestone designs, that the stained glass is anchored in, is damaged. This will require repairs that we were not expecting. Thankfully, there seems to be only two windows that are problematic. We hope this only sets us back a couple of weeks.
I hope to start at least one daily Mass in the church the week of June 22nd. Eventually, we will return to having 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Masses Monday through Friday. We also have set dates for First Communion and Confirmation in July. Please call Debbie Patronagio at our office if you have a child that was scheduled to receive sacraments this spring and you have questions.
Other work continues in the church. We our putting in LED light bulbs. This will have some initial cost, but we will have a lot of savings over the long run and we will use less energy which will be better for the environment.
We also are putting a permanent camera in the church so we can live stream our Masses whenever this is necessary. The cost of the equipment will be around $4,000. If you would like to donate toward this project just drop an envelope in the collection marked “livestream.”
I hope Our Lady and all the angels and saints watch over you this week.
Fr. Mark