Homily for the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ 2010

For the last few months we have been doing what Paul was doing as he told it in the second reading from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. He was handing on to the people of Corinth what he had received from the Lord Jesus: "That on the same night he was betrayed Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it and he said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me,' In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said,'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.'" Parents, teachers, catechists, group leaders and the Parish have been handing on to these children making their First Communion, the life given to us by the saving death and resurrection of Jesus.

One of the most distressing things to witness is a neglected or abused child. Occasionally I witness a child in whose family the only word the child hears is a put down or worse. And the only touch the child receives is to be struck. That kind of rejection, as you know, can lead to deep problems in life as the child grows. Ordinarily when a child is hurt or is distressed the only cure it seems is for the parent is patience and an embrace. No words are enough. Only the comfort of an embrace can heal and reassure the child. In reality it is often the only thing that heals any person, young or old, when they are hurt. Such human contact is a prerequisite for physical and spiritual healing.

All the Sacraments do the same thing. Through them Christ touches and embraces us in our human frailty and mortality. It happened last night as the Bishop and priests lay their hands on the children in Confirmation and anointed them with the Sacred Chrism. Words are not enough to express God's desire for our happiness. It happens again at the Eucharist. What is the Mass then? Nothing less than a grateful gathering of God's family to be fed and nourished at the Table of Life by the very Word of Life, Jesus Christ, present in the Sacrament.

The Gospel of Luke we read today (Luke 9:11-17) tells of the feeding of the 5000 men and, we presume ,women and children. It was customary at that time in the middle east for men to eat separately from women and children. Jesus feeds the crowd in this semi formal setting in groups of 50 people each. It was not a desperate situation. It is not said that the people were starving. It was just that it was time for them to think about an evening meal and a place to rest for the night. Jesus is very much here offering life. He was not curing people of disease but suggesting that what sustains us for our life's journey is the gift that God can give. All that the disciples had were five loaves and two fish. That was obviously not enough to feed so many people. And when you think about it, all that we gain in material goods is never enough to satisfy our deeper needs.

Nevertheless, Jesus does not reject the small offering nor laugh it off. No, he accepts the offering, small as it is, and with it feeds the crowd with plenty left over. And even though we might think we have little to offer and labour in vain to provide for our families and never quite get ahead of the endless stream of bills that come, what we are able to offer is quite enough for God transforms and to nourish us with what is essential. The Sacrament of the Eucharist points to this action of God by giving us Jesus. He is our Bread of Life. Both internally and externally we are fed.

Coming to Mass each Sunday does not serve any useful purpose even though there always are many useful actions arise out of out presence together. Our problems do not automatically go away and the world does not seem to change much. Because our celebration of the Eucharist is at it's heart simply prayer, an act of worship. Each week we recall our need for every word that comes from the mouth of God. We are together taken up into Jesus' prayer on the cross through the Sacrament. Jesus prayer was heard by the Father. This is confirmed by his resurrection. His presence in the consecrated bread and wine confirms for us that Jesus' prayer is always heard even today. Our only response is thanksgiving and the resolve to live the Gospel.

For these children making their First Communion today and for all of us this is God's embrace, God's healing and comforting touch. It is given through Christ and his Body, the Church. So there is a seamless identity between the Body and Blood of Jesus given and poured out for us that we receive from this Table, and the Body and Blood of the Church that we are becoming by the giving and pouring out our lives for others. It was the disciples who did the distribution of the meal of five loaves and two fish. Jesus simply directed them. So, too, he directs us to make use of the work of our human hands to continue to feed and nourish our families and our world particularly those in need. Nourish for the journey of life not just with material things but the life which comes from God.

Fr Graham