August 12, 2018

19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Real Presence …Real Consequences

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

“Magister adest et vocat te.” This Latin phrase has been impressed in my memory as long as I can remember. Taken from John 11:28, they are found in the stained glass window over the central doors of my parish church. Happily, the pastor translated the phrase. They are the words of Martha to her sister, Mary. Our Lord had come to Bethany and Martha ran home to Mary and announced: “The Teacher is here and he is calling you.”
 
How fitting that they be placed over the entrance of a Catholic church since they capture so well our belief that within our churches Our Lord is really and truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. In this 6^th Chapter of the Gospel of St. John, Our Lord unfolds for his disciples his teaching on the extraordinary gift that he would give the Church at the Last Supper and indeed in every Holy Mass.
 
This Presence transforms this building from a community hall into the dwelling place of the Most High. Surely Jesus is present to us in his Word, in the community, in the person of the priest at Mass, and in the poor and suffering, but in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist he is really, truly and substantially present in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. This is why we refer to the Eucharist as the “Blessed Sacrament.” The other sacraments are indeed holy since they are vehicles of divine grace; but only the Eucharist is the very presence of Christ Himself.
 
Many of Our Lord’s listeners found this teaching so unnerving, even revolting. That bread would become his flesh to eat and that wine would become his blood to drink was so difficult to comprehend or accept that St. John sadly relates that many disciples deserted Our Lord. Nevertheless, Our Lord meant what he said and did not “back pedal” to win them back.
 
Theologians have grappled with the question of how bread and wine become Christ’s body and blood at the consecration of the Mass.
 
The best way they have come to explain this change is found in the term, “transubstantiation.” Years ago, my nephew on his visit to the center of the universe—Hamilton, New Jersey—asked his eight year old son, John to describe his experience preparing for First Holy Communion. John was excited as he related all the activities of the program. At one point he said, “Uncle Tom, last week my teacher brought in the host, the wafer so we could eat it…but don’t worry, it was before transubstantiation.” I replied, “I want to meet your teacher!”
 
Transubstantiation means that after the consecration, the bread and wine still look, feel, taste, and smell like bread and wine. These are called “accidents.” They remain but the change occurs in the substance of the bread and wine. A thing’s substance is beyond the reach of human senses. This is expressed poetically in the Sequence of the Feast of Corpus Christi: “This is the truth each Christian learns, bread into his flesh he turns, to his precious blood the wine. Sight has failed, nor thought conceives, but a dauntless faith believes, resting on a power divine.”
 
Belief in this Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist does not come from my reading or skill. It comes from faith, from the humility of mind to accept what may seem to be unbelievable! This belief has consequences!
 
The first consequence is recognizing that the tabernacle is the “heart” our church. So we should never pass in front of the Tabernacle without genuflecting or at least bowing. It is witness to others and a way of saying, “Lord, I believe you are here!” The lighted sanctuary lamp is not a mere part of our décor but a reminder, a sign that the Blessed Sacrament is present.
 
The second consequence is resolving to create a climate of reverence and awe within these walls. Key to this effort is the need for silence that is conducive for prayer. Let’s be frank: our churches can be very noisy, even unsettling places rather than havens of peace.
 
People can so often carry on conversations of all sorts before, after, and throughout the Mass. Years ago, a parishioner told me of his annoyance in coming to church. He said, “Father…I have a demanding job in New York. I commute every day. I am tired and busy when I get home. I have a wife. I have five kids. My mother in law is over all the time. Where can I find peace if not in the church?” Should we not be in awe of the divine presence and respect our neighbors desire and right to pray in the Lord’s House? I should take to heart the words of a 4^th century hymn, in fact, #207 in our missal: “Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand; ponder nothing earthly minded, for with blessing in his hand Christ our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand.”
 
The third consequence is being more alert to the divine actions that take place at Mass, especially at the moment of consecration. Here now is a point that is rather mundane but worth considering. We are fortunate to have restrooms in our church. How often I see people go and return from the rest room at the very moment of the consecration…with little thought of what is taking place. They are not intentionally disrespectful, only distracted or thoughtless. We should not move from our places at the consecration and if we are returning from the rest room at that moment let us pause until the consecration is completed.
 
The fourth consequence of our belief in the Real Presence is by making a worthy Communion by observing the one hour fast, by frequenting the sacrament of Penance and by a prayerful thanksgiving after we receive the Eucharist. That moment after Communion is so precious, a time to speak to the Lord about all that is going on in my life…my family, my relationships. We have so many intentions to bring to the Lord.  
 
St. John Paul II urged the Church to rediscover our sense of “Eucharistic amazement.” It is an amazing gift that helps us to realize that within these humble walls in Hamilton, “Magister adest et vocat te!”