June 23, 2019

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Deacon Kevin O’Boyle

This weekend the Church celebrates the Solemnity honoring our Lord’s great gift to us—the gift of Himself, given with His own hand and perpetuated through the actions of His priests, acting in persona Christi, and making present and available to us that same Eucharist—where we can honor, worship and receive the whole body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus in the form of bread and wine. This is no symbol, but rather the real presence of Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls it the Source and Summit of our Faith.
 
This past week, in my family, you may have heard that we had true reason to celebrate in the person of Keegan Dennis Oboyle, second grandson to Mary and I and second son of my oldest child Dan and his wife AnneMarie. While this birth was certainly eagerly awaited and expected, as all babies should be, Keegan’s timing was a bit of a surprise as he arrived about 4-5 weeks ahead of his due date. That made him a Preemie and added a level of precautions and treatments. Mary and I could not even see him until Wednesday, his third day of life—and even then, while in the same room with him, we could not touch him. We had to “scrub in” to be in the room with him. He may be in the hospital a few weeks because they want to make sure he is eating properly. I think some things about Keegan’s birth can help us as we explore the Eucharist on this day—but first, let’s turn to today’s Scriptures.
 
In our first, very brief reading from Exodus, we see Abram (who will later be Abraham) meet Melchizedek, the priest king of Salem (later to be called Jerusalem) who, prefiguring Jesus at that Last Supper, offers bread and wine. Jesus, as the priest-king of the heavenly Jerusalem, will offer bread and wine as a true re-presentation of His self-offering on the Cross. So, we see in this very brief reading a packed message foreshadowing Jesus blessing and feeding us with bread and wine.
 
Our second reading from First Corinthians is a brief statement where Paul recounts the Truth about the Last Supper. He says what he received from the Lord, that on the night he was betrayed he took bread and wine and ordered the apostles to do this in remembrance of him. He closes by saying for as often as you eat this bread and drink the chalice, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
 
For our purposes, it is important to note from scripture that this brief passage from First Corinthians is taken from the middle of two other passages. Immediately before this passage, there is a description of abuses at the Lord’s Supper. Paul’s comments in our reading this morning are meant to emphasize what should be happening at the Lord’s Supper. Finally, in the section right after our reading today, Paul cautions about receiving the Eucharist Unworthily. He calls on us to examine ourselves before communion, lest we be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. More on this in a few minutes.
 
Finally, in the Gospel, we hear Luke’s account of the feeding of the Five Thousand with three loaves and two fish. I think we learn from this account at least two things—that Jesus understood the human need for nourishment and that He will give in abundance. The story itself, of course foreshadows the Eucharist where Jesus will give His own Body and Blood as spiritual food.
 
So, what does all this mean? First, Jesus, for all time is the High Priest, offering Bread and Wine. The Bread and Wine He offers to us is His own Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.
 
Second, Jesus understood the need for human nourishment. We saw that in the Gospel, in the feeding of the 5000. In seeing this, we should also be confident that Jesus knows our need for Spiritual nourishment in the form of grace received in the Eucharist. He calls us to that nourishment.
 
Third, we must be careful to approach the sacrament worthily. That means before each Eucharist we should do an examination of conscience. Are we free from mortal sin—that is, have we committed any serious sin and not yet brought it to Confession? If married, is our marriage in conformity with Church law? Are we Catholics who share in belief of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist as the Church teaches? Have we observed the hour fast before Communion? The Church provides help in all these areas. But you must reach out and start the process—Go to Confession. Speak to a priest or deacon about your marriage situation. Receive the sacrament worthily. Jesus wants to feed you with His Body and Blood.
 
Finally, reminiscent of Paul’s reprimand of those in Corinth—we should be dressed and address the sacrament properly. When we approach the Eucharist, we are approaching the King—and yet sadly, especially as we move into the summer months, we see folks dressed more like they were going to a gym then to meet the King. Would we dress in gym shorts and a tee shirt to meet the Queen of England or the President of the United States? Perhaps we should consider that when we come here to meet the Lord. And once we come to meet him there are specific ways in which we should do so:

1. You may receive the Body of Christ either on the tongue or in the hand—it is your choice.

2. As you approach the priest or minister, bow your head in reverence and respond “Amen” to the phrase, “The Body of Christ” from the Priest, Deacon or Extraordinary Minister Holy Communion. In doing so, you are acknowledging the Truth of the statement—saying “so be it”.

3. If receiving on the tongue, be sure to stick your tongue out and be clear about your intentions.

4. If receiving from the hand, wait for the sacred host to be handed to you. Do not grab it. Position your hands one on top of the other, forming a throne for the Blessed Sacrament. Once it is placed there, pick it up with your other hand, and consume it immediately. Do not walk beck to your seat with it.

5. Receive the Blood of Christ in a similar way. Respond “Amen” confirming the minister’s statement, “The Blood of Christ.” Take the cup, take a sip, and return it to the minister. Do not try to wipe the lip of the cup with your finger.

6. Remember, you receive the full Body and Blood of the Lord when you receive either species, however, receiving from both the host and the cup is a fuller sign and is strongly encouraged.

7. If you cannot receive for some reason, it is perfectly acceptable to approach the priest or deacon for a blessing by crossing your arms over your chest.

Remember our experience with our grandson Keegan? Keegan is learning to eat, and once he does, he can go home. Remember how we had to prepare to meet Keegan? So, should you prepare and dress to meet the Lord in the Eucharist. Imagine the joy we had as grandparents seeing our grandson Keegan for the first time. May we all feel the joy of and love of Jesus as we approach Him in the sacrament of the Eucharist.  And that is something to think about this week. God Bless.