By Deacon Richard Hay
“Jesus and us; with us; for us; in us.”
In my last homily, I shared with you about how we had entered into Ordinary Time in the Church’s liturgical calendar – the longest season in our church year. I also described it as anything but ordinary.
Well, we are four weeks into a five week stretch in this anything but ordinary season where we have been in the gospel of John – in the sixth chapter – in what is commonly described as the Bread of Life discourse. Including next week’s gospel, in this five week stretch, we will have heard 57 of the 70 verses from the sixth chapter of John’s gospel. Just 13 verses are left un-proclaimed over these five Sundays.
While all the scriptures we hear at Mass are important, to hear this much of a single chapter from one of the gospels over five consecutive Sundays is significant. It means – pay attention – this is important. The bread of life – the most Holy Eucharist – the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ’s true presence in this sacrament is one of the most important parts of our faith. We receive this gift from God at this and every mass we attend, that gift is present at every mass and in every tabernacle around the world including ours. This is no mere symbol and our belief in this core tenant of our faith is one of the things that differentiates our church from other churches who simply view the bread and wine as symbols.
For us this is real, and the bread of life accompanies us throughout our lives in so many ways.
Over the last month or so, I have had three unique encounters with today’s gospel. My wife Margo would have called these God-Incidences.
First was at the National Eucharistic Congress when we heard Jonathan Roumie, the actor who portrays Jesus in the Chosen TV series, recite these verses in his Jesus voice – if you watch the series – you know the voice and accent I am referring to – and it was powerful to hear those words come from him in the character he plays on this show and which has had such a big impact on so many.
Second was at the funeral mass a few weeks ago for one of our long-time parishioners – Brenda Heck. The family chose today’s gospel for that mass – it is not one you often here at a funeral mass, but it is intricately connected to our journey of faith in this life and in the next.
Third, I just recently finished a book written by Antonia Acutis – the mother of Blessed Carlo. Towards the end of the book, she shares from his personal journals what he wrote about today’s gospel.
As I spent some time discerning all these encounters with today’s gospel and why it has been so present in these last few weeks, I have come to realize that they represent various times in our lives when the Holy Eucharist is present and impacts us.
So back to Jonathan Roumie and reciting this gospel at the National Eucharistic Congress. That congress, where 60,000 people worshipped the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist, was a mountaintop experience for those in attendance. Not unlike when the three apostles who witnessed the Transfiguration of Christ on Mt. Tabor, we had the opportunity to see the glorious appearance of Christ in the Eucharist through adoration, mass, and seeing Him in each of the other attendees.
However, like Peter, James and John – we had to come down from the mountain and return to our normal lives just like many of you have after a powerful retreat experience.
However, I am reminded that the Christ that was and is present in Indianapolis during the congress is the same Christ that is present in our tabernacle, in our monstrance during Adoration, and on our altar after the consecration. It isn’t a different Christ – it is the same body, blood, soul, and divinity that is present throughout the universal church. This is what carries us through our lives every day when we come to the Eucharist. The mass is our mountaintop experience – where heaven and earth meet – and we are nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ.
Second, this gospel at a funeral mass is about hope – the hope we have in the promise of Christ that we heard in today’s gospel when Jesus said “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.”
For those of us who eat the bread of life and drink the cup of salvation, death just changes our existence – it does not end it. There is great hope in that for all of us.
The final encounter with this gospel came through the writings of soon to be Saint Carlo Acutis. This encounter brings our focus to the examples of the many great saints we have in the church and how we can try to emulate them in our own lives. When it came to the Eucharist, Blessed Carlo described the sacrament as the “Highway to Heaven”.
He wrote this about today’s gospel: “Jesus promises eternal life to those who take Communion, and he does not say “will have” but rather “has” eternal life. This union is not symbolic, not poetic, not sentimental. It is a reality that touches the roots, which reaches the depths, which emerges in the intimate. Jesus wants to realize and create this union by giving himself through his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Through communion, this leads to life. Jesus talks of life, promises life, gives life. That life is the Eucharist. The Eucharist is Christ, true man and true God. The Bread of Life is Christ, it is bread come down from heaven.”
If we desire to live our lives like Blessed Carlo and other saints when it comes to the Eucharist, we need to gain and ask for that wisdom and understanding we heard about in the first reading.
First – acknowledge that we lack wisdom and understanding at times – being honest and humble with God, ourselves and each other.
Second – we should love it, desire it, care about it, and pursue that wisdom and understanding with passion and want it with our hearts before understanding with our minds.
Third – we should have hope – this goes back to that super natural kindness Deacon Charles talked about in his homily last week. If we think it is unattainable we will not seek it; if we are skeptical, cynical, and pessimistic – then we can’t have that super natural kindness – we can’t gain wisdom and understanding. This will impact our attitude towards everyone and everything.
Finally – we must have faith – because if we don’t believe there is wisdom and understanding or that God wants to give it to us, then we can’t receive it.
To become wise we must have humility, love, hope, and faith – those traits will help us not only gain wisdom and the joy that comes from understanding, but it will also bring us to that super natural kindness – that Christian kindness – so that because of our lives, others will want to ask us how to make the Eucharist their “Highway to Heaven” too.
