Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

6th June 2021

Most, if not all of us, are regular Mass Goers: at the weekend and even during the week. Regular Mass goers run a risk; the risk is that going to Mass becomes a routine, that we participate on automatic pilot. Today's feast of The Body and Blood of Jesus is a good moment to reflect on the Eucharist and to appreciate the Eucharist better as a gift and as a challenge.

In today's Gospel we hear how Jesus and the twelve are together for a meal, for supper, it is the Last Supper before Jesus' death on the cross.

To have a meal with friends or with the family is often a moment of grace: it is a time of sharing, of celebration, of love. For Jesus too, meals were important moments. We read in the gospels that Jesus is often at table. We read how he shares meals with the outcasts and with those considered unclean. And there is great abundance; all eat as much as they want. In the Gospels, the meals of Jesus are signs of God's love and compassion, they are signs of God's Kingdom to which all are invited.

The meal Jesus shared with his disciples that night was special; it was the Pass-over meal. For the Jewish people, Pass-over is the main feast of the year. It remembers how God liberated the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, and how he made a Covenant with them. God promised to be their God and they would be his People. Many times the people were un-faithful and broke the covenant. The prophets of the Old testament reminded the people of God's covenant over and over again and they promised that God would make a new Covenant.

It is striking also, that the Jewish People celebrate the Pass-over with a meal with the family or with friends. Not in the synagogue or in the Temple, but with a meal in someone's home. It shows the sacred character meals can have.

It was during a meal, the Last Supper, that Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant. It was new because all unfaithfulness of the past would be forgiven. It was new as well, because the covenant would not be limited to the people of Israel. God promises his love to all who believe in Jesus, people of any background or nationality.

During the Last Supper, Jesus sets a sign of the new relationship of love between God and his People. He gives himself to his friends fully: This is my Body, he says. This is my Blood.

There is a story about a man called Jim. Jim would go to church every day at noon for just a few minutes, and then he would leave. The sacristan was very curious about Jim's daily routine, and one day he stopped him to ask: Why do you come here every day? I come to pray, Jim answered. That's impossible, what prayer can you say in two minutes? I am an old, ignorant man. I pray to God in my own way. But what do you say? I say: Jesus, here I am, it's Jim. And then I leave.

After some years, Jim became ill and had to go to the hospital. When it seemed that Jim was dying a priest was called. The priest was touched by the joy on Jim's face and asked Jim, why are you so happy? Well, aren't you happy when you receive a visitor? asked Jim. Of course, but we have never seen anyone come to visit you. When I came here, I asked for two chairs. One was for you father, and one was reserved for my guest. But what guest, the priest asked. I used to go to church to visit Jesus every day at noon. But when I couldn't do that anymore, Jesus came here. Jesus comes to visit you? What does he say? He says:  Jim, here I am , it's Jesus.

This happens every time we come together to celebrate the Eucharist. Jesus comes to visit us. Sometimes we have had a good week, sometimes we have had a bad week, we may feel we are worthy, we may feel we are not worthy. But each time when we receive Communion, Jesus comes, he gives himself and says:

Alice, here I am, it's Jesus, for you...

Michael, here I am, it's Jesus, for you....

Angela, here I am, it's Jesus, for you....

The Eucharist is a tremendous gift...The Eucharist is also a challenge..The challenge is to remain faithful.

We pray that the gift of Jesus' body and blood will help us to be his faithful friends, to be committed to God's Kingdom, and to make the options Jesus himself would make.