|
Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary-
Homilies |
"A Personal
Encounter with Jesus, Truly Present in the Eucharist"
Homily for the
2nd Sunday of Lent
Fr. Jonathan L. Reardon
20 March 2011
Year A
I’m sure we
have all had the experience of meeting someone who has left a
lasting impression on us. I had this very experience my first
year in the seminary when I had the opportunity to meet Pope
John Paul II. He did not speak to me, I only got to kiss his
ring and shake his hand but his mere presence was awe-inspiring
– here I was shaking hands with the pope! Never in my life had I
ever dreamed that such a moment would happen for me. I shook
hands with a man that on May 1st of this year Pope
Benedict XVI will proclaim “blessed” – one step closer to
sainthood. The experience left me overcome with joy! This is
precisely the experience we have in the presence of Christ in
the Holy Eucharist – yet on a much larger scale – for this
encounter is divine.
Last week, at the other Masses, I mentioned the fact that
the Mass as we know has gone through some changes. The
structure, gestures, and rites have not changed but the language
has been heightened to a more profound and dignified way of
speaking. These changes will be spoken about and implemented
over the course of the next 8-9 months. In order to understand
the changes we have to first understand the Mass itself. The
Sacrifice of the Mass – also called the Celebration of the Holy
Eucharist – is the true act of worship of God. It is the way in
which God breathes His life into us. The sacraments themselves
are a continuation of Christ’s mission of salvation, each one
culminating in the Eucharist. As a sacrament, the Eucharist has
a double aspect. It is a remembering of an event and the making
present of that same event, though veiled in the form of bread
and wine. The Eucharist is a sacrifice, a presence, and a food.
As food the Eucharist is food for the soul, food that nourishes
and strengthens our spiritual lives. Indeed, our lives as
Christians are fueled by this food. Thus, when we receive Him we
receive the power of the Resurrection, the forgiveness of our
venial sins and union with Christ – in no greater unity than can
be experienced this side of heaven. St. Cyril of Jerusalem
points out plainly and simply: “Since Christ Himself has said,
'This is My Body' who shall dare to doubt that It is His Body?”
Thus, the Holy Eucharist can also be spoken of as a presence –
Christ’s real and true presence among us. Last fall an
organization called Pew Forum did a study on religiosity in
America. The poll results showed that those who identified
themselves as Catholics - nearly 40% - had said that they
believed the Eucharist to be a mere symbol of Christ’s body. My
friends, Christ IS present here – really and truly. The Church
teaches that Christ is present in four specific ways – in the
Church – the assembly, in His Word, in the person of His
minister – the priest, and above all, really and truly in the
Eucharist – in the form of bread and wine. Here the term
‘present,’ means exactly that, Christ is present, not absent.
When the priest speaks those beautiful words of the consecration
the substance of bread and wine is changed into the substance of
the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Though we still taste bread
and wine they are really changed – as He says Himself: “this is
my body, this is my blood.” At this point of the Mass heaven and
earth come together, time and eternity unite in a singular,
miraculous, divine meeting!
The
encounter that the disciples experience in today’s Gospel – the
Transfiguration of Jesus – is similar to the one we have here at
Mass. Here, Jesus is transfigured before His disciples – He
takes on the form of His glorified, risen body. After a grueling
hike up Mt. Tabor, the disciples find Jesus radiant with glory –
an experience so amazing they hardly know what to say, it is an
experience beyond words. They have forgotten about the hike,
they have forgotten that they were fatigued because they are
just so completely wrapped up in this moment and are filled with
great joy. The walk back down the mountain does not seem so bad
– in fact all they can talk about is this encounter.
This is the experience of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist
that we have each and every Sunday – and every time we come to
Mass. The drive to Mass may seem arduous – sometimes it takes a
miracle to get us moving because we carry with us so much
baggage, so much stress, so much hardship, confusion, and doubt.
Yet, as soon as we have that personal encounter with Jesus in
the Eucharist, all that seems to fade away. Jesus takes all the
stuff we bring to Him and gives us His very self in return. This
experience of His presence in the Eucharist is what gives us the
necessary grace to continue the battle of another week of work,
family, sports, and all kinds of other activities that occupy
our time and energy. The trick is to carry this presence into
every moment of everyday, to remind ourselves that He never
leaves our side and remains with us – even during the times when
He seems to be the farthest away. We remember this experience;
we recall it in our minds and in our hearts through our prayer.
It is the teaching of the Church that during the Season of Lent
we observe the practices of fasting, almsgiving and prayer. May
this season be for us a time when we pray a little bit more each
day, may it be a time when we are able to carry Christ’s
presence from this church into our everyday lives and above all,
may it be the time when we have an experience of Christ’s
presence in the Holy Eucharist – touching our hearts in a very
personal and real encounter with the living God. May the Heart
of Jesus speak boldly to our hearts so that the divine meeting
that takes place here propels us to greater love of Him to the
deepest core of our being.
