HOMILY FROM FATHER STEPHEN FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI
Introduction
On Sunday our staff and pupils intended to be on pilgrimage to Whithorn, with Fr Eoin, celebrating the life of our school patron, St. Ninian. Sadly due to the virus, this has not been possible. Today, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, traditionally known by its Latin name ‘Corpus Christi’, where many parishes have their Eucharistic Processions with their First Communicants, again this has not been possible. In the readings we are encouraged to trust in God. Despite what may be going on around us, we are his people and we are loved with an everlasting love.
The Pope recalled that the month of June is dedicated in a special way to the Heart of Christ. He said, it is ‘a devotion that unites the great spiritual teachers and the simple among the people of God.’ Indeed, he continued, ‘the human and divine Heart of Jesus is the wellspring where we can always draw upon God’s mercy, forgiveness and tenderness. We can do so by focusing on a passage from the Gospel, feeling that at the centre of every gesture, of every word of Jesus there is love, the love of the Father.” We can also do so, Pope Francis said, “by adoring the Eucharist, where this love is present in the Sacrament. Then our heart too, little by little, will become more patient, more generous, and more merciful.
Homily
Feast of Love
Pope Benedict XVI once described today’s feast as ‘a day on which heaven and earth work together.’ He said: ‘Corpus Christi is an expression of faith in God, in love, in the fact that God is love. Love does not consume: it gives and, in giving, receives.’ This is a wonderful way to approach Communion. When we receive the body and blood of Jesus, it is a gift of love. But if we keep this gift for ourselves, and do not give in return, that is not love.
Jesus says to us today ‘I am the Bread of Life.’ Usually we see this as a spiritual sense, as if he was solely talking about the Eucharist. For Christians, we see the bread of the Eucharist as being very special bread. Without it we would not have the strength to follow Christ. This is highlighted so much today with the Covid-19 Virus; with only being allowed to celebrate a private Mass with Deacon Joe and none of our parishes can celebrate with the public. But we still hunger for many kinds of hunger. Mother Theresa often tells us this. Obviously there is hunger for ordinary bread as we saw with the lack of flour in our shops, but more so in the poorer countries of the world. I have a friend Sr Ann McAllister who has recently returned from the Missions in Africa. She always spoke of what money people gave to her on her holidays and on her return to Africa used it for flour and foodstuffs – and unless this is satisfied, no life is possible.
There is also the hunger for meaning, and unless this is satisfied we will always be miserable, lifeless, dissatisfied, angry, sarcastic, bitter … I would like to think the word ‘BREAD’ has a wider meaning. In the Gospels Jesus offers a variety of different kinds of bread, satisfying their many hungers.
- People who followed him in the desert – they were starving – he offered bread and satisfied their physical hunger.
- Lepers – whose bodies were falling apart – he offered the only bread that mattered to them – the bread of Physical healing.
- To Mary Magdalen – the public sinner – he offered the bread of forgiveness – thus satisfying her hunger for acceptance.
- To the lonely woman at the well – he offered the bread of human kindness – satisfying her hunger for love.
- To the rejects and poor – by mixing with them and sharing their bread he offered the bread of companionship he offered satisfying hunger for self-worth.
- To the Widow Naim, who was burying her only son and Martha & Mary, who were burying their brother Lazarus – he offered the bread of Sympathy and showed them that even in death we are not beyond the reach of God’s help.
- Zacchaeus, the rich tax-collector – he awakens him with a hunger for a better life – to change and share his money.
- The thief – he offered him the Bread of Resurrection with God, thus bring peace to his troubled soul.
- Christ shared himself with others, in many different ways and under many different forms, before eventually offering himself to them in the form of Bread and Wine, at the Last Supper.
- But let’s not gloss over this – some refuse this ‘Bread of Life!
- The Rich Man – the bread of Discipleship – no, I won’t part with my riches.
- Pilate – Bread of Truth – No, I will not put my position in life at risk.
- Scribes and Pharisees –Bread of Conversion – No, yet offered to them many times and wouldn’t even take a crumb!
- But to everyone, no matter how rich or poor we are, or what positions we have in life or how little or fully active we are in the Church – Christ offers the only bread that will satisfy the hunger which the Father has placed in our hearts – the Bread of Eternal life. ‘Anyone who eats this bread will live forever.’ That is anyone who eats this Bread NOW will live forever! But once we have been nourished, we must share our hearts and proclaim that to others.
It is the disciples’ responsibility to feed the hungry, to give to those in need, and to love the very crowds that they and we sometimes send away.
The feast of Corpus Christi reminds us of our need to be in communion with the whole body of Christ. There is room for everyone at the banquet, especially the poor and the hungry, and it is up to us to help those in need. Having received this gift of love, we are expected to pass it on. There is more than enough bread for everyone.
Have you noticed that his audience has problems understanding his words when he spoke of himself as ‘the Living Bread come down from heaven’, but he refuses to compromise. He insists that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood live in him. In Hebrew, the word to ‘say’ is also the word to ‘do’, so when at the Last Supper Jesus says ‘this IS my Body/Blood’, he meant his words to be taken literally.
It’s said that the worst of times brings out the best in people; as it happens, this is true of parishes as well. We have been challenged by the COVID-19 crisis to find new ways to serve our community. Thank you to all for rising to the occasion. Almost every parishioner I have spoken to has an inspiring story of positive change in how work gets done and what it can accomplish. Of course, some of these outcomes might simply be from “human adrenaline”—heroic efforts that are unsustainable. We know that many people are working harder than ever and risk suffering fatigue and burnout. However, we also see signs that the opposite is happening. Amid the fear and uncertainty, people are energized as they make good on deepening our relationship with Lord, whether it be focussing on our prayer life or putting our faith into Action in our parish or wider community. Using creative and innovative approaches and new ways of reaching out are now everyone’s business. Will the new mind sets become behaviours that stick? We don’t know. Did it take a pandemic for us to focus on change that matters? Maybe it’s too soon to say. Still, as a wise old teacher told me last Friday “How can we ever tell ourselves again that we can’t rise to the challenges we have faced? We have proved that we can. This will be crucial as we start to prepare for the opening of our churches for private prayer’.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all who are anxious about the future, concerned for their job, lonely and isolated, sick, and for those who care for them. We remember those who have died and the families who mourn their loss. We will have to look at some of the challenges to be faced in dealing with grief and bereavement as we slowly begin to emerge from lockdown following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Please contact me if I can be of any help. Enjoy the tranquility and restfulness of the weekend. My deepest thanks for all your love and support.
