1st Reading: Ex 24:3-8
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 116:12-13,15-18
2nd Reading: Heb 9:11-15
Gospel: Mk 14:12-16,22-26
One question that I constantly get asked is what attracted me to becoming a priest. The answer to this question comes with many different responses from the various stages of my life. I can easily say that one of my earliest memories of the Church was the Eucharist. As a child I could not tell you a thing about the theology behind the Eucharist, but I could defiantly say that something important was going on at the altar. As a child I would often draw pictures of the priest holding up the host that had been consecrated. These drawings showed that in my mind this was the most profound moment of the Mass. As a child I would also celebrate my own Mass fully vested in the garments of the priest and present to a Congregation of stuffed animals. A necco wafer made the perfect host for my rendition of the Mass. Yet again the Eucharist was central and I believe that helped me along my path towards this calling.
It is hard to fathom that on June 2nd I was ordained a priest and then on the following day I was able to act "In the Person of Christ" by holding the host out and saying "This is my Body" and then being able to hold out that chalice and say "This is my Blood." At this moment these objects did not become a representation of the Eucharist, but truly became the Body and Blood of Christ. Today we come to this Church to celebrate the gift that comes to us through the Eucharist. We come here to say "Amen" and to receive Christ into our lives. This "Amen" is not something that should be taken lightly because by saying this word we are agreeing that we believe all that the Church teaches to us and agree most profoundly that we believe with out faltering that this is truly the Body and Blood of Christ. Each of us has a calling from God to achieve holiness in our everyday lives and making the Eucharist central in our lives is most important in achieving this task.
For all of us here we need to allow the Eucharist to be at the heart of all that we do with our lives. Without the gift of the Eucharist the Church would not be able to exist. It is through the Eucharist that we are able to join together as a community of faith and be connected with all the Masses that have been, will be, and are being said throughout the world. The Eucharist is always present to us inside of the tabernacle and is calling out to each of us to come before the Body of Christ in prayer. Each of us has a calling that comes to us from God and it should be through the graces that are given inside of the Eucharist that this calling should be nourished. If you have been called to enter into the vocation of marriage you should allow the Eucharist to be at the heart of your relationship. If you are praying concerning your future it should be in unison with the Eucharist that these plans should be made. The Body and Blood of Christ is a healing sacrifice that is being offered daily in our lives.
Our first and second readings give us a perfect glimpse into the healing sacrifice that comes to us in the form of the Eucharist. Our reading from Exodus shows the need that people had for sacrifice inside of their everyday lives. They needed this sacrifice because they had been separated from God through the sin of Adam and Eve and now are in search of a way to come back into union with God. This sacrifice that was offered was very bloody and the sacrifice was brought about by the priest. This sacrifice would happen at an altar where the animal would be brought to be tied up and sacrificed to the Lord. Therefore it is with the coming of Christ that all people could be made clean through the sacrifice that was offered on Calvary. No longer do we dwell in a world that needs animals to be sacrificed upon the altar for the atonement of sins because Christ has come into the world and was sacrificed once and for all. Because of this freely given sacrifice each of us are invited to enter into His sanctuary and receive the precious Body and Blood of Christ the High Priest.
Mark's Gospel is pointing out to us today that we must each trust inside of the Eucharist as Christ's apostles did. Christ knew that His death was quickly coming and He wanted His twelve apostles to follow after Him and to continue to offer the Eucharist throughout the ages. He instructed His first priests on how they were to offer this new Passover meal to the people of the world. Before the offering of this meal Christ sent two of his disciples ahead of Him to prepare for the Passover meal. Each of us are continually being invited to prepare ourselves before we come to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. May we take advantage of the silence that the Mass offers us as we prepare to accept such an important gift in our lives. May our preparation for this great gift be able to aid us in growing closer to the Sacrament of the Altar and thus to God.
Today may each of us join in this great solemnity that calls to mind the importance of the Body and Blood of Christ. I know that the Eucharist has been important inside of my life as I have progressed towards ordination to the priesthood. I know that Christ is continually inviting each of us to come and receive His Body and Blood, so that we may grow closer to His divine love. Let us not continue to stand by idly, but may we continue to prepare our hearts and souls to receive Christ in the Eucharist. Through this preparation our "Amen" will sound to Heaven before we receive the Sacrament because through the use of this word we profess that we believe and trust in all that the Church teaches. Through our decision to say "Amen" we are making the commitment to draw closer to Christ through the reception of this Sacrament in order that we may call upon the name of the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment