It's Real - Homily Most Holy Body and Blood

Today we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi; solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The first thing that comes to my mind is that old southern gospel song: There is Power in the Blood.

Would you be free from the burden of sin? There's power in the blood, power in the blood ; Would you be free from your passion and pride, There’s power in the blood, power in the blood; There is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb.

We as Catholics have the body and the blood. And we have the real presence of Jesus Christ in that body and blood.

Parents have faced this question - Why do I have to go to Mass? Many grown people ask the same question. For believers the answer is simple, to worship, give praise, and receive Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We come to mass to be with the risen Lord.

Since the very first mass, Catholics have recognized the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. When we say the Real Presence, it means that Christ is literally and wholly present—body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Holy Eucharist—under the appearance of bread and wine.

But many have found this teaching hard so they departed from it. In fact, many Christians say it is “unbiblical” and the bread and wine are just a symbol.

Jesus does not say it is a symbol. Jesus told his disciples: THIS BREAD IS MY BODY and THIS CUP, THIS WINE IS MY BLOOD. When he said that, many of his followers found this teaching hard and departed from him.

Even Catholics don’t understand the realness of the Eucharistic. A 2010 Pew study found 50% of Catholics didn't know the church's teaching on the real presence. Many believe it a symbol.

It is not just a symbol. Weak faith makes it easy to say. It is hard for those with a weak faith to grasp that a piece of unleavened bread is Jesus: Body, blood, soul and divinity.

Believers know the real presence and have celebrated this mystery throughout Christian history. Many have given their lives for the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Believers have been martyred in concentration camps, communist prisons, and the Middle East. Even today, believers are martyred for Christ and the Eucharist. Tomorrow, it may be us.

Would we be willing to give our life for the reality of Jesus' presence in the bread and wine of the Eucharist? Through the priest’s prayers the mystery of transubstantiation takes place. Transubstantiation is Jesus' declaration, "This is my Body. This is my Blood." Our senses still tell us what we taste, smell, touch, and see is bread and wine; yet, the substance has changed. They become the body and blood of Christ.  

As each of us comes forward to receive the Holy Eucharist, we are invited to adore the real presence of Jesus Christ. Before we receive the minister holds up the host and says, "The Body of Christ."

Our adoration is the "Amen."  Amen - we believe it is truly the Body and Blood of Christ. In that moment, we are joined to Jesus as an offering to God.

To do this, we must be right in our hearts and in our lives. We should not receive communion if we live a life completely contrary to Jesus.

Many never notice their lives of contradiction. It is one thing to sin, recognize it, and repent. It is quite another to sin and rationalize it. "Well, everybody is doing it."  One is a sinner the other a hypocrite. There is a difference. The sinner struggles; the hypocrite judges. The sinner repents; the hypocrite rationalizes. The sinner confesses; the hypocrite gossips.

The world will try to weaken us. It calls us to be compassionate and accepting of sin. They rationalize it by saying even Jesus as He accepted the woman caught in adultery, But they forget his words of compassion to the woman. "Go and sin no more."

The Eucharist is more than a symbol. It is the sacramental sign of our faith. It is our faith the world is constantly fighting against.

The world can be successful in that fight, one example is how the world can weaken our faith every time we receive communion irreverently.

Today, many have abandoned communion on the tongue. So many, priest, deacons, religious persons, and lay people have all begun to reach out and grab the Blessed Sacrament. We reach and grab as if it were a Big Mac or a moon pie. (examples) Irreverence hardens our hearts.  

Sure, not everyone will receive communion on the tongue; but, think about the last time you were sick or weak (sin makes us that way) and someone who loved you fed you. Remember the intimacy and the love experienced in that act.

Yes, receiving in the hand is acceptable, but please remember the proper and reverent way: place your left hand on top of your right, forming a cross, a throne to receive your King. After you say "Amen" step to the side and reverently place the host on your tongue.

Why do I go to mass? For me the answer is quite simple, there is power, power, wonder working power of the body and the blood and the real presence of Jesus Christ.

Be good, be holy and preach the gospel by the way you live your lives and love one another. Amen.