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Homily for the Feast of Corpus Christi by Father Mark Moretti

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Homily for the Feast of Corpus Christi by Father Mark Moretti Homily for the Feast of Corpus Christi By Father Mark Moretti I love this time of the year because the Church has concluded the celebration of Easter, but she still wants to have a party! No sooner is Pentecost marked, that we have the celebration of the Holy Trinity, the Body and Blood of Christ, and the Sacred Heart in three consecutive weeks. It sure makes for a time of joy and festivity! Our Gospel today is the conclusion of the famous “Bread of Life” discourse found in Saint John chapter 6. The background is very important. Jesus had performed a great miracle – the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Many thousands of people feasted on delicious fish and bread given by the Hands of the Son of God. To many, this was THE miracle. he miracle that would bring in the new era of the Messiah. But Jesus had a greater miracle to be given soon, and He used this opportunity to instruct his followers on its sacred importance. He wanted them to understand that He would nourish them always in a most intimate fashion. He would feed them with His own Flesh and Blood. And so, He turned the teaching to this reality. He used very graphic language that he punctuated with a double amen. There would be no other way but to accept in faith the deepest words of the Son of God. Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever." Saint John records that many of his followers reacted with disgust, even horror that the rabbi from Nazareth was proclaiming. It was a “make or break” moment. They thought: should we stay and have faith or walk away and declare our revulsion? It appears that most walked away that day from the Lord, without so much as a thank you for all He had done for them. Only His closest friends, with Saint Peter affirming their trust in Him, would remain at His side. It is a shame, because if those people had believed in Jesus, they would have been invited to the Last Supper, and then they would realize that Jesus was indeed going to give us His Body and Blood in the form of a Sacrament. At the symbolic “first Mass of the Church”, Jesus would take bread and wine at the seder, and so thoroughly identify it with Himself, that it would truly become His whole self. Only the appearance of bread and wine would remain. He gave his apostles and all priests that same authority to make Him present on every altar until the end of time. That miracle exists to this very day, as our Lord abides with us in the tabernacle here at Christ the Redeemer Church. Just as the Church invited her children last week to ponder the great mystery of the Holy Trinity, she invites us today to ponder the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. The feast that we celebrate today dates to 1264 and was instituted by Pope Urban IV. A year earlier, a priest from Prague, made a pilgrimage and asked the Lord to help him. It seems that Father Peter was plagued with doubt that the bread and wine would truly become the Body and Blood of Christ. Obediently, he shuffled down one morning to offer Mass at the altar and at the consecration, the Host began to bleed. He could not hide his astonishment and proclaimed a miracle in the loudest voice. All at the Mass were in awe and wonder, and they thanked God for letting them witness such a wonderful sign from Heaven. Word reached the Pope and he traveled to see the miracle for himself. Fully convinced, he commissioned Saint Thomas Aquinas to write the parts of a special Mass in honor of the Holy Eucharist, and today, the feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated with great reverence throughout the world. Magnificent hymns that we have sung since childhood were composed by the great saint: the Tantum Ergo, Pange Lingua, O Salutaris, and Panis Angelicus. The sequence that we heard before the Gospel, Lauda Sion, recalls the fulfillment of all the promises of God regarding the Real Presence of His Son in the great sacrament. And so, today we celebrate. But we are also challenged. Are we truly faithful Catholics? Do we sincerely believe in Jesus and His plan for our salvation? Do we ask Him to let our faith in Him and His presence in the Eucharist grow each day? Do we make acts of intense reverence for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament? Is our belief unshakable and are we willing to proclaim it? Or, like His false friends of old, walk away from Jesus or remain indifferent and cold to the reality of His divine love and mercy. I hope that for all of us, we can truly open our hearts and make a deep act of faith today. Let us sing aloud the ancient hymn and let it reflect our most genuine beliefs: “Down in adoration falling…Lo! The Sacred Host we hail” May God bless you!! Homilía para la fiesta del Corpus Christi Por el Padre Mark Moretti ¡Me encanta esta época del año porque la Iglesia ha concluido la celebración de la Pascua, pero ella todavía quiere tener una fiesta! Tan pronto como marcamos Pentecostés, que tengamos la celebración de la Santísima Trinidad, el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo, y el Sagrado Corazón en tres semanas consecutivas. ¡Seguro que nos mantiene en un ambiente de alegría y festividad! Nuestro Evangelio de hoy es la conclusión del famoso discurso "Pan de Vida" que se encuentra en el capítulo 6 de San Juan. El trasfondo es muy importante. Jesús había realizado un gran milagro: la multiplicación de los panes y los peces. Muchos miles de personas se deleitaron con deliciosos pescados y panes dados por las manos del Hijo de Dios. Para muchos, este fue EL milagro. El milagro que traería la nueva era del Mesías. Pero Jesús tuvo un milagro mayor que se dio pronto, y aprovechó esta oportunidad para instruir a sus seguidores sobre su sagrada importancia. Quería que entendieran que El los alimentaría siempre de la manera más íntima. Los alimentaba con Su propio Cuerpo y Sangre. Y así, El volvió la enseñanza a esta realidad. Utilizó un lenguaje muy gráfico que acentúa con doble amén. No habría otra manera que aceptar con fe las palabras más profundas del Hijo de Dios. En aquel tiempo, Jesús dijo a los judíos: “Yo soy el pan vivo que ha bajado del cielo; el que coma de este pan vivirá para siempre. Y el pan que yo les voy a dar es mi carne para que el mundo tenga vida”. Entonces los judíos se pusieron a discutir entre sí: “¿Cómo puede éste darnos a comer su carne?” Jesús les dijo: “Yo les aseguro: Si no comen la carne del Hijo del hombre y no beben su sangre, no podrán tener vida en ustedes. El que come mi carne y bebe mi sangre, tiene vida eterna y yo lo resucitaré el último día. Mi carne es verdadera comida y mi sangre es verdadera bebida. El que come mi carne y bebe mi sangre, permanece en mí y yo en él. Como el Padre, que me ha enviado, posee la vida y yo vivo por él, así también el que me come vivirá por mí. Éste es el pan que ha bajado del cielo; no es como el maná que comieron sus padres, pues murieron. El que come de este pan vivirá para siempre”. San Juan registra que muchos de sus seguidores reaccionaron con disgusto, incluso horror lo que el rabino de Nazaret estaba proclamando. Fue un momento de "hacer o romper". Pensaron: ¿nos quedamos y tenemos fe o nos alejamos y declaramos nuestra repulsión?, Parece que la mayoría se alejó ese día del Señor, sin ni siquiera un muchas gracias por todo lo que había hecho por ellos. Sólo el amigo más cercano, con San Pedro afirmaron su confianza en él, permanecerían a su lado. Es una pena, porque si esas personas hubieran creído en Jesús, habrían sido invitadas a la última cena, y entonces se darían cuenta de que Jesús nos iba a dar Su Cuerpo y Sangre en forma de Sacramento. En la simbólico "primera misa de la Iglesia", Jesús tomaba pan y vino en la celebración sagrada judía (Seder), y lo identificaba tan a fondo con Sí mismo, que realmente se convertiría en su presencia real. Sólo quedaría la apariencia del pan y el vino.
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