Posted on: June 4, 2016

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on: May 31, 2016

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

The church celebrates today the feast of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ. Something has happened to that notion “Body of Christ” in the last few decades. Of what reality do we speak, when we speak of the Body of Christ?  Many of you remember former years when this feast was celebrated on a Thursday. In many towns it was a holiday, and on that day the stores, schools, offices, and other work places were closed. The streets were decorated. It was all for the procession with the Blessed Sacrament, one of the climaxes of the year. While some of that is still present, most of it has disappeared over the last 40 plus years, and certainly it no longer has the same appeal and attention. These practices were the outgrowth of a unique emphasis in the Mass on the words of consecration, that unique moment in the Mass when all attention was focused on that moment when the bread and wine would be consecrated. The bread would become the Body of Christ and the wine would become the Blood of Christ. Of course, much of that still holds true.

But we have learned to be careful with that, because in the Eucharist all the energy of Christ in the power of the Spirit is aimed not so much at the change in the bread and wine, but at the transformation of us. We must be careful not to stall on the changed bread and wine, on the Body and Blood of Christ in the consecrated bread and wine. He is in these elements for a purpose, so that we who feed upon this bread and wine may become the Body of Christ. Saint Peter Julian Eymard  said it best…the Eucharist is the work of a measureless love that has at its service an infinite power, the omnipotence of God. When we eat and drink here, we accept the life of Jesus as our own. We let him be the norm of our dealing with each other. When we eat and drink here in memory of Jesus, we are not putting flowers on the grave of someone who is dead. On the contrary, we let our lives be shaped and permeated by whom who still lives, but now in us. We eat this bread and drink the wine in memory of Jesus, with the hope that his self-giving may become flesh and blood in us.

My dear friends, this Gospel story circulated many times in the early church. It must have been a fantastic event for the miracle to spread so quickly. It is mentioned five times in the New Testament--more times than any other miracle--so it is doubtful that it was a figment of imagination. The story is about the inexhaustible grace of God which, when seemingly all used up, has not run out. From a very little can come very much. God does not count, does not measure, and does not find excuses like the disciples. God just gives, and gives, and gives. We, too, are to share what we have, not just from our leftovers, but whatever little we might have. When we give even a little there is more at the end than there was in the beginning. If we always wait until the numbers are right, the poor will starve, the sick will die, and many hearts will be broken beyond repair. We, too, have to multiply the little we have. Jesus does with us what he did on that hillside: he blesses me, he breaks me, and he gives me the broken bread. The bread must be broken; otherwise it cannot be given. Our lives, like bread, are to be shared and given, and once we give to others we will find that it is they who give to us. Jesus was right to say to the disciples: “Give them some food yourselves.”

St. Augustan said it so well and it can be our prayer for today as we receive the Eucharist: “If you receive well, you are what you have received. Since you are the Body of Christ and his members, it is your mystery that you receive. You hear the words the Body of Christ’ and you answer Amen.’ Be, therefore, members of Christ that your amen’ may be true. Be what you see and receive what you already are.”

 

The Body of Christ…Amen !!!!

Father William

Posted on: May 20, 2016

Solemnity for the Most Holy Trinity

            Here is a quote by Anne Lamott about the Trinity: “I didn’t need to understand the hypostatic unity of the Trinity; I just needed to turn my life over to whoever came up with redwood trees.” How good is that? You see, Jesus never defined the Trinity for us. He didn’t leave us a theological roadmap or publish a textbook. The theological textbook Jesus left us was his life— and it can sometimes be difficult to read. But along with his life, his stories, his miracles, his death and resurrection, Jesus left us each other.

            Theologian Anthony J. Kelly points out that the Trinity has made its creative imprint not only on the universe in general but also on the human person in particular. “Christian theology speaks of the divine indwelling,” he writes. “It is at once God dwelling in us, and ourselves dwelling in God. To search into who we are is find ourselves in the presence of God, the Self in all our selves.” We might think of the Trinity therefore as the God to whom we relate as parent, as Son, daughter, brother, and sister, and as an abiding, loving Spirit. The Trinity is one way of saying that God is not alone. God, to be person, must live in relationship. If God is love, then God must be self-giving, overflowing into creativity. To be defined as love means that there must be some relationship to another. That is what it is all about. The Trinity is a family of love. .”

     The philosopher Beatrice Bruteau, for example, has written, “the cosmos has all the marks of the Trinity.” It is both unity and differentiated. “It is dynamic, giving, expansive, and radiant.” This relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit that we call the Trinity— the relationship is so dynamic; so powerful, so creative, it explodes galaxies into life. It is so intimate and so near, that no matter how frightened, fragmented or isolated we become; we will never ever be alone.  That is God’s promise to us; we will never be left alone. "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” Miroslav Volf in After Our Likeness  writes, “Communion with . . . God is at once also communion with those others who have entrusted themselves in faith to the same God.”

The Trinity as a family of love makes sense to me... how about you?

Father William