What’s the best gift you’ve ever given
someone? The gift you’re most proud of,
or look back on most fondly?
Now not counting the engagement ring
I gave Pam on the beach in South Carolina, and not counting the gift of my life
I gave her on my wedding day, my all time favorite gift I gave her was her
car. Three years ago, on Christmas
morning.
Now to be fair, we had been talking
about getting a small car for her – she’d been driving our gas-guzzling old
minivan – and I suppose were about to go get a car anyway. But buying the car and surprising her with it
on Christmas morning as the very last gift to be opened – well that’s my
favorite gift memory.
You see, I’ve always more or less
failed giving her jewelry, other than her engagement ring. Just the year before I’d given her what I
thought was a beautiful necklace of carved stone animals (she and our daughters
still mock me about that one). So I snuck
out in the middle of the night Christmas eve and parked the car in front of our
house, placed the car key in a jewelry box and wrapped it, and once all the
gifts were opened, I said “wait, I have one more!”
Pam and the girls saw this little
box and all groaned – “oh no, not jewelry.”
So it was with a sly look on my face that I watched her open it and say
“what is it?” A key, I said. “Did you
get me a car? Where is it?” And I
pointed out the window. Squeals of
delight followed – from Pam and our daughters.
Score! Brings me joy just telling
you.
Now imagine for a moment how I’d
have felt if she looked out the window and said “No thanks. I don’t want it.” I’d have been crushed, don’t you think. Maybe not as much as if she’d have said no to
my engagement ring, but crushed nonetheless!
That’s exactly how I imagine Our
Lord feels when people walk away from His greatest gift to us, His very Body
and Blood in the Eucharist! A car, after
all, is just metal, glass and rubber, but Our Lord gave us His very self, His
very life, in the Eucharist which we celebrate in this feast today!
We probably all know folks who’ve
left the Church. One family comes to
mind, friends of ours, used to go to Church here, kids used to go to school
across the street. But they were drawn
away from the parish, left the Church, and now are active members up at a
nearby protestant Church. Now I imagine they
probably have awesome music there, maybe more inspiring preaching and I’m sure wonderful
fellowship. And they no doubt worship
and love the same Jesus Christ there.
But this family walked away from
Christ’s most magnificent gift – Himself!
His very body and blood. Which that
denomination doesn’t have. And I imagine
Our Blessed Lord is sad about that.
I mean, it baffles me how folks
could walk down this aisle for all those years, hold out their hands and say a
firm “amen” to the priest or deacon or minister of communion’s words “The Body
of Christ,” and then - leave. All
those years they heard the words of the Lord through the voice of the priest,
words we just heard in the Gospel – “This is my body. This is the chalice of my blood.” He didn’t
say “this is a sign of my body, of my blood.”
If we believe that scripture is the inspired word of God, and we do,
then I think that leaves us only two choices – either believe that Jesus Christ
is truly present, body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist, or believe
Our Lord was a liar!
In the sixth chapter of John’s
Gospel, He taught the disciples of this magnificent gift He was about to give
them. He said, “I am the living bread
that came down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever. Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink His blood, you do not have life in you. For my flesh is true food, my blood is true
drink.”
Like this family I spoke of, many of
His disciples couldn’t accept that teaching or didn’t believe Him, and left Him,
but note - He didn’t stop them from
leaving – He didn’t say, “hold on a minute, wait, I was just speaking
figuratively.” No – heartbroken perhaps,
He let them go, and turned to the twelve and asked “do you also want to leave?”
Thankfully, they did not, and they
became the first bishops of the Church, and by the laying on of hands have
passed down His wondrous gift to us through the ministry of bishops and priests
to this very day. And for this
magnificent gift, we must always give great thanks, we must never take this
gift for granted. For we are indeed
blessed to be called to partake of His Body and Blood. Catholic converts often appreciate this gift
moreso than us cradle Catholics. A
facebook friend, a recent convert, wrote me these words this week:
“there are still
days when I cannot get through the consecration & receiving the Eucharist
w/o sobbing tears of joy over this beautiful Sacrament & marvelous mystery.
(Actually, I hope that I never lose that sense of wonder.) What a gift we have!”
In a moment, Father Warren will
speak these words – “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins
of the world. Blessed are those called
to the supper of the Lord.” Sisters and brothers,
we who believe are indeed blessed to be called to this supper.
And blessed are we who have been
given the gift of faith to believe His words “This is my body.” For He is truly present in the Eucharist. Hidden under the appearance of bread and
wine, right here at this altar, the Lord of the Universe through Whom the
heavens and earth were created, will become present once again.
He will become true food and true
drink. Will fulfill in a real, tangible
way His promise to us from the conclusion of last week’s Gospel – “behold I am
with you always, until the end of the age.”
He will draw us together in unity,
in communion, as a people of faith, as the Church – the living Body of Christ
on earth.
He will provide for us sustenance
and strength for our journey – and the grace and strength to go forth from here
to be His presence in our world, to be His loving heart, mind, voice, hands and
feet in a world that is longing for Him, HUNGRY for Him, even if it doesn’t know it’s longing
for Him, hungry for Him.
Brothers and sisters, as you
approach the altar to receive His sacred Body, either in the hand or on the
tongue, and partake in the chalice of His precious blood, smile and give a firm
“Amen” signifying that “yes!, I do believe He is really and truly present in the
gift of His most Holy Body and Blood.”
And when you return to your seat,
kneel and give Him, in that moment when we are closest to Him, when we are most
in intimate communion with Him, our profound thank you – both for the gift of
His Body and Blood, and the gift of faith to believe what He said.
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