By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, Who humbled Himself to share in our humanity.It has been almost a month since we celebrated Corpus Christi Sunday, and I still haven't shared about it. What can I say? Finishing up the school year, keeping the kids busy, building a home business and trying to take advantage of the good weather to get things fixed up and tidied can keep a man plenty occupied, and that's what I've been doing. I've had a lot to do at home, all of which has the potential to unite my life to Christ in ways impossible to understand unless one understands the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass and seeing God in the day to day.
Churchgoing Catholics hear the words of Christ at the first Eucharist every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation, and possibly more often than that if we attend Catholic weddings, funerals or even daily Mass. "This is My Body, which will be given up for you." Jesus lived and died those words less than 24 hours later during the beatings, mockeries, scourging, crowing with thorns and ultimate crucifixion He endured. He showed this was all not in vain in His rising on the third day. He gives us a share of His life, death and resurrection through the gift of Himself in Holy Communion. We are called upon to eat His flesh and drink His blood, provided we are not in a state of mortal sin. And yes, we Catholics acknowledge this truth that the bread and wine become more than they are. Even though a scientific analysis would still reveal bread and wine (h/t Fr. Brian), what you see is far less than what you get. They are transformed by the power of God, so that we might receive and become more than we are. As St. Augustine said of the Eucharist, "Behold what you are, and become what you receive."
We already know from the Scriptures that, just as Jesus rose from the dead, we too shall rise on the last day, also in a glorified body. While the animals are bodies alone, and the angels are pure spirit, we are body/soul composites (h/t Michael Voris at Church Militant). Our bodies as we know them now will all die someday, and our souls will be separated from them for a time, but we will be raised again. We have to have a bold, daring faith to look at the beautiful earth, acknowledge it as temporary and dare to want more. If we are faithful, we will have more in heaven, but we can be even more daring than that. When I die, I will be joyful in heaven as a soul, but I don't even want that to be the end, and it won't be. I want my body back, restored to its intended glory (h/t Fr. Kieran). What better way to prepare and to transform than to receive Jesus Christ - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity - in the Eucharist? Make regular Confession to keep in a state of grace. Get to Mass and receive worthily, at the very least on Sundays and Holy Days, on weekdays if possible. Go to Adoration. Humble yourselves before Our Lord, who came to us in humility, a virtue severely lacking in us, and laid down His life on the Cross for His Bride, the Church.
Sadly, many Catholic parishes and dioceses have become protestantized, almost embarrassed to embrace the uniqueness of this sacred truth. Catholics don't know and understand their faith. If they did, they wouldn't go looking to other denominations for a "personal relationship with Jesus." Can you get more personal than Jesus giving you His flesh and blood to eat and drink? Can you get more personal than Jesus entering into you, transforming the most hidden depths of your being from within? Yes, we have the most personal relationship possible with Jesus Christ through the Eucharist.
And after all these glorious feast days, how do we live it in Ordinary Time? To begin with, we should focus on what Ordinary Time is about, which simply means within the natural order of things (h/t Fr. Guy). It's easy to see what we focus on in certain liturgical seasons (h/t Fr. Heinlein in advance). Advent, we do penance and prepare for the coming of Christ, not just to celebrate the first coming at Christmas, but His Second Coming. Christmas, we obviously celebrate His birth and the events of His early years. Lent, we enter into even deeper penance, preparing to commemorate Jesus' Passion and celebrate His Resurrection at Easter Sunday. The Easter Season, we celebrate all the events following the Resurrection, from Ascension Thursday on the 40th day to the coming of the Holy Spirit on the 50th Day, Pentecost Sunday. During the first period of Ordinary Time, after the Christmas Season, the focus is on Jesus' earthly ministry. What about the second period of Ordinary Time? The focus is on our ministry, our calling, to preach the Gospel to all the nations. How do we go about preaching the Gospel? Word and deed.
In my home, things are busy. There is a lot for me to do for others, and I wish I could say I did a perfect job of getting it all done and doing it joyfully. I have to work on that. The dishes, the yard, the laundry, the cooking, yes, it all has to get done. I have a choice as to whether to do it begrudgingly, grumbling about it, or joyfully out of a spirit of service, laying down my life for my lovely bride and my domestic church. Sometimes, my body and mind are flat out exhausted, but as a husband and father, that is my calling, to give up my body for those under my care. Saint Paul tells husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. That is my mission, which gives a different meaning to the submission Paul speaks of before that. The prefix "sub-" meaning under, places my wife under that mission I am called to live. This means even when it's not easy, even when it's not convenient. I need to submit myself to God to humble myself daily, so that I can live that mission.
Out in the world, we also have the mission to preach the Gospel. We need to share the truth of Christ in a culture that is making that considerably more difficult to do. Society tells us we "deserve" this and are "entitled" to that and elevates that which contributed to the fall of angels and men, "pride," as something to be celebrated. Jesus never promised us it would be easy; as a matter of fact; He promised persecutions and rejections and even family rejecting us. What do we do? Get out there and tell the story. Take all that we've learned throughout the rest of the Church year, that Jesus Christ, God the Son, was born in humble beginnings, waited humbly for 30 years, was baptized though sinless, fasted for 40 days, refused to take the easy way when tempted in the desert, called the sinners to repentance, condemned the pride of those who thought themselves better than others, was crucified, died, rose again, ascended into heaven and will come again. Take that message with you to all you meet, all the way to the feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the liturgical year. We know the truth. God is love, despite the popular use meaning anything but. In the end, in all eternity, God, Who is love, wins. Whatever the earthly cost for me, I want to be on that winning team, God's team. It's our turn. Battle has begun!
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