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Cycle A Corpus Christi

by | Dec 15, 2008 | 2008, Corpus Christi, Cycle A |

Catholic Homily for CYCLE A FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI

by Fred Karpuk

1. I’ll bet there is not a mother/wife who at one time had both the young kids and the husband WHINING about how they were STARVING and need to eat NOW. And then a few minutes later after you had spent considerable time preparing a sumptuous repast, called all to the table and upon setting down and SEEING the STRANGE dish you placed before them they chimed in with…’WHAT IS THAT!?” Your response was probably very short and to the point.., ”Just eat, it’s good for you.”

2. If someone were to ask you “What belief identifies us best as the Church Catholic?” …you might you respond…the RESURRECTION. A good response to be sure…but the best response to this question would be the EUCHARIST.

3. The Resurrection is a faith mark to ALL Christian churches. And important it is TOO…but it is the Eucharist that sets us apart. And it is for good reason then, that we as Catholics celebrate this day dedicated to the BODY and BLOOD of Christ known as CORPUS CHRISTI. And that is for us to know FULLY, this BLEST SACRAMENT that sets us apart.

4. When Jesus took BREAD and WINE at the Last Supper, preparing to say the words which would TRANSFORM them in to his BODY and BLOOD and establish the sacrament of Eucharist forever, he knew he was bringing to fulfillment a 1000 year PROMISE.

We heard in our first reading a passage which recounted for us why Yahweh had His people on that 40 year journey in the desert and also how he listened to their WHINING and still took care of them. In that desert centuries before, God fed his people with a STRANGE FOOD that was PROVIDED FROM HEAVEN. The Israelites had never seen this substance before and did not know where it came from. The people called it MANNA. A word translated as…’WHAT IS THIS?”.

What was MANNA? It is a resinous substance that looks like a seed. It was White in color and sweet to the taste. 30 days into their desert journey and for the next 40 years, they would pick it up every morning , except on the Sabbath, after the MORNING DUE came. It laid under the Tamarix Bush that was indigenous to the Sinai desert.

The Israelites would grind it to a flour, mix in oil with it and make a cake. It was a food that seemed to come from heaven in answer to their WHINING PRAYERS. And it sustained them for the duration of their journey WANDERING in the desert. It ended the day they entered the PROMISED LAND.

5. That story of Yahweh providing the MANNA in the Desert, was but a PREVIEW to an even more MYSTERIOUS food from heaven, which Jesus was preparing to give for our journey to the promised land. The Gospel today makes a important correlation when Jesus says: “I MY SELF AM the LIVING BREAD come down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread he shall live forever; the BREAD that I will give is my FLESH for the life of the world.” The meaning is clear. Jesus BODY under the sign of bread is REAL FOOD. And Jesus BLOOD under the sign of Wine is REAL DRINK. We as Catholics believe and say AMEN as we stand before the Host and Cup to affirm that verse in our hearts. But yet I am sure our wondering hearts still ask, ‘WHAT IS THIS’?

6. So ‘WHAT IS THIS BREAD’ we receive…how does it affect us?

  • 1ST Effect is UNION WITH JESUS IN LOVE. This union does not consist is the physical eating of the bread, but in the spiritual and mystical union with Jesus in the virtue of LOVE. “He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me (Jesus) and I (Jesus) in Him…”. The RELATIONSHIP of love IS with Jesus. And the immediate result of this union with Jesus is to be the BOND of love we have for each other. (1 Cor 10:17 “Because the loaf of bread is one, we, many though we are, are one body for we all partake of the one loaf.”
  • 2ND Effect is it’s A SPIRITUAL MEAL FOR THE SOUL. Our souls can STARVE too. This means that another immediate result of this Union with Jesus is a INCREASE in sanctifying grace in the soul. The Eucharist is a sacrament for the living. We, when received worthily, live in greater FERVOR and JOY to accomplish the WILL of Christ and live according to the TEACHINGS of the church here on earth.
  • 3RD Effect is FORGIVENESS OF VENIAL SIN AND PROTECTION FROM MORTAL SIN. Just as material food banishes minor bodily weaknesses and preserves man’s physical strength from being impaired, so does the ‘BREAD OF LIFE’ as food for our souls. This Sacrament removes our lesser spiritual ailments and helps to preserve us from spiritual death/mortal sin.
  • 4TH Effect is a REMINDER OF THE PLEDGE OF OUR RESURRECTION. In the host we receive the Risen Christ. Jesus in our Gospel said, “He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal, and I WILL RAISE HIM UP on the last day.” Therefore our bodies too, will share in these effects as well on the last day.

7. Now in few minutes we will receive the ‘Bread come down from heaven.’ And just as the Israelites had questions about what it was that God was providing in the desert. And just as the Jews in Jesus time had questions about Jesus capability to provide Himself as a feast. So we too may have questions.

But as we hold and then eat that unleavened wafer of bread in our hands and drink from the cup today, we already believe beyond any doubt that the bread and wine are GOOD for you. And now you know WHY. So the Answer to ‘What is this’ STRANGE FOOD is…WHAT WE NEED TO PROCLAIM.
-What is this’?…IT IS THE BREAD OF LIFE.
-What is this’?… IT IS JESUS WE EAT.
-What is this?…THIS IS OUR TICKET TO THE RESURRECTION.

1. I’ll bet there is not a wife who at one time had both the young kids and the husband WHINING about how they were STARVING and need to eat NOW. Their ‘JOURNEY’ of the day was extremely hard on them. And then a few minutes later after you had spent considerable time preparing a sumptuous repast, called all to the table and upon setting down and SEEING the STRANGE dish you placed before them they chimed in with…’WHAT IS THAT!?” Your response was probably very short and to the point.., ”Just eat, it’s good for you.”

2. We heard in our reading a passage which recounted for us why Yahweh had His people on that 40 year WANDERING JOURNEY in the desert and also how he listened to their WHINING and took care of them. In that desert God fed his people with a STRANGE FOOD that was PROVIDED FROM HEAVEN. The Israelites had never seen this substance before and did not know where it came from. The people called it MANNA. A word translated as…’WHAT IS THIS?”.

What was MANNA? It is a resinous substance that looks like a seed. It was White in color and sweet to the taste. 30 days into their desert journey and for the next 40 years, they would pick it up every morning , except on the Sabbath, after the MORNING DUE came. It laid under the Tamarix Bush that was indigenous to the Sinai desert.

The Israelites would grind it to a flour, mix in oil with it and make a cake. It was a food that seemed to come from heaven in answer to their WHINING PRAYERS. And it sustained them for the duration of their JOURNEY WANDERING in the desert. It ended the day they entered the PROMISED LAND.

3. That story of Yahweh providing the MANNA in the Desert, was but a PREVIEW to an even more MYSTERIOUS food from heaven, Jesus did give it to us for our JOURNEY to the promised land. Combine that FOOD from heaven and the LAW that came to them through Moses, and compare that to our Eucharist and Teachings of the Church, we can see YAHWEH’S personal care always being extended in every generation.

4. We are entering a MINI-DESERT JOURNEY here tonight. Led by our MOSES / Deacon Alfred Mitchell, Yahweh will be speaking to us through him. Let us QUIET our WHINING and STOP our WANDERING long enough to ‘JUST EAT’ and ‘JUST LISTEN’ to Alfred. God will be providing strange substances for our journey: FOOD, SOCIAL and PRAYER TIME, REST, WORDS From Alfred AND…oh yes, the bread from heaven.