Homily Corpus Christi, C
Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr. St. Joseph's, Dalton, GA
I’m sure most of you are familiar with Flannery O'Connor, well-known Southern author, a native of Milledgeville Georgia, and a Catholic who belonged to the parish there. In one of her letters, she recalls a visit she made to another well-known author, who had been raised Catholic, but no longer believed. Flannery's friend said that "when she was a child and received the Host [the Blessed Sacrament], she thought of it as the Holy Ghost, he being the 'most portable' Person of the Trinity; now, she thought of it as a symbol and implied that it was a pretty good one." In the letter, Flannery tells us her response: "I then said, in a very shaky voice, 'Well, if it's a symbol, to hell with it!' [She goes on...] That was all the defense I was capable of, but I realize now that this is all I ever will be able to say about it, outside of a story, except that it [the eucharist] is the center of existence for me; all the rest of life is expendable."
When I look at the world today, it becomes pretty obvious that Jesus is the center of existence for fewer and fewer people. We have placed so many other things at the center of our lives: money, pleasure, politics, power. Sure, Jesus is a part of some people’s lives, perhaps as an example, a teacher, a friend we turn to as a last resort. Yes, he is all those things, but it seems as if he is no longer the whole, the center, the reason for existence.
And Christ is present to us in so many different ways. According to the teaching of the Church, he is present to us in the Word, especially the Gospel when it is read and proclaimed. He is present to us when “two or three gather” in his name, which is especially true when we gather to worship together in sacrifice of the Mass. He is present to us in the Church itself, which is his Mystical Body, in its people, ministers and authority. He is present in the sacraments, when he heals us, forgives our sins, and gives us grace for our various states in life. We know all of that, if only we would live it.
But there is another presence which I would like to talk about. Jesus said, “(Matthew 25:40) whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” So, in a special way, the Church has always taught, Jesus is present among us in the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the lonely, the suffering, those in need.
Mother Teresa illustrates this well with a story she would tell a lot. She begins the story this way, “I remember one of our Sisters, who had just graduated from the university. She came from a well-to-do family that lived outside of India. [she was assigned on her first day] to the Home for Dying Destitutes in Calcutta. Before this Sister went, I told her, ‘You saw the priest during Mass, with what love, with what delicate care he touched the body of Christ [in the Eucharist]. Make sure you do the same thing when you get to the home, because Jesus is there in a distressing disguise.’ So she went, and after three hours, she came back. That girl from the university, who had seen and understood so many things, came to my room with such a beautiful smile on her face. She said, ‘For three hours I’ve been touching the body of Christ!’ And [Mother Teresa] said, ‘What did you do? What happened?’ She said, ‘They brought a man from the street who had fallen into a drain and had been there for some time. He was covered with maggots and dirt and wounds. And though I found it difficult, I cleaned him, and I knew I was touching the body of Christ!’ [Mother Teresa goes on] She knew! Do we know? Do we recognize Jesus under the appearance of bread [in the Eucharist]? If we recognize him under the appearance of bread, we will have no difficulty recognizing him in the disguise of the suffering poor, and the suffering in our family, in our own community.”
And that is the final, most perfect, and fullest way in which Christ is present to us. In the Eucharist. For “in the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist, the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.” (CCC 1374)
And that truth is what has guided, inspired, and given life to the Church. Throughout the ages, saints and the faithful would attest to this great mystery.
St. Paul would recall the institution of this great sacrament, when Jesus said, “This is my body, which is for you. This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” For Jesus desired to give us a memorial of his death, so that we could always have access to him and this great mystery.
And Vatican II would say this about the institution of the Eucharist, “At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet in which Christ s consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.” (SC 47)
Because of this, Vatican II would call the Eucharist “the source and summit of Christian life.” (LG 11)
And our very own Flannery O’Connor would call the Eucharist the “center of her existence.” And if we want to do the same, to make Jesus in the Eucharist the center of our existence, then we need to recognize his presence in the Blessed Sacrament, and from there we can see his presence in the Word, when we gather for prayer and worship, in the sacraments, the Mass, the Church, and in the poor and needy. Ultimately, we need only follow the advice of Mother Teresa, “If we recognize him under the appearance of bread, we will have no difficulty recognizing him in the disguise of the suffering poor, and the suffering in our family, in our own community.”
And if we can recognize him in the Eucharist, then perhaps it would be easy to make him the center of our existence. If he is, then perhaps we will have some small affect on the world around us. Is Jesus in the Eucharist the center of your life? Come and receive him today at communion and give him the answer. Come and receive the real body and blood, soul and divinity of our Lord. Come and adore him in the tabernacle and on the altar and see the one who befriends us, refreshes us, defends us, and gives us life eternal - our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
