Squee-Filled Homily!

Brace yourselves for one of the nerdiest "fan-girl" type entries ever.

And yes, it's about a homily.

I'm not even sure where to begin as I'm so giddy over the brilliance and no-nonsense approach this retired priest (who is filling in for Fr. Atlas while he's away).  It was his mission to defend the Eucharist and educate parishioners on the importance we should place on the Real Presence of Christ - what a gem!  If I didn't have Vince on my lap, I would've taken a pen and paper out for notes!

Wow!!!

To begin, this weekend's readings were very much Eucharistic in nature.  The first reading dealt with the manna from Heaven that nourished the Israelites as they wandered through the desert.  The psalm was a reflection of this reading and also foreshadowed the joyful thanksgiving we ought to sing in praise of His gracious institution of the Holy Eucharist.

The second reading reminds us that the bread that nourishes us it not only physical but spiritual.  Christ, the Word, is our sustenance.  His teachings and example are the gateway to Heaven.

Finally, in the gospel, we hear Jesus, Himself, affirm that He is the Bread of Life.  This is not some spiritual manner of speaking.  He is affirming His Presence in the Holy Eucharist - the greatest of all Sacraments.  He is preparing His followers to understand and accept this unfathomable mercy. 

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Blessed Alexandrina

Upon walking out amongst the congregation, Fr. Eucharist (as I'll call him henceforth) spoke of several mystics who lived solely on the Body of Christ in the Eucharist. 

He didn't specify a particular mystic, but considering the scientific evidence he spoke of regarding the validity of these miraculous signs, my mind jumped to Blessed Alexandrina who subsisted on nothing but the Holy Eucharist for 13 years (to the astonishment of the many doctors and scientists who examined her).

Fr. Eucharist wanted to highlight that the Blessed Sacrament is not just symbol of Christ.  This Sacrament of Love is the fullness of Christ's Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.  When we say "Amen" in response to the priest's offering, we are saying "Yes, I believe!" that the consecrated Host we receive is, in fact, God.  He has chosen to use some of His saints to hit home this point through allowing them the grace of existing solely on His Body.  As He said, "My Flesh is true food, and My Blood is true drink."  Amen, indeed.

As such, the Eucharist is to be the most important thing in our lives.  It is the banquet that supercedes all other banquets. 

Upon this reflection, Father Eucharist then went on to describe some key elements that build up our Mass towards this miraculous banquet.

The procession and readings - our Liturgy of the Word - is like a cocktail hour.  I loved that comparison!  At a wedding cocktail, for example, we gather together with joy to catch up with family and friends we haven't seen in a while.  We see how the kids are doing, we find out what so-and-so's been up to, and we bask in the filial love present amongst us all.

During the cocktail hour, we also get tiny samples of the greater meal awaiting us at the main banquet.  For us, those morsels are the various readings and responses.  As Catholics, we believe that Christ is the Word, so we are blessed to receive Him with our ears before we partake of the "main course" of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. 

And oh... the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  Pardon me as I 'squee' ridiculously for a few moments.  He really took off running as he reflected on the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

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Once again he discussed the spiritual reality of our physical presence at Mass. 

As St. John Chrysostom once said, "When Mass is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled with countless angels who adore the divine victim
immolated on the altar."

Amen, St. John!

Fr. Eucharist reminded of this in such a reverent, direct way that I could have stood up to applaud him.  He said, "Yes!  There is truth beyond what we can see with our physical eyes.  At the words of consecration, Jesus is standing behind the priest!  God the Father and Holy Spirit are with Him.  Mary, His mother, is there with St. Joseph.  And filling the sanctuary are the angels and saints who, together with us, adore and praise Him."

How I managed to stay in my seat and not jump up to hug him is truly beyond me.  I felt as if my heart had doubled in size just so it could sprout arms and embrace him. 

Yes, Fr. Eucharist, yes!  TELL US!  TEACH US!  REMIND US THAT THE EUCHARIST IS GOD TRULY PRESENT!  Shine as an example to all other priests that THIS is the type of truth so desperately needed in the world today.  THIS is what Catholics must be reminded of so that we can properly appreciate the gift that is the Eucharist.

Did he stop there?  No no, folks.  My giddiness erupted as he went on.

Catholics, when they present themselves for the Eucharist, must make a throne with their hands with which to accept the Body of Christ.  Not with one hand.  Not with two haphazardly placed together.  Reverently accept Him as the King He is! 

*He then proceeded to show us what that would look like.*

And, bless him, he also gave a nod to acceptance on the tongue (which is how I receive anyway). 

SERIOUSLY! 

And to boot, he called out folks who leave after receiving the Eucharist.  He said, "And to those of you who leave after Communion, you're missing a lot of stuff!  From Consecration until the Recessional, the Blood of Christ covers the congregation, filling us with untold graces!"

He again didn't mention a specific mystic, but I'm about 99.9% sure he was referring to the revelations made by the Blessed Mother to Catalina Revas of Bolivia.  I'd only recently learned of her (I would guess in the last 8 months or so), but the insights and revelations made to her by Christ and Our Lady have forever changed my participation in the Mass.  I would encourage all of you to read more about her!  But again, use the typical caution regarding private revelations.  Though not forbidden / approved by the Church, it us up to the individual to request guidance and discernment from the Holy Spirit.

Back to the wonderful priest, however, he closed his homily with a reminder that after reception of the Eucharist, we would do well to remember that God, Himself, dwells within us.  So as we walk back to our seats, it's not the time for saying "Hi" to friends, nor is it the time to get one's self ready to leave.  The time after Communion is meant for prayful reflection... a true and intimate conversation between us and God.

And don't you know after Communion, he graciously allowed us time to sit in silent contempation. 

Hmmmm... I've got a big old stupid smile on my face, and it's all because of this wonderful representative of Christ.  My prayers are with him and with all priests.  May they all have such ardent love for Him, and may they all seek to spread that love and understanding to others.  Bless him, and bless them!

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