Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough…to keep me from getting to you! Remember these amazing Motown lyrics from the sixties? In a way, this song expresses our deepest emotions and feelings in measurable terms.
We all have these measurable terms don’t we; the best of the best, the cherry on top, the piece de resistance! We promise to go further, dig deeper, leave no stone unturned to reach our ultimate goals; our very dreams and desires.
As people of faith, as we celebrate the Most Precious Body & Blood of Jesus, our measurable term must be: “The Source & Summit of Our Faith”.
Today, as we celebrate this great Solemnity of the Church, I think a homily about all things Eucharist is most appropriate. At Vatican II the Council fathers wrote Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church. From this document I quote: “The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. All other Sacraments, all ministries, all apostolates, all activities are bound up in the Eucharist.” Wow! And for our celebration today, Holy Mother Church
“While they were eating, He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them and said, ‘take it, this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, ‘this is the blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.’”
From then on, at every Holy Sacrifice of the Mass through every age through the centuries and two millennium, we hear these same words. And like those gathered at the Last Supper, we, His disciples in this time and this place receive the bread & wine offered, although it is not mere bread & wine; it truly, really is The Precious Body and Blood of the Lord! Again, Wow!
In a few moments, as we kneel in prayer and adoration, we will all witness the transubstantiation as the gifts presented at this Mass become the Body & Blood of Jesus Christ. A few moments later, on this special Solemnity, the Sacred Host will be placed in the monstrance and we will all leave church in procession, bringing the Eucharistic Lord to all who pass by the way. And this will be repeated in thousands of locations throughout the world. This truly is a wonderful tradition of the Church.
But we are called personally to the Eucharist. We are called to deep, personal relationship with Jesus Christ and there can be no better way that in His Eucharistic presence, in adoring Him and in receiving Him worthily at every Mass.
Ah, worthily!! Yes, we are called to receive Jesus worthily. Each one of us is obligated to receive Jesus without the stain of mortal sin. Of course the remedy for this is to frequently and joyfully approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This Sacrament is offered every week here at Most Holy Trinity and at other various times at our neighboring Catholic Churches. Obstinately refusing Reconciliation, with the knowledge of mortal sin, is a sacrilege and something we must avoid, for our own mortal soul and the love of Christ. Has it been a long time? Do we have fears or misconceptions at Reconciliation? Please approach one of our clergy; let us help those who need to return to this most precious Sacrament. Speaking of receiving Him worthily, do we fully understand that this is more of a banquet than a picnic? How do we prepare ourselves to receive the Most Precious Body & Blood of the Lord? Is our disposition prayerful? Are we approaching in a spirit of thanksgiving? Are we dressed well? Do we offer our hand, or extend our tongue so that the physical act of reception of Him is dignified? If we consume from the cup, do we drink respectfully, always being aware that there may be many more who wish to receive? And do we honor Jesus, who we just received in Holy Communion, by remaining in our pews, praying and singing, until Mass is over?
Outside of Mass, how devoted are we to the Blessed Sacrament? Here at Most Holy Trinity we have all day Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every first Friday with Benediction at 6:30 p.m. How long since you have been in that number for our first Friday devotion? Just this next weekend we are celebrating the Feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary. As part of that celebration we will have Mass Friday night and then 12 hours of Adoration of Jesus, exposed in the Blessed Sacrament. Will you be there?
And finally, having received Eucharist, always remember to be “Eucharistic” in your words, actions and deeds, every day and to all you encounter.
There truly is no mountain high enough, no valley low enough, no river wide enough that could ever keep Jesus from being with you; with each one of us. He is our all, in all. Yes, in the Most Precious Body & Blood of Jesus Christ, in the Eucharist, Jesus is the source and summit of our lives!
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