Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

20^th Sunday of the Year, B – August 19, 2018.

Readings: Proverbs 9:1-6; Ps 34:1-2.9-10.11-12.13-14 (R.8a);

 Ephesians 5:15:20; Gospel – John 6:51-58.

Theme: The Real Presence & Catholicism!

Introduction

Beloved in Christ, today, we continue our reflection on the Holy Eucharist from the Johannine text. You will discover that for 5 Sundays, the Church has asked that we pay attention to the theology of the Holy Eucharist. This is because Sacosanctum Concilium, Number 10 states that the Eucharistic liturgy “is the source and summit of our Christian lives and existence.” Little wonder, Ecclesia De Eucharistia Number 1 also attests that the Church draws her life from the Holy Eucharist.

As such, our refection titled, “The Real Presence & Catholicism” shall san through the background and summary of the readings, make a case for the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist by presenting few narratives/miracles to that effect and give an expose the theology of the Eucharist. This will be followed by pastoral application and practical lessons, homiletic points to remember and conclusion.

Background & Summary of the Readings

Our first reading from the Book of Proverbs (Prov. 9:1-6) personifies wisdom as a woman who built a house, prepared an irresistible meal and invited all, including the fool or ignorant to partake. It indicates that while wisdom’s meal leads to life (v.17), foolishness kills her guests (v.18). While we may see this as a simple passage, it is nonetheless, a pointer to greater realities. Accordingly, it contains great riches because it is an invitation to oblige God who is himself wisdom personified by partaking in the feast in which bread and wine will be served (vv. 2,5) representing the Holy Eucharist that is celebrated here below as a foretaste of the eschatological banquette in heaven. What is interesting is that partaking of this feast leads to life (v.6).

The message of the second reading (Ephesians 5:15:20) is in line with the first reading because it reminds us about the Liturgy of Life which entails the practical dimension of the Holy Mass occasioned by the Great Commission given at the end of the Eucharistic liturgy: “Go and announce the gospel by your life.” St. Paul charges that we should be careful about the sort of lives we lead. He particularly notes that although we may be living in a wicked age, we can redeem it if we live like intelligent not senseless people.

He charges Christians to recognize the will of the Lord in their lives by shunning drunkenness and being filled with the Holy Spirit. Most importantly, the Pauline Epistle surmises that we should transport the psalms and hymns we chant and sing at Mass into the Liturgy of Life which can make our lives a testimony of thanksgiving to God, in Christ Jesus.

        

From the invitation of Lady Wisdom to Catholic Action through Liturgy of Life in the second reading, the gospel presents us with an expose on the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The controversy among the Jews about Jesus’ firm assertion: “The bread that I shall is my flesh, for the life of the world” tells the story more. Expectedly, they grumbled: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Rather than getting discouraged, Jesus used the opportunity to do a full length Catechesis on the Holy Eucharist: “…if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you.”

Theology of the Real Presence

In the Catholic Church, the doctrine of the real Presence assets that: “In the Holy Eucharist, Jesus is literally and wholly present in Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity under the appearances of bread and wine. What this means is that at very celebration of Holy Mass, Christ is literally present (Cf. Cor. 10:16-17, 11:23-29; John 6:32-71) giving his children life in abundance. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is really, truly, and substantially present in the Eucharist.

Little wonder Jesus says: “Unless we eat and drink the Flesh and Blood of the Lord, we have no life in us” (Jn. 6:53). This is the basis of the theology of the Real Presence. Accordingly, “at every mass, a sacrifice is effected in which Christ is offered to the Father through the action of the priest at the altar.” Because Jesus is present in the Sacred Species after the prayer of consecration, Catholics adore and revere the Holy Eucharist. That is why the priests purifies the chalice and ciborium after administrating the Holy Communion to ensure that no particle is desecrated. Also, you will notice that Communion Plate is used to ensure that no particle of Holy Communion falls off. This is also one of the reasons why the faithful are not served the Blood of Christ during Mass.

It is easier to pick fallen particles of the Body of Christ than the Blood when it spills. Besides, to eat of the Body is to have partaken in the Blood. Devotions like Benediction, Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament and reservation of the Holy Communion in the Tabernacle points to the Real Presence of Christ in the Catholic Church. In summary, Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist because:

1. Christ said it and meant it (Matt. 26:26 & 28).

2. His followers knew it. Some stayed and others left (Jn. 6:60 & 67).  

3. The Early Church knew it and taught it (Acts 2:42-46; 1 Cor. 11:27).

4. The Church Fathers knew and handed (Didache c. 90 A.D).

Real Presence: Narratives of the Miracle of the Holy Eucharist

Although there are many stories of miracles throughout Church history which seem to confirm the teaching of the Real Presence, it is important to note that the Dogma of transubstantiation does not depend on the authenticity of miracles. It is based on Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Therefore, I present you the testimony of two Eucharistic miracles I got from Churchpop.com.

In the 8th century, a priest in Lanciano, Italy was experiencing doubts about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. In the middle of saying Mass, he said the words of consecration “This is my body…This is my blood.” At that instance, he saw the bread and wine transform into real human flesh and blood. The blood coagulated into five globules which was later believed represents the five wounds of Jesus. The news of the miracle quickly spread and the local archbishop launched an investigation. The Church approved the miracle. The flesh is still preserved to this day. Odoardo Linoli, a Professor of anatomy conducted a scientific analysis of the flesh in 1971 and concluded that the flesh was cardiac tissue; the blood appeared to be fresh blood without trace of preservatives.

In a related development, a woman living in Santarém, Portugal in the 13th was distressed that her husband was unfaithful to her. She decided to consult a sorceress for help. The sorceress told her the price of her services was a consecrated host. She went for Mass at the Church of St. Stephen and received the Eucharist on her tongue, removed the Eucharist from her mouth, wrapped it in her veil, and headed to the door of the church. But before she got out, the host began to bleed. When she got home, she put the bloodied host in a trunk. That night, a miraculous light emanated from the trunk. She repented of what she had done and the next morning confessed to her priest. Her priest came and retrieved the host and took it back to the church. After an investigation and approval of the miracle, the church was renamed Church of the Holy Miracle, and the bloodied host remains on display to this day.

Pastoral Application & Practical Lessons

What is the implication of the theology of the Real Presence for us as it relates to Christ being present in the Holy Eucharist in body, blood, soul and divinity?

1. Body: Today, the words of Jesus “This is my body” (Matt. 26:26) comes alive to us in the Eucharist. These words remind us that he took our human nature and was born of the Virgin Mary (Matt. 1:18); in the body he fasted forty days and forty nights and was tempted thrice by the devil (Matt. 4:2); in the body he was angry and flogged people who turned his father’s house into a den of robbers (Jn. 2:15); in the body he cried when his friend Lazarus died (Jn. 11:35); in the body he wailed at the garden of Gethsemane at the sight of his impending passion (Lk. 22:42) and in the body he was humiliated, beaten and nailed to the Cross for our sake but in the spirit he was raised to life (Mk. 15:16-32).

What this means is that like Jesus, we have a body which needs to be daily fed with the Eucharist if it must be in constant union with God. The Holy Communion becomes a remedy for sin and death.

2. Blood: Jesus’ glorious assertion, “This is my blood” (Matt. 26:27) calls to mind the precious blood that was shed on Calvary for our sake. That is the blood which the scripture says, “and they have conquered him, by the blood of the lamb…” (Rev. 12:11); the blood which pleads more insistently that Abel’s (Heb. 12:24); the blood that fell from his face in drops at the garden of Gethsemane (Lk. 22:44) and the blood that rushed forth from his side when it was pierced by a soldier with a lance (Jn. 19:34).

What this translates to is that, like Jesus, we have blood but the difference is that his brought an end to the sacrifices of rams and bulls to take away sins. On the contrary, his blood unlike ours, establishes the new and everlasting covenant; it invites us to drink from the chalice of salvation for our redemption.

3. Soul: In the Holy Eucharist, Jesus is present in soul. At the supper with the Emmaus disciples, he vanished from their sight at the breaking of the bread (Lk. 24:31) and he appeared to the disciples and ate fish with them after his resurrection (Lk. 24:42).

These few instances tell us that Jesus who is present in the Eucharist in soul is always there to activate our spiritual lives if we oblige him. He is always there at the door of our hearts knocking; if we allow him, he will come and dine with us, and we with him (Rev. 3:20). His presence in soul provides quality assurance that our soul shall take on immortality if we are obedient to his summons.

4. Divinity: Finally, Jesus is present in the Holy Eucharist in divinity. This reveals the fact that he is the Son of God – As the Son of God, an author said: In biology, he was born without natural conception (Matt. 1:18); in chemistry he turned water into wine (Jn. 2:1-11); in physics, he defied the law of gravity by ascending into heaven (Acts 1:9-12); in economics, he disproved the law of diminishing return by feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish (Mk. 6:30-44) and in history, he has no beginning or end. After all, he walked on water (Matt. 14:22-33), calmed the sea storm (Mk. 4:35-41) and raised Lazarus from the dead (Jn. 11:38-44).

What this reveals is that Divinity is what differentiates us from Jesus. He shared body, blood and soul with us but charges that we receive the Eucharist as a condition for sharing the divine life with him in the world to come.

Homiletic Points to Remember

1. For 5 Sundays, the Church has asked that we pay attention to the theology of the Holy Eucharist.

2. The Eucharistic liturgy “is the source and summit of our Christian lives and existence.”   

3. The Church draws her life from the Holy Eucharist.

4. In the Holy Eucharist, Jesus is literally and wholly present in Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity under the appearances of bread and wine.

5. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is really, truly, and substantially present in the Eucharist.

Conclusion

Our readings prepare us to appreciate the celebration of the Holy Mass as a miniature eschatological feast. Since the Church through the apostles, early Christians, and Church Fathers has handed over this teaching to us, we have a duty to preserve it. Those who are communicants must access the quality of lives they are living based on the Liturgy for Life. This is why St. Paul insists that we should be careful about the sort of lives we lead bearing in mind that we are in a wicked age.

It behoves us to seek wisdom, act intelligibly and not behave like senseless people who are invited to a great feast but either failed to turn up or didn’t wear the wedding garment of righteousness and integrity. May God help us to receive and adore Christ who is present in the Blessed Eucharist in body, blood, soul and divinity both now and forever. Amen!