Over the last several weeks, we have covered many of the Sacraments (Baptism, Anointing of the Sick, Confirmation, Marriage, Priesthood) and today we are going to look at the Sacraments of Sacraments: The Eucharist.
The Eucharist is called the source and summit of our Christian life for a reason because everything comes from it and it is the purpose of our Christian life, which is to be one with Jesus. Of all the sacraments, Jesus spent the most time talking about the Eucharist. Each of the Gospels includes the Last Supper and three of the Gospels include the words of institution, as does one of the letters of St Paul. The Gospel of John doesn’t include the words of institution, the words of consecration, but St John spent five chapters (Chapters 13-17) in his Gospel dedicated to the Last Supper. In a way, he is showing us how to prepare to receive Holy Communion and he also spends the entire sixth chapter (which we will be going through in the next few Sundays) on what is called the Bread of Life Discourse.
Friends, sit up and listen, this is big that so much is written about it. Not only that but there seems to be more miracles about the Real Presence of the Eucharist than any other sacrament. Pope Francis had an amazing one where the host changed into a piece of heart and even Canada, in the little town of Cowley, Alberta, has a Eucharistic miracle.
The Eucharist is sort of the last will and testament of Jesus and remember He did not say, “Write down everything I did,” but He did say, “Do this in memory of me.” Yet fascinating this is one thing many Christian churches do not have – the Eucharist. The Eucharist separates us from so many churches, when what it is actually meant to do is bring us into intimate union with Jesus. Understand the Eucharist, experience the Eucharist, and you will understand the Church and your faith will be safeguarded against all kinds of peril, because no one but the Church instituted by Christ has the Eucharist. If you don’t understand or have love for the Eucharist, your faith is not substantial.
First, what is the Eucharist? It is bread and wine that has changed and become the Body, and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus. It is God’s greatest treasure to us and our foretaste of heaven. The Eucharist is Jesus. Being with Jesus is our very purpose in life. It is the only Sacrament that is a mortal sin to miss. You have to be unable to go in order to not be in mortal sin if you miss attending this sacrament. The Church believes to miss this sacrament is to miss out on heaven. If we can learn to understand this sacrament, life itself will change.
While I was getting ready for this homily, I was thinking about St John allowing six chapters of his twenty-one chapter book on the Eucharist, more than one quarter of his book. I started thinking, what if we took the Gospel of John and saw how Jesus prepared His disciples for the Eucharist. Someone once said that in order to be spontaneous, you must be trained. If you spontaneously sat down at a piano, it would sound terrible. If you trained in piano, you could sit down and play something original and it would resemble the beauty and the harmony that you were trained in because you knew the laws of music and knowing you could use what you know to create art. My point is, if we don’t train our souls for the Mass, the results will be poor. Because it is the greatest thing on earth, it is possible that some good would come out of it, but all good should come out of it.
I went through Chapters 13 to 17 of John and pulled out some stuff to get ready for this great mystery that I would like to share with you. Did you know that after the movie Titanic cruise line shares went through the roof? Imagine a movie about a ship crashing into an iceberg and many people dying would make people want to go on a cruise. Why? Because they were looking for love. Well, in the Gospel of John, Chapters 13 to 17 “Love” is mentioned thirty-three times. Amazing that world is looking for love and the Eucharist is all about love. The love of the Saviour who would not hold anything back. Also in these chapters, “joy” is mentioned seven times. Aren’t we all looking for joy? “Being one” mentioned four times. We are all looking for friendship. “Glory” is mentioned seventeen times. How much of life is looking for glory? Isn’t that amazing – everything we are looking for is contained in this Sacrament! These things that when we don’t have them will cause us serious struggles and disaster, are all there. No wonder that the Church makes it mandatory to Celebrate the Lord’s Supper, because it contains the food of all man’s desires.
You will notice all of these components are in the Mass itself.
The first thing is the washing of the feet and this is a two fold preparation. First, have we let Jesus wash us in Baptism and later in Confession? Jesus says, “Unless I wash you, you can have no part in me.” Second, Jesus gives an example about how to live our lives. He is Lord and Master yet He has washed the feet, the humblest job in the house, performed by the lowest slave. How have we acted in this manner? The Eucharist is meant to help us be other Christs. If you have not served, and have no intention of serving, you are not being responsive to the Eucharist.
Next He says that one will betray Him. He warns Peter that he, too, will betray the Lord. Peter believes that his human strength is enough. He will find out it is not. We, too, in the Mass examine ourselves to see where we have betrayed Him, whether we have put something in His place, whether we have trusted in human strength to save us. We do this in the first penitential rite. There are seven in total in the Mass. Seven times we ask for this washing. We need to learn to be sorry for our sins. One day I was thinking as the words, “Lord, have mercy,” rolled off my tongue, how cheap it sounded. Imagine asking a parent for forgiveness for hurting their child, for having used their child, how awkward you would feel. You wouldn’t expect mercy. Well, when we sin we hurt the Children of God and God so we should be aware of our need for mercy.
Next the Lord tells the Apostles that there is a place prepared for them in heaven. He has many rooms. Do we think that this food takes us to heaven? Do we desire heaven or are we so caught up with this earth that we have no time for Heaven? He also tells them that if they abide in Him they will do great and glorious things, greater than Jesus Himself. Do we look and ask God what He is trying to do in our lives through us? He tells the Apostles not to worry. Would our lives be different if we didn’t worry, if we weren’t anxious? Well apparently, receiving the Eucharist is the antidote to worry and anxiety.
He tells us He will send the Holy Spirit to us, to guide us into all truth. What kind of a relationship do you and I have with the Holy Spirit? How are we letting the Holy Spirit instruct us? How did you start off this Mass – asking His instruction, His training? If not, then how can we expect it.
He tells us if we love God, we will follow His commandments and then God can make His home in us. Keeping His commandments is the way you show love to God and love gives you the power to keep them. The Eucharist is the ultimate love because there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends.
I will end with, “Let them be one as you Father are one with me that the world may know they came from us.” This is very important, the oneness in big things. The Church has an examination before Communion about this: The Sign of Peace. Many times it is treated as a recess in the Sacred Liturgy, however it is from the Scriptures and it is a very serious examen. If you have something against your brother or sister, go and reconcile with them. We should not receive unless we are one. The Sign of Peace is a token that we give to a few people around us ,while examining ourselves and asking for forgiveness for those we do not love or those we do not want to forgive. IF we are like this, we should not receive because we hate God as much as we hate our enemy. Our oneness must be expressed before we come and ask for oneness with Jesus.