Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: in today’s Gospel, Jesus
took a loaf of bread, blessed it, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take
eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, after giving thanks, he gave it to
them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” At the Last Supper,
on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice
of his body and blood. The Eucharist is the real Body and Blood of Christ. It
is our Lord Jesus who made it so clear to his disciples that the bread and wine
has been changed to his own body and blood.
Yet you may ask: “Why does the
bread still taste like bread and the wine still taste like wine?” Yes, indeed God
has made for us two kinds of eyes: those of the flesh and those of faith. When
you come to be baptized with water, your eyes of flesh see water; and your eyes
of faith see the Holy Spirit coming down from heaven to the water and your body
becomes a temple of the Spirit. Your eyes of flesh see the body is being
washed; and your eyes of faith see your soul is being washed. It is the same
for the Eucharist. When you see and taste the Body and Blood of Christ with
your eyes of flesh, they simply look like bread and wine and also taste like
ordinary bread and wine. But with your eyes of faith, you should see our High
Priest Jesus coming to the altar, just like his very presence at the Last
Supper, taking the bread, giving thanks to the Father, breaking it, and giving
it to you and said: “This is my body which is given for you, do this in memory
of me.” As for the wine, besides what he did at the Last Supper, Jesus also
performed his first miracle at the marriage feast of Cana to turn water into
wine, thereby setting a precedence of changing wine into blood. When you see
the Eucharist with the eyes of faith, you should see it as the Body and Blood
of Christ.
Therefore, do not think of the Eucharistic elements as merely
bread and wine. Though your senses suggest the contrary, let your faith
conquer. Instead of judging the matter by your bodily sight and taste, let your
faith confirms that you have the privilege to participate in the Supper of the
Lamb and receive his Body and Blood. Change your thoughts from earth to heaven,
from the visible things to the invisible. Then you can visualize the earthly
objects as heavenly gifts with the eyes of faith.
Before you were baptized as the children of God, you lived a
sinful life. You should still remember that God had washed away your sins
through baptism. Do you know that who have been baptized into Jesus were
baptized into his death? Do you know that baptism has made us die to sin and
alive to God in Jesus? But are you fully converted to live like Jesus and many
early disciples who died as martyrs to witness the Christian faith? Certainly
not! As St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “I can will what is right, but I cannot
do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I
do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer that I do it, but sin that
dwells within me.” From the time of your baptism, you are in the contest
between good and evil. Do you know who are watching this contest? Not only are
your fellow Christians and your un-converted friends watching over you, but
also the angels in heaven and more dreadfully Satan and its fellows.
When you were baptized in the name of the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit, Satan had to turn away its eyes. For it dares not look at your
face when it sees the lightning which leaps flash forth from your soul and
blinds its eyes. It is because Satan knows God too well and fears Him more than
you, and through baptism, you become the children of God and the temple of the
Holy Spirit. While baptism had once washed away your sins, the Eucharist is the
daily bread to nourish your soul as you progress along the earthly journey.
When you are at the Lord’s table participating in his Eucharistic feast, Satan
merely sees you returning to the banquet of the Master, it will flee from you
faster than the wind as if it is being chased by a lion, as soon as the Body
and Blood of Christ is placed into your mouth. When you come forward to
Communion, think of your mouth simply transformed into the doors of the temple
which holds Christ. Receiving the Eucharist allows you to remain in an intimate
union with Jesus. For indeed the Lord said: “Those who eat my flesh and drink
my blood abide in me, and I in them.” Life in Christ has its foundation in the
Eucharistic banquet: “Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of
the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.” Jesus has saved you
from the hands of Satan. With Jesus inside you, Satan dares not come near you.
The Eucharist will preserve you from falling into temptation, just like Jesus
commanded Satan to leave him in the wilderness.
On the other hand, if you are in a state of sin, you must
first confess your sins before you come forward to receive the Eucharist. The
heavenly banquet only accepts those with sincerity of heart and purity of soul.
Those who do not wear a wedding robe to join the Lord’s feast will be thrown
into the outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth. The Son of God shall
never like you telling his enemies the secret of the mystical supper, nor welcome
you kissing him with Judas’ kiss. If your soul is holy and pure, approach the
Lord’s Supper at all times, and if not, never! This will not only safeguard the
Body and Blood of Christ from contamination by his enemies, but also save you
from committing a grave sin against the Holy Spirit. Do you remember the
consequence of the couple who lied to the Holy Spirit when they laid only part
of their possessions at the feet of the apostles? Therefore, examine your
conscience clearly, and if you are still leading a sinful life, leave the
service before the Eucharistic sacrifice begins.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: the Eucharist is the
source and summit of your Christian life. By participating in the Eucharistic
celebration, you already have a taste of the heavenly liturgy and anticipate
eternal life. But you must always prepare yourselves to participate in the
Lord’s Supper and receive the Eucharist with a clean soul. When you are able to
do this, you should see and receive God’s greatest blessings poured out upon
you with the eyes of faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment