Fr. Jeff’s Weekly Homily

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ

June 9-10, 2007


READING 1: Genesis 14:18-20
Then Abram gave [Melchizedek] a tenth of everything.

Psalm 110
You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek.

READING 2: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Do this in remembrance of me.

GOSPEL: Luke 9:11b-17
Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God , and he healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, "Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves." They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people." Now the men there numbered about five thousand. Then he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty." They did so and made them all sit down. Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

Nothing I heard all week topped what one of the youngsters told me. He said, “School is for people who don’t know how to fish.” I thought about it all week and it reminded me that all work and no play certainly effects our dispositions. But it also reminded me of a deeper reality and that reality is that unless Jesus is on board no fish are really going to get caught.

For thousands of years, God gave us his voice. Prior to Bethlehem , he gave us his messengers, his teachers, his words. He inspires priests like Melchizedek who Abraham gave 10% of everything to for the Lord. God sends angels, prophets, books, but God is too holy to come to us himself. Anyone who would suggest that God would take the form of a man and walk with the people would be blaspheming. God watched from a distance.

But then God enfleshed his Word:

  • He swims in Mary’s womb.
  • Wiggles in itchy manger straw.
  • Bounces on the back of a donkey.
  • Enjoys wedding parties.
  • He is God with us.
  • He knows hurt.
  • He knows hunger.
  • He knows exhaustion.
  • He knows betrayal.
  • He knows human nature.

Everyplace he went he brought the spectacular love of God into people’s lives. To those who feared there was not enough food, he taught generosity leads to more than enough. In Chapter 6 of John’s gospel he proclaimed “unless you eat my Body and drink my Blood you do not have life in you. If you do eat my Body and drink my Blood, I will give you eternal life.” Some asked, “How can he give us his body to eat?” They are probably the same ones who could not believe the word could take flesh and dwell among them. At the Last Supper he showed his disciples the way. It’s interesting to me that everyone there received his body; but not all received his blood. The one who betrayed him was there for the breaking of the bread but not the passing of the cup. Only his real friends received his blood, which might suggest that it’s not the comfort food but the blood that challenges us to live up to true friendship with Jesus.

When he was crucified, he forgave us. When he rose from the dead, he inspired us. Now he gives us his body and blood. The day of his resurrection he walked with two disciples explaining his role in the great epic and then as they sat down at dinner he took the bread, blessed it, broke it and that’s when they recognized him, in the breaking of the bread. (Luke 24) In Paul’s 1 st letter to the Corinthians read today, Paul explains what Christians respectfully do with the bread and wine and writes that anyone who doesn’t believe will bring judgment on himself. (1 Cor. 11:29) We remember what Jesus does for each and every one of us in our lives. Jesus condemns no one; he makes everyone worthy in one gesture. Jesus invites all of us to come here to his table and make his body our own as he touches our palms and caresses our tongues and enters our flesh. This God who is more majestic than we can imagine is more intimate than we could have imagined. That is Good news!

Fr. Jeff McGowan
Queen of Peace Catholic Community
Gainesville, Florida