6/7/26

What do you believe happens to the bread and wine at Mass? Do you believe the gifts we offer become the Body and Blood of Christ? My homily looks at these questions...

 
Above you'll find a video of my homily for this Sunday.  Here are the scriptures for today's mass and the text of my homily follows below. (If a video doesn't appear above, click here!)
 
On this feast, this solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, I'm gonna cut to the chase and ask you a few questions. Four, as a matter of fact.
Question one: What do you believe happens to the bread and wine on the altar? After you hear me speak the words of Jesus, “This is my body, this is my blood…” what do you believe happens to the bread and wine?
 
Two: Do you believe that the bread and wine we offer at the altar become the Body and Blood of Christ?
 
Three: When you receive communion, what do you believe you are receiving? Or more precisely, do you believe you are receiving some-ONE?
 
Four: When you come forward for communion, and the minister says, “The Body of Christ… the Blood of Christ” - what do you mean when you say, Amen?
Today's feast reminds us of what we Catholic Christians believe about the Eucharist: that the bread and wine we offer and pray over and receive, become the Body and Blood of Christ. So if you're thinking, “Well, yeah, that's what I believe…”  - you are in very good company.
 
For the first nine centuries, from the time of the apostles, through the 800s, all Christians, without exception, believed, wholeheartedly, that the bread and wine at mass do indeed become the Body and Blood of Jesus. Of course, in the first 9 centuries - everybody was Catholic! There was nobody else. All Christians were Catholics - all Catholics were Christians.
 
And then around the year 850 AD, there was a Benedictine monk in France, Ratramnus was his name. And Ratramnus said, “Yeahhh… I'm not so sure!”  Ratramnus did not believe that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. He believed that the bread and wine become a “figure,” a “representation,” a “symbol” of Christ's real presence. And we can understand why he thought that - can't we? He thought that - because he looked at the bread and wine before the words of consecration - and then after the words of consecration - and he didn't see any difference...  And so began, in the ninth century, a history of debate and disagreement about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
 
But you know what? In the 5th century, in the early 5th century, St. Augustine had addressed this very question. He asked, and I quote him here:
How is the bread his body?
And the chalice, or what is in the chalice,
   how is it his blood?
These elements, brothers and sisters,
   are called sacraments, because in them,
      one thing is seen, but another is understood.
What is seen has physical appearance.
But what is understood is the spiritual fruit.
These elements are called sacraments.
And what are sacraments? The older folks among us here this morning know the answer to the question. “What is a sacrament? A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.” We learned that in the Baltimore catechism.
 
At the Last Supper, Jesus offered bread and wine as an outward sign of how, on the very next day, he would offer himself, his body and blood, on the cross. In the bread and wine of the Eucharist then, there is an outward sign - what we see with our eyes. But with the eyes of faith - we see so much more. With the eyes of faith, we see what Jesus promised us: 

the nourishment of his life,
   broken once on the cross,
and broken now for us,
   even this morning,
      like bread,
   so that we might have a share
      in his body,
         in his life… 
and the refreshment of his life,
   shed as blood on the cross,
now poured out for us in a cup,
   that we might drink in
      the life he gave for us…

Remember, again, what Augustine preached: These elements, brothers and sisters are called sacraments - because in them, one thing is seen, but another is understood. What is seen has physical appearance, but what is understood is the spiritual fruit.
 
The change in the bread and wine on the altar can be seen only with eyes of faith… can be believed only through eyes of faith… can be accepted, received, and consumed only by people of faith…
 
Let me ask one more question of you…  “Have you ever found yourself changed by the love of someone who loves you? Or you can turn that around, too: “Have you ever seen how your love for someone else has changed that person's life?”
 
Your outward appearance, and the outward appearance of the one you love - remain the same. But at a depth you cannot describe - everything is changed, everything is different because of love.
 
That's how it is with a sacrament. That's how it is with the Eucharist.  That's how it is with the bread and wine we will offer this morning on this altar. A real change will take place at a depth we cannot perceive, a change that can only be known by eyes of faith, and faithful hearts - hearts who know what it is to love and to be loved. Only those with eyes of faith will perceive it. Only those who love Jesus and know that they are loved by Jesus, will know and see and believe and accept and receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the sacrament.
 
But wait! Augustine has even more to say! He wrote, “If, then, you wish to understand the body of Christ, listen to what St. Paul tells us. ‘You are the body of Christ. You are members of Christ's body.’ If, therefore, you are the body of Christ, your mystery has been placed on the Lord's table. In communion, you receive your mystery.”
 
We who have been baptized and are already one with Christ in baptism, we are already one in Christ. So when we offer the sacrifice of the Eucharist, we are offering the sacrifice, the mystery of our own lives. Because we are members of the body of Christ - we are the offering we place on the altar. And in turn, we receive the offering Christ made for us on the Cross. Augustine wrote, “When you receive communion, you reply Amen to that which you are - and by replying, you consent. For you hear the words, “The Body of Christ, and you reply, Amen.  Live them as a member of the body of Christ so that your Amen may be true.
 
Now... I'm wise enough, or at least smart enough, to know that everything I've just said may have sailed right over the heads of many - and out the front doors of this church. So let me add one more voice, a contemporary voice, to what I'm trying to share with you this morning. Let me share you with you the words of Dan Barrigan, a Jesuit priest, a poet, a prophet of peace in our own times. Here's what he wrote about the Eucharist. Listen carefully. He wrote, 

When I hear bread breaking,
  I see something else.
It seems almost as though God
  never meant us to do anything else.
So beautiful a sound!
The crust breaks up, like manna,
  and falls over everything.
And then we eat.
Bread gets inside humans.
It turns into what the experts call
  “the formal glory of God.”
But don't let that worry you.
Sometime in your life,
  hope you might see one starved man
and the look on his face
  when the bread finally arrives.
Hope you might have baked it,
  or bought it,
    or even needed it yourself.
For that look on his face,
  for your hands meeting his
    across a piece of bread 
  you might be willing to lose a lot,
    you might be willing to lose a lot,
      or suffer a lot,
        or even die a little.

Does Father Berrigan's imagery touch a place in you? in your heart, in your soul, in your faith. I hope it does. It does for me. It has for a long time. 53 years ago, I put those words in the program for the first mass I celebrated as a priest. It's how important those words are to me.
That place where Father Berrigan's words may have touched you, that is the place from which you begin to believe that the bread and wine on the altar become the Body and Blood of Christ.
 
Understanding or believing in the real presence is not something you do in your head. Ratramnus tried that in the 8th century, and he failed. He left the path of faith. No - understanding and believing in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist is something we do in our hearts in our faith, in our prayer, in that place within us where we love, and where we are loved. In that place inside of us where we know that Jesus loves us – and, in our own halting ways, we try to love Jesus.
 
What we see in the bread and the chalice, that is what our own eyes report to us. But what our faith invites us to believe and accept and receive is that the bread is the Body of Christ, and the chalice holds the Blood of Christ, offered and given for us, so that we might share in his life - in the real presence of Jesus.

  

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NIGHT PRAYER: Sunday 6/7


On Sundays, Night Prayer takes its lead from some element from the day's liturgy - today is the feast of Body and Blood of Christ.
 
Make me hungry, O Lord, and give me a thirst
 for what feeds my heart, nourishes my soul
     and strengthens my will to do the right thing...
 
Make me hungry, O Lord, and give me a thirst
     for what cleanses my thoughts, lifts my spirits 
         and purifies all my desires...
 
Make me hungry, O Lord, and give me a thirst
    for the truth of your word, the grace of your Spirit
         and the beauty of all creation...
 
 Make me hungry, O Lord, and give me a thirst
     for doing what's just, righting what's wrong,
         for making peace with my family and friends...
  
Make me hungry and thirsty for you, O Lord:
    for the bread of your truth and your wisdom,
         for the cup of your sweetness and healing;
    for the bread of your mercy and kindness,
        for the cup of your grace and refreshment;
     make me hungry and thirsty for you, O Lord…
 
 Make me hungry and thirsty for you, O Lord,
     for the bread of your body, given for me,
         for the blood from your side, spilled for me;
     for the bread of your body, bruised for me,
         for the blood of your heart, pierced for me;
     for the bread of your body, broken for me,
         for the blood of your life, poured out for me;
     for your body and blood, shared with me
         on your cross and the table of love...
  
Make me hungry and thirsty for you, O Lord,
     and nourish and strengthen my heart and hands
 to break and share the bread of my being,
     to pour myself out - and generously so -
 with all who hunger and thirst for you...
 
Make me hungry and thirsty for you, O Lord: 
    the bread of angels from heaven come down,
        the saving cup of eternal life…
 
Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
    and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
    and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.

 

The Body of Christ by Sarah Hart
 
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This is the Body of Christ, 
beautiful, broken and blessed; 
miracle of the greatest of loves, 
presence of God in our midst. 
This is the Cup that he shares, 
endlessly emptied and poured; 
sacrifice made so that we might be saved 
now and forevermore. 
 
Amen, amen! 
We are healed by the Bread of life. 
Amen, amen! 
We are one in the Body of Christ. 
We are one in the Body of Christ. 
 
This is the Body of Christ, 
word become flesh by his grace; 
miracle of a myst’ry no tongue 
ever could fully explain. 
This is the Blood of the Lamb, 
gift of a heart open wide; 
poured from the Cross to the altar where love 
comforts and fills and provides. 
 
This is the Body of Christ, 
gathered in hope and in faith; 
bound by this love, this Body and Blood 
he offers again and again. 
All of the hunger we have, 
satisfied only by this; 
so we receive, we remember, believe 
and share so that others may live. 

  

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6/6/26

Pause for Prayer: SUNDAY 6/7

 
This is the 18th year I've posted this prayer on Corpus Christi, a prayer which I wrote 55 years ago while in the seminary.  A good friend asked me what I believed about the Eucharist. I knew he was looking not for a text book answer but rather for what was in my heart. I wrote this reflection in response to his question. I know this helped me articulate my own faith in the Eucharist and I believe it helped my friend, too. As we celebrate today's feast of Corpus Christi, here's my old reflection on the breaking of bread...
 
BREAKING BREAD
Unless a grain of wheat 
falls into the earth and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat,
but if it dies, it bears much fruit...
John 12:24 

You have to listen with all of you
to hear the white-green shoot
pushing, rubbing, scraping up through
cool, moist earth: wheat being born...

It's a comforting sound when, finally,
you hear it and you know the growing sound
isn't out there, in the field
but in your frailty, your brokenness,
in you...

Then fear comes over you:
you'll be torn inside, again, until it hurts
and this may be the time
when growing leaves behind
the one you think you are,
harvesting the one
you were made to be...
Unless a grain of wheat 
falls into the earth and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat,
but if it dies, it bears much fruit...  

You don't have to listen so closely
to hear the wind shuffle its way
through fields of wheat
so
you have to look very carefully
to see it's not the wind after all, but simply
wheat brushing against wheat,
wheat supporting wheat,
wheat enjoying wheat,
wheat embracing wheat...

The rustling becomes a symphony
of meeting, knowing, touching, growing:
wheat reaching out to wheat
not with fear, not with flushed face,

but only with the need to touch.
And the sound of reaching
is strong, enveloping, alive!
  

Unless a grain of wheat 
falls into the earth and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat,
but if it dies, it bears much fruit...

Grinding grains of wheat: harsh,
breaking, crushing sounds,
a not soft noise - hard.
And now you don't want to hear
wheat
being crushed:
it just doesn't look like wheat anymore
and maybe the explosion in you
wasn't a matter of life but...

water is cool
and now it is all around you:
bubbling and swirling
in flour ground of wheat
and now you're not surprised to know
you're listening to blood filling your veins,
flowing all through you - life...

And just before the fire consumed us, too,
we found bread: one beautiful brown loaf
of wheat, wind and water
all rising to life in bread...

Then came One who broke the bread

and was broken for us, like a loaf,
and we heard
in the cracking and tearing of the crust
the Word of life grown, ground and given

for all who share
in the breaking of the bread... 

Unless a grain of wheat 
falls into the earth and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat,
but if it dies, it bears much fruit...


  

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NIGHT PRAYER: Saturday 6/6


I believe in tomorrow
    when today is going nowhere...

I believe in peace of mind
   though my thoughts be greatly troubled...

I believe in prayer
    when my soul can find no words...
 
I believe in truth
    even when I cannot find it...

I believe in beauty's glory
    when all seems stark and barren...

I believe in joy and gladness
    though my heart be filled with sorrow...

I believe in friendship's comfort
    even when I'm all alone...

I believe in the sun
    even when it isn't shining...

I believe in love
    even when I do not feel it...

And I believe in you, my God,
     even when you're silent...

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
    and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch for you
    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

Even When He Is Silent 
        performed by the Voces 8 
 
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The lyrics of this piece were scratched on a cellar wall, written by a Jew hiding in Cologne, Germany, during World War 2... 
 
 

I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining. 
I believe in love, even when I feel it not. 
I believe in God, even when He is silent.

 

  

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Pause for Prayer: SATURDAY 6/6

 
I wrote this 12 years ago, revised it 4 years ago, and significantly expanded it for today...
 
Today, Lord, 
    let nothing and no one
        shake my faith in you, 
        keep me from your love,     
        rob me of my hope,     
        dull my thirst for justice, 
        shade me from your light,  
        threaten my integrity, 
        seduce me from fidelity, 
        still your voice within me, 
        indulge my pride and envy, 
        sway me from the truth I know,
        persuade me to act foolishly,
        diminish my self-worth,
        trigger my anxieties, 
        steer me from your path,
        tempt me with forbidden fruit,
        weaken my conviction, 
        curb my will to serve you,
        smooth-talk me with flattery,  
        hold me back from prayer,
        take advantage of my fears, 
        encroach upon my conscience,  
        make me doubt your mercy,
        close my heart to others,
        dampen my soul's joy,
        hide me from your presence, 
        distract me from your Spirit's way, 
        shield me from your grace
        or hinder me in any way
        from knowing, loving, serving you,
        my Lord, my God, my all...

Amen.

  

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6/5/26

NIGHT PRAYER: Friday 6/5

As I mentioned this morning, the month of June and the first Friday of all months are times of devotion to the Heart of Jesus... 

    Sculpture by Timothy P. Schmalz

 
Lord Jesus...
 
    you have a heart for all God's children:
        have a heart for me, O Lord,
    and open my heart as wide as yours
        to all I meet and know... 
 
    you have a heart for my greatest foes:
        have a heart for me, O Lord,
    and open my heart, even to those,
        who have no heart for me...
 
    you have a heart for people of every stance,
        conviction, opinion: 
    have a heart for me, O Lord
        and open my heart to those whose ideas
            have something to add to my own... 
         
    you have a heart for people who love
        in ways I don't understand:
    have a heart for me, O Lord
        and help me remember that where I find love
            - there I find you...
 
    you have a heart for people who hold
        no faith or belief or trust in you:
    have a heart for me, O Lord,
        and open my soul to all the ways
            their goodness might lead me to you...  
 
    you have a heart for the homeless and hungry,
        the stranger, the poor, the abandoned:
    have a heart for me, O Lord,
        and open my well-fed, cared-for self
            to share til I feel their need...
 
    you have a heart for the broken and wounded,
        the sick in body, mind and soul:
    have a heart for me, O Lord,
        and strengthen my hands to care for and tend
            those who reach out for my help...
 
    your heart has a love that's deeper and wider
        than any that I might imagine;
    so have a heart for me, O Jesus,
        and widen and deepen, expand and grow
            the heart I have for others
     for the the heart I have for my neighbor, Lord
        - no more, no less and only - 
                is the heart I have for you... 
 
Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
    and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
    and asleep rest in your peace...

Amen. 
 
I just found this song - perhaps the best hymn to the heart of Jesus that I've ever heard or prayed...
 
Heart of Christ Jesus 
    by Paul Nienaber, SJ (lyricist)
        and Karen Schneider Kimer (composer)
 
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Heart of Christ Jesus, love overflowing
Sharing our struggles, taking our part,
Dwell with your people, graces bestowing,
Heart of Christ Jesus, most Sacred Heart!
 
Heart of compassion, perfectly gracious,
Wounded by sinners' heartless rebuff,
Still you pursue us, seek us, embrace us,
Heart of Christ Jesus, self-giving heart.
 
Heart of a teacher, patiently guiding,
Leading us gently, lighting our way,
Courage and wisdom always providing
Heart of Christ Jesus, grace for each day.
 
Heart of a healer, skillful and caring,
Tending the wounded, broken and sore,
Show us your mercy, comfort unsparing,
Heart of Christ Jesus, strengthen, restore
 
Heart of a servant, humble and lowly
Be our example, model and call,
Sacred and sov'reign, faithful and holy,
Heart of Christ Jesus, open to all.
 
Heart of redemption, source of salvation,
Son of the Father, Incarnate Word,
Hope for the pilgrim, bright destination,
Heart of Christ Jesus, Savior and Lord.    

  

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