Homily - Body & Blood of Christ- Being Alive!

Jesus came so that we might have the fullness of life.  He states this in John 10.  

Jesus came that we can be fully alive, fully human, be those persons God created us to be.

This is the Good News!  This is Salvation.  This is the very heart of our faith.

So are we truly alive??  Are we truly human?

In our Gospel for Today, Jesus talks about the life of the world; he is the living bread from heaven to bring the life of the world.

We Catholics will hear this and think of Communion, or the Eucharist.  Rightly so, because our Church is asking that especially of today.

And unfortunately we have developed a tendency that it’s all about getting communion.  As long as we get the host and take a sip from the cup, it’s all good.

Well, not quite.  It must be something more deeper.

So let’s probe a bit into this Gospel.

“Bread from heaven” is John’s code language for the law.  

Manna, in John’s Gospel, meant the law as given to Moses.  

Jesus says he is the new Bread from Heaven, meaning he is the new Law, and by this new Law, the flesh and blood, our persons, will have the fullness of Life.

The Law of Jesus brings meaning to our human lives:  More Good News!

That Law of Jesus, as he says, is to Love God with all of our being, AND to Love others.      Love is the new law.

How many of you watch the tv shows or movies with Zombies, such as “Walking Dead” or “Resident Evil”, “28 Days”?

I think these shows are subtly brilliant.

Zombies are those dead creatures but still somewhat animated.  And their entire purpose is about fulfilling their own desires, needs and wants.  E.g. eat the humans.

Part of the brilliance of Walking Dead (Spoiler alert) is that it is a story of a groups of humans struggling to survive the zombie apocalypse; struggling to remain as a community; struggling in essence to remain human.  

Yet, they all know that the virus is within them all; and that after they physically die, they can become zombies.

Christ reveals to us what Life is about.  It is about Love.  Love is to consciously see and believe in the goodness of others, and to consciously choose to act so that the goodness is realized.

Love is always directed outward towards others.

Life is not about doing what I want, nor about fulfilling my own needs, wants and desires.  That is being a zombie.

Life is about living in healthy, loving relationships with the world.  Beyond our families and close knit group; but with all.

We truly live when we love.

Which means we truly live when we forgive people and ask for forgiveness…

...when we give compassion, mercy to others

... when we act humbly, not trying to control, manipulate others.

… through our generosity, sharing, patience.

Eucharist is the visible sign of the invisible reality of God giving of God’s very self to us.

Eucharist is the living body and blood of Jesus Christ given to us.

 We remember all that Jesus taught and did, especially his choosing to die on the cross for our freedom.  

We remember the Resurrection that reveals that this is the path to the fullness of life.

We consume it, not as some magical pill, but as an assent that we too believe in this way.  

As we extend our hands, we say we WANT to live life this way; that we will live this way.

This is our Church.

Our mission as Church is to Love, to share the Love of Christ, so that we can help all people find True Life.

This is our ministry!

Ministry is Love.

Particular ministry shows love to people in particular moments of life.

A particular ministry shows how people can experience the life of Christ in those particular moments of their life.

Youth ministry shows young persons how to be alive in Christ, as youth.

Ministry to those who are in hospitals, prisons, nursing homes help people to experience life, when life feels very difficult.

We go to our Young Adults, we go to our more mature Adults.

We are called to go to those who are hurting, addicted, lonely, depressed, alienated; to help them experience the Life that God wants them to have.

Our Diocese right now has a capital campaign because we are at a crossroads.  The 2nd Synod, which is the People of this diocese, called for renewal of mission, a renewal of ministry.

We must go out and share this Good News!  The Holy Spirit calls to us to be alive as Church, to help others be alive.

The reality is that we need those resources to do this.

These resources will help train new lay leaders, new deacons and priests.

…  will help struggling parishes to be more stable.

… will allow us to help adults learn how to be more alive; help our children become alive in the faith.

It will require us to give; as Christ gave for us.

I encounter people who are so in need of the ministry of Christ, through us.

There are men and women at Crossroads who are working to be free of their addictions.

People struggling with unexpected and sometimes unwanted pregnancy, who feel there is little hope.

Too many men and women are filled with anger; who have never learned about forgiveness.

There are young persons so confused with what is going on in their minds and bodies; who don’t always hear the best way to sort out those mixed feelings.  They need the Good News.

I encounter Dads, young and old; looking to make sense of what it means to be a man in today’s world, and how can Christ make them then men they want to be.  They need to be ministered to.

People truly want to be alive.  It is that spark of the divine within us that God created us with.

God wants us to be alive, truly and fully alive.

How will we live?