Homily - Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Participate in Life

What brings us to life?

Aren’t there sports that we just wonder how anyone could follow? I had a roommate who loved car racing, NASCAR and Formula 1. I tried to watch with him on many occasions, and he tried to explain the “subtlety” of it all, the nuances...I couldn’t get it. I gave up, bored beyond belief. But then again, he would get bored watching golf or tennis, and I am into it.

Last year the Pope hosted a synod on the Amazon. Realizing that many native cultures were being threatened due to destruction of the forest and to cultural intrusions he wanted people to develop solutions. A minor aspect of the synod was the realization that Catholics were dramatically under-served, in regards to the celebration of the Eucharist. However, Lay persons were very active in the faith through the Scripture and Actions.

For the last 90 + days, most Catholics in the Diocese of Reno have not had access to the full celebration of the Eucharist; although many participated through Social Media, the reception of communion was limited. Yet, what was really missed in those days?

Eucharist, a Greek word, means “Thanksgiving.” We celebrate giving thanks each and every mass. This is not a passive celebration; rather we actively involve ourselves in recalling what we are grateful for, and then also living out an attitude of gratitude. We participate in life and transform this world.

The Scriptures states explicitly, our participation in life remains essential.

What we celebrate in this Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood Christ is not the object of the Blessed Sacrament, we celebrate the reality that God gives us life, God calls us to life, and God brings us life. We celebrate the person of Jesus Christ.

This means we must be involved in our faith, we must be involved in life. Faith, life are not spectator sports in which we casually watch go by. Christ came in flesh and blood to reveal the dignity of all life, and the dignity especially of all human life; not matter what.

Participating in life requires that we live life completely; through our loving all human persons, all human life, from an unborn child of God to a Child of God on death row. We love the Child of God whose skin is different, whose country of birth is different, whose gender is different, the child of God whose politics differ from ours. It simply does not matter: we love all.

Our Catholic life means we stand in support for those lives: we cry out against the sins of abortion, of the death penalty, racism and all the many other -isms that deny the dignity of the human person. We cry out against all forms of violence and we work to bring peace and non-violence.

We as Catholics believe that Christ is truly present in the celebration of the Eucharist within the Consecrated Bread Wine; and also in the people who gather, in the Scripture that is Proclaimed and in the person of the Priest.

The Son of God incarnated within us. Not to be mere watchers. Because a church full of spectators will eventually die out.
A church full of participants, well then we live fully!

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