Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ - Call to Action

Years ago I was talking with an older priest and we were discussing a teen who had not been the nicest of persons. We were talking about the situation and what could be done; and this senior priest said that it was too late, this kid was already set and it could not be undone. I thought to myself, but isn’t that against what Jesus taught and did?

I love good stories of conversion. There are great ones on Instagram and TikTok; people changing the trajectory of their lives. Some of the strongest, wisest, holiest persons I have met and know are those who have moved from addiction to sobriety, from heart broken to heart open, from abused to advocate.

The reality of conversion, redemption, repentance exists. We disciples of Jesus Christ, we Catholics live it. Or we are supposed to.


Last week in our Gospel, we heard those amazing words from John 3:16: God so loved the World that God gave to the world the beloved Son to save the world.  Jesus Christ is the incarnation, the flesh and blood reality of God’s love for this world; and God’s will for this world to be saved.  Jesus Christ in his body, and in his person, made visible the reality of God’s saving love; a love that transforms.

We Catholics Sacramentally make present this reality in our Communion, in our Eucharist. Rather, God makes this real in the bread and wine that are transformed into the very person of his Son. We celebrate it.

I think that one of the most subtle, quiet and yet profound rituals as part of our mass is the offertory. Not because it is simply the moment when donations are made. Yet, think on that moment as we come forward to make those donations: that money symbolizes our hard work. It symbolizes our commitment. It, together with all the hard work of others, is combined and transformed into action: we use those monies to fund our ministry, and yes to pay for the lights, the heating/cooling, and because staff likes to eat it pays for salaries.

Then the more subtle and profound part: the bread and wine are brought forward by representatives of the parish. That bread and wine symbolize our work, our joys, our heartbreaks, our weaknesses, our failures; Our desires; everything that we are. All offered to God.

Then all of these from all of us, we completely surrender to the Father, and we trust that the Father will send the Holy Spirit upon them to convert them, change them into the person of his Son.

And we come forward once again; not to give or surrender, to receive Jesus, just as in the resurrection the disciples received Jesus back. We receive the grace, the forgiveness, the humility of God and we consume it.

We incarnate all those qualities, it becomes part of our flesh and blood to make real into the world.  Eucharist is our sacrament of hope; of redemption; of conversion. This also means it is utterly important that we choose to act. This is not magic.

Grace effects us and we must choose to act differently; to choose patience, to choose humility, to choose forgiveness, to choose compassion, to choose life.

People pray for patience, kindness, forgiveness. This is great, continue…but it also means we have to make real that patience, kindness, forgiveness. It’s like praying to God for the winning Lotto numbers but never buying the ticket..what good will it do.  We Catholics truly must believe in the conversion, the transformation of us.

We must believe that it is possible for us and for others.  Our efforts, our ministry, our deeds are about creating space for people to be transformed; to create a safe place for people to experience God’s grace. And never give up on them.

Sunday, we will have a Eucharistic Procession in honor of Corpus Christi. This procession symbolizes our commitment to follow Christ into this world, our commitment to be Christ’s hands and feet, his eyes and ears, his compassion, his healing, his love. It symbolizes our desire to join with Christ to save this world.  Conversion, transformation, redemption, repentance are real. It is our reality. It is never too late, whether we are still a child or with many more years under our belts.

God’s love makes it so.

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