(The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde during the bilingual Mass for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington on May 29.)
In the last Apostolic Letter he sent us, Pope John Paul II wrote: “This year let us also celebrate with particular devotion the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, with its traditional procession. Our faith in God who took flesh in order to become our companion along the way needs to be everywhere proclaimed, especially in our streets and homes, as an expression of our grateful love and as an inexhaustible source of blessings” (Mane Nobiscum Domine, No. 18). Today, in this cathedral, we are joyfully fulfilling this exhortation of Pope John Paul II, who surely accompanies us with his prayers from the Father's House.
After we finish the Eucharistic Sacrifice, we shall walk in procession, honoring publicly the Lord Jesus really and truly present in the Eucharist. A procession is a tangible symbol of a journey. Human life is a journey and for the disciples of Jesus, for us, human life is a journey of faith with Jesus and with one another united through Him to each other. The journey of faith is long, lasting an entire lifetime. As we journey, we experience many twists and turns, we grow weary, we sometimes stumble and fall, we even lose our way. But, because He loves us with a love beyond our imagining, Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who became man, chooses to remain among us, to be our companion on the journey.
Today's Solemnity of Corpus Christi helps us to understand how Jesus journeys with us " by remaining with us through the mystery of the holy Eucharist. Let us try to understand this divine reality better by reflecting on three aspects.
1. The Eucharist is the Memorial of Christ's Death and Resurrection. The central event in Christ's life and the core of the Christian message is the Dying and Rising of Jesus. Sin destroyed the bond, uniting God with His People and likewise separated people from one another. By His Dying on the Cross and His Rising to new and unending life, Jesus restored the bond, uniting God with His people, and reunited people with one another. Jesus won salvation for each human person. Each time, you and I take part in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, we are present again at the Last Supper, we are again with Jesus on Calvary, we experience again His Rising from the dead. Yes, the Eucharistic Sacrifice is a living memorial; through its celebration, God actualizes the past in our present moment and gives us strength for the future. At each Eucharistic Sacrifice, we are fed with “the bread from heaven” and are strengthened for the journey. Today's first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy reminds us of our spiritual ancestors, who were fed with manna as they journeyed through the desert. In today's Gospel account, Jesus Himself tells us that He is “the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world " . For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink " .” As we receive this Jesus in holy Communion under the signs of bread and wine, He unites us to Himself and to each other. As St. Paul tells us in today's second reading, “Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body for we all partake of the one loaf.” Yes, celebrating the memorial of the Lord's dying and rising, we are nourished for our journey and united in our faith through Him.
2. The Eucharist also makes Jesus truly present among us. Jesus remains in the Blessed Sacrament after the celebration of Mass is ended. He is truly and really present in our tabernacles, waiting for us to visit with Him as we continue our journey. How He longs for us to be with Him, adoring, thanking, asking His help and expressing sorrow for our sins! Whether we are happy or sad, when we feel confused or abandoned, let us go to be with Him. Pope John Paul II described so beautifully the meaning of Jesus' Eucharistic Presence among us. “The presence of Jesus in the tabernacle must be a kind of magnetic pole attracting an ever greater number of souls enamored of him, ready to wait patiently to hear his voice and, as it were, to sense the beating of his heart” (Ibid). So, as we journey, we must pause and come to Jesus truly present in our tabernacles and listen to His Heart beating with love for us.
3. The Eucharist enables us to support one another on the journey. If we really open our minds and hearts to Jesus in holy Communion, we become more and more transformed; our love is made more like His and we find a new capacity, a new energy, to love others the way Jesus loves them. In this way, we truly carry one another in faith and in love along the journey.
Yes, the procession in which we shall participate this afternoon is the outward sign of our journey in faith. Today, as we meet Jesus in this Eucharistic Sacrifice and walk with Him in procession, as we allow Him to make His home within each of us, let us, with the power of His grace, renew our desire and deepen our commitment to this Jesus, really present in the Eucharist. Let us invite Him to be our companion on the journey of life, leading us each step until we arrive home " where the fullness of His life and love awaits us, where we shall live with Him, the Eucharistic Lord, forever and ever. Amen!
