YEAR B: HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI (2)

YEAR B: HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI

HOMILY THEME: THE ESSENCE OF THE MASS!

BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas

HOMILY:

Solemnity of Corpus Christi

Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

An elderly couple went into a McDonald’s restaurant. They ordered only one hamburger. The man cut it in half, and gave the other half to his wife. While she was slowly eating her piece, he was just looking at her. Another customer, edified by this display of affection, approached their table and said, “Sir, I noticed how sweet you are to each other. But why are you not eating at the same time?” The man answered, “I am waiting for her to finish because she is still using my dentures.”

The man was willing to endure a few more minutes of hunger just to make sure his wife eats her meal. Such is the picture of self- sacrificing love, expressed clearly in the act of nourishment. We are well aware of the fact that nourishment is an expression of love. A mother nursing her baby is a vivid picture of this. Such is also the essence of the Eucharist, the sacrament of love. God so loved us that He gave His only Son, Jesus, who became man and offered his life on the cross for our salvation. But Jesus did not stop there. He went further as to give his own flesh and blood for our eternal nourishment: “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (Jn 6:55-56). “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (Jn 6:54).

This Sunday, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, the Feast of the Eucharist, let us examine our understanding and attitude towards this most august sacrament. We can discuss so many issues concerning the Eucharist. But we cannot tackle them all in one homily. Suffice it to say, however, that the Mass is not just a meal, or a fellowship, or an entertainment presentation. Rather, the Mass is the one eternal sacrifice of Jesus that he offers to the heavenly Father in atonement for our sins. From this, let me share with you two major considerations that will hopefully help us improve our understanding of and devotion to the Eucharist.

First, the Mass is all about God. It is never about the priest, or the choir, or the sponsors, or any human being. Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment…Liturgy can only attract people when it looks, not at itself, but at God, when it allows Him to enter and act” (The Spirit of the Liturgy, pp 198-9).

How many times have we clapped our hands during Mass for a “nice” homily, for a splendid “performance” of a choir or for the generous donors and sponsors? How many times have we heard people remark that they like to go to this or that church because it is there that they enjoyed the Mass? For many people, the Mass is not about God but about them – they expect to be entertained, and to get something from it. If not, they leave and look for another church where they will “enjoy” and have “fun”! This is a terrible mistake!

The Mass is never about us; it is all about God! We come to Mass to worship, glorify and praise God – nothing else! Whether we enjoy or not, it is not the point. After all, as Pope Benedict XVI said, “Liturgy is not a matter of ‘what you please’.” (Ibid., p. 22). For, indeed, liturgy is all about pleasing God. Hence, “Looking at the priest has no importance. What matters is looking together at the Lord.” (Ibid., p.81).

At the root of this misconception is an erroneous and misguided understanding of what is called, “active participation”. In Latin, the original term used is “actuosa participatio”, and not “activa participatio.” The former refers to something internal and profound, while the latter is more on the physical and superficial level. For many people, it is this second sense that they refer to when they talk about “active participation.”

Hence, they think it means making liturgy interesting with various innovations and added attractions so that people will enjoy and be actively involved in the entire celebration. However, this is definitely in violation of the liturgical norms. Pope Saint John Paul II took note of it: “As a result of misguided sense of creativity and adaptation, there have been a number of abuses which have been a source of suffering for many” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, no. 52).

In his Apostolic Exhortation, “Sacramentum Caritatis”, Pope Benedict XVI clarified what “active participation” truly means: “The primary way to foster the participation of the People of God in the sacred rite is the proper celebration of the rite itself. The ‘ars celebrandi’ is the best way to ensure their ‘actuosa participatio’. The ‘ars celebrandi’ is the fruit of faithful adherence to the liturgical norms in all their richness” (no. 38). Hence, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), strongly exhorts that “the priest must remember that he is the servant of the Sacred Liturgy and that he himself is not permitted, on his own initiative, to add, to remove, or to change anything in the celebration of Mass” (no. 24).

The second point: The Mass is all about giving. Failure to consider the Mass as the sacrifice of Jesus being offered to the heavenly Father gives rise to the belief that we go to Mass primarily to get something from God. While the Mass is all about giving – Jesus giving himself totally to God in sacrifice so that we may be forgiven and saved – many people who come to Mass only think of getting. This is truly absurd! No wonder they find the Mass oftentimes meaningless and fruitless – for they have totally missed the whole point. The Mass is about giving everything to God, about offering our whole selves as we join in the sacrificial offering of Jesus. It is all about dying to self. During consecration, Jesus really dies, and we also should die with him. Then, and only then, can he raise us up to new life when we receive his Body and Blood in Holy Communion. The Servant of God Fulton Sheen compares the Mass to a drama with three Acts: Act 1 is the offering of ourselves (Presentation of the Gifts); Act 2 is dying with Jesus (Consecration); Act 3 is new life in Jesus (Communion). (cf. “Calvary and the Mass”). Obviously, then, the reason why many of us do not anymore find meaning in the celebration of Holy Mass is because we have become too self- centered. We have totally lost our focus on God, Who, by the way, is the real essence of the Mass. So, next time we come to Mass, think only about God – focus on Him, first and foremost! And make sure we bring something that we can offer to God – not only our surplus, but everything: our crosses, our sacrifices, and our whole selves – and join Jesus in his sacrificial offering. Then, and only then, will the Mass become for us truly alive, profoundly meaningful and eternally fruitful.

Fr. Mike Lagrimas 
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Palmera Springs 3, Susano Road Camarin, Novaliches, Caloocan City 1422