Corpus Christi in Jubilee Year (June 22, 2014)
M. Rebecca
This
morning we will be receiving the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus
Christ. This is an incredible statement
and takes a life-time of prayer and reflection to even slightly pierce this
Mystery. St John tells us in his gospel
that this teaching of Jesus was a tipping point in his ministry and He lost
many followers because of it. But there
is another group of Jesus’ disciples that may be just as disappointing. The first are those who could not accept the
Eucharist as gift and left. But another are
those who take the Eucharist for granted.
Does this miracle of God’s self-giving love at the altar each day create
in us awe? Or humility? Or energetic zeal? Or a burning desire for God? Or selfless charity? Do I remember each day at the receiving of
Christ’s Body and Blood to even say “thank you”!? This
Consecration happens thousands of times a day all around the world and to keep
this sacrament from becoming too commonplace we need to keep our reverence, joy
and thanksgiving alive through meditation and prayer.
We all know
what it is like to have given someone a gift that wasn’t appreciated. ..Perhaps,
embarrassing to say, we even wish we could have taken it back! Yet
one of the beauties the Eucharist teaches us is that Christ desires to give
Himself totally regardless of our response or receptivity. He continues to give
Himself over and over, not just at the altar, but every moment of our day. We are
called to imitate Christ in this self-donation without conditions – freely, w/o
refunds or regrets!
We have all
heard the phrase that we are called to be “Eucharistic people” but what does
that look like? Do we think it is to
give to others while still remaining in control? Or to give from my surplus which makes me
feel good but doesn’t cost me much?
Obviously that isn’t what Jesus taught us at the Last Supper. I see the Triduum, which begins with the celebration
of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, as
a sort of running commentary or description of what the Eucharist is or looks
like – a definition by pure example.
This
morning after mass we will also have a procession. Usually in processions we are moving towards
the Church – a sign of our spiritual journey towards our heavenly home as well
as the interior journey into the deeper chambers of our heart, where Christ
also dwells. Yet this is the only
procession where we will be actually carry Jesus Christ out of the church in the Consecrated Host - a procession
where Christ will bless all 4 corners of our world. We see in these movements
that God is not only our destination; He is our guide and protector along the
way. As we go towards God He is already with us!
The first
reading today we have another procession of sorts. However, it is one that lasted 40 years! The Israelites go through the desert 40 years
seeking the Promised Land …or a return to their heavenly homeland. In
their procession through the desert they went through tough times as well as
joyous ones. They experienced hunger as
well as manna from God and from the heavens.
They thirsted but also knew living water from the rock. They knew absence and they knew
presence. They suffered and they
celebrated. And they knew as they journeyed towards God He was already with
them!
This year
our community is celebrating another procession. A procession not of 40 years but 50! It is our jubilee year and a time to reflect
on our own community’s journey towards God…as well as reflect on how we have
carried Christ in procession through the years…or more accurately, He has carried
us! For we know as we go towards God He is already with us!
I have been
reading our House Reports and Visitation Cards and see that this 50 year
procession towards and with God has also had its tough times as well as joyous
ones. A community of women who have
experienced hunger as well as manna from God… who have been tested in the
desert as well as directed towards life-giving waters…who have known absence
and presence, suffering and celebration.
Jean Vanier says, “Our lives
are a journey from weakness of the new born child we once were to the weakness
of the old person we will become. Our
lives are a journey of growth from ignorance to wisdom, from selfishness to
self-giving, from fear to trust, from lack of self-esteem to
self-acceptance. We human beings do not possess life. We receive
life in our fragile bodies.” In our
procession towards God we need food for our journey and the Eucharist has
always been the central nourishment of our day and lives…and a way we carry
Christ with us on the way.
In our
Visitation cards over the past 50 years one striking theme that was repeatedly
and consistently made was that we are a community of joy. In the early years there seems to have been
much confusion and lack of clarity, not only in a new community finding its own
identity, but in a Church changing radically and quickly from the Second Vatican
Council. But amidst the turmoil and
suffering, joy remained a central identity in our community. It is only in finding God that we possess joy
and so I think this joy is a good indication that our community has been, and
is, united to the Heart of Christ. Our
community has known Christ Crucified but more importantly we have experienced
the Risen Christ in our midst.
Crozet’s
House Report posed a great question to the Order: How can we live the joy of the gospel? It was taken from Pope Francis who said that
the way we evangelize and witness to God in our midst is through joy. How do I live the joy of the
gospel? Or we can rephrase the question more
in line with our Feast of Corpus Christi today: How can I carry Christ into my heart, into my
community, and into the world? We see
joy is the answer and it is a grace our community has received, accepted, and
let’s hope…never taken for granted!
We can end
with St Anselm’s words: In seeking God we have found Him and in finding Him we
seek Him. This is the source of our
joy...and a hallmark of our community over the past 50 years. Maybe this is why we can truly call it a
'jubilee' year! - In jubilation for what has been, is, and will be.
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