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2020 (BODY and BLOOD OF CHRIST – A):
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Kindly open your Bible and Read
Jn 6:51-58
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Points for Reflection: I am sharing to my dear readers these stories which I have collected to help you reflect as the Universal Church celebrates the BODY and BLOOD OF CHRIST – A: . Here they are:
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# 1. In March 1987 a Jesuit priest, Peter Schineller, returned from spending five years in Africa.
He wrote an article in America magazine, reporting on the state of the Catholic Church
in just one African country, Nigeria. Schineller used three words to describe the Nigerian Church: young, vibrant, and enthusiastic.
Typical is St. James parish. A symbol of this poor parish is the bell that calls the people to Sunday Mass. It’s the huge rim from an old truck tire, which hangs in a tree next to the church.
About 15 minutes before Mass begins, someone bangs the rim several times with a big pipe. It’s not the most beautiful sound in the world, but it does the job. Within minutes a thousand people gather for the Sunday worship.
Another sign of the growing faith in Nigeria is the number of vocations to the priesthood. At one seminary more than 500 young Nigerians are in study. The week before Fr. Schineller left, eleven priests were ordained. Of these newly ordained priests, three were assigned to Liberia, three to the Cameroons, and three to the United States. This is living proof
that the Nigerian Church has come of age. It now sends missionaries to foreign lands.
A final illustration of the vibrancy of the young Nigerian Church is an excerpt from a letter of a local bishop. This excerpt is especially appropriate to us because it refers to the feast we are celebrating today: Corpus Christi, the “Body of Christ.”
The bishop writes: “Yesterday was Corpus Christi procession day in Port Harcourt. …
The Lord sent rain. “[All along the two-mile route] the people danced and sang in the rain ….
It was the first time I recall the Blessed Sacrament being carried into the place of benediction to the sound of resounding cheering and clapping. “Everyone was drenched. No one thought of seeking shelter or running away. Judges, lawyers, doctors, mothers, children stood their ground as if nothing was happening except the Eucharist. I have not seen anything like it before,
here or anywhere else.” (Peter Schineller, “Learning from Missionaries,” America) ++++
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# 2. She wrote a fascinating book called Turning. In it she discusses what drew her to Catholicism.
She writes: “A growing devotion to the Eucharist and to a belief in the Real Presence drew me to Roman Catholic churches ….
As my devotion to the Eucharist grew, so did my attraction to Roman Catholicism.”
And so we should try to look upon the Eucharist the way Emilie Griffin did when she discovered this unfathomable mystery for the very first time. (MARK Link, S.J.) ++++
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# 3. A man came to a priest and wanted to make fun of his faith, so he asked, “How can bread and wine turn into the Body and Blood of Christ?” The priest answered, “No problem. You yourself change food into your body and blood, so why can’t Christ do the same?” But the objector did not give up. He asked, “But how can the entire Christ be in such a small host?” “In the same way that the vast landscape before you can fit into your little eye.” But he persisted, “How can the same Christ be present in all your churches at the same time?” The priest then took a mirror and let the man look into it. Then let the mirror fall to the ground and break and said to the skeptic, “There is only one of you and yet you can find your face reflected in each piece of that broken mirror at the same time.” (Willi Hoffsuemmer) ++++
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My brothers and sisters, during today’s readings, Jesus clearly told us that in order to inherit the Kingdom of God, we must receive the Church Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Those who reject the life giving Bread from Heaven are spiritually dead and they will lose the final eternal glory that awaits the faithful!
It is sad that so many are blind to this truth. How often do we hear someone say, “I am saved because I have faith in Jesus!” How often do we hear others say, “I am saved because I was baptized!” Such statements are based on the misunderstood words of Jesus who said, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” [Jn. 3:5] While identifying the first word “water” with the Sacrament of Baptism, these poor misguided souls have totally ignore the second word, “Spirit.” While these souls have been born of water, they have not been born of the Spirit.
My brothers and sisters, when we thoroughly study the Holy Bible, we learn that the word water signifies the Sacrament of Baptism. We also learn that being born of the Spirit signifies to be sanctified in Christ. And sanctification means to persevere in the living faith.
When we were baptized with water, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we received the “righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ” [Rom. 3:22] “whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by His blood, effective through faith. He did this to show His righteousness, because in His Divine forbearance He had passed over the sins (that we had) previously committed.” [Rom. 3:25] I hope that all have heard the last words that were just said, “He, Jesus, passed over the sins (that we had) previously committed.” Contrary to the belief of many who are being deceived, the Sacrament of Baptism alone does not save anyone. The sins that committed after the Sacrament of Baptism are not erased; they will be used against us on Judgment Day.
To maintain our righteousness in Christ after receiving the Sacrament of Baptism, we need the Church Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist!