Come to the Feast!
Scripture Reflection for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (June 26, 2011)
Scripture Readings:
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a
Psalm 147
1 Corinthians 10:16-17
John 6:51-58
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“Ven, ven al banquete,
Ven a la fiesta de Dios.
Here the hungry find plenty,
Here the thirsty shall drink.
Ven a la cena de Cristo,
Come to the Feast”
“Come, come to the banquet,” that song says in Spanish, “Come to the Feast!” What wonderful words to hear as we celebrate the great Catholic feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ! Actually this is the fourth week in a row when we are celebrating in a particularly “Catholic” way in our Church, with feasts that are more commonly celebrated in Catholic Churches than in other denominations. Three weeks ago we celebrated Ascension, and two weeks ago Pentecost, and last week Trinity Sunday, and today Corpus Christi. And in some ways, this week’s feast-- with its obvious emphasis on the Eucharist -- is perhaps the most Catholic of them all.
There is a line from the 25th Chapter of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah that is often overlooked when it appears in the lectionary. In verse 6, right after Isaiah tells us that “on this mountain the Lord will provide for all peoples a feast of rich foods and choice wines,” the author then stops himself and adds “juicy, rich foods, and pure, choice wines” (Isaiah 25:6-10). For some reason Isaiah felt it necessary to remind us that God is not interested only in “sustaining” us with a little bit of food and drink but wants to give us a sumptuous banquet, a feast, a meal fit for the kingdom. And THAT is what the Feast of Corpus Christi is all about. We are kingdom people; people with our feet firmly planted on the ground yet people with a lofty vision of how God sees the world. And we need to remember that our life is not our own, our life is not about us, that WE are about LIFE!
In so many ways today’s Scripture readings speak that message loud and clear. Moses reminds us in the passage from Deuteronomy that it was God who rescued the people of Israel from slavery and fed them manna and water in the desert. “Don’t forget,” Moses says, “what God has already done for us.” So the question for us is this: Why is it so easy to forget? St. Paul reminds us in today’s second reading from First Corinthians, that the “communion” we celebrate in the Eucharist is really two-fold: Communion with God as well as communion with one another. As we eat and drink the body and blood of Christ, we need to remember that this is in no way a private act of devotion. Indeed we become what we eat at that table -- the body and blood of Christ for the world-- and that is a good thing. That’s what the Gospel is talking about as well, in the last part of John’s “bread of life” discourse (Chapter 6) when Jesus tells us over and over again that he himself is the bread of life and that whoever eats this bread will never die but will live forever.
That’s really good news, isn’t it? We are those people who are invited to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord,” not because we deserve it but because God wants to give it to us. In other words, to paraphrase a quote from Richard Rohr (a Franciscan preacher), God doesn’t feed us because we are good. We are good because God feeds us. And what a great way to eat! When I preside at Mass, I almost always use a phrase I heard years ago, as a way of inviting people to communion. I say, “Holy Gifts for a Holy People. Welcome to the table of the Lord.” As I say the words I am aware that there are probably many who would disagree with me, who would be the first to admit that they are not holy but sinners. And of course they are right. But the good news is that we are not holy because of what we do or don’t do; we are holy because God made us this way, hungry and thirsty for God. It is our hunger and thirst for God that invites us to the table, and the Eucharist is the very best way we know to give thanks to God for that great gift.
So “Come, Come to the feast” today, Brothers and Sisters. There is some juicy, rich food and pure choice wines just waiting to be consumed!
Pax et Bonum... Paz y Bien.... Peace and Everything Good,
Father Ed
Image: (C) 2010 Free Christ Images.
Ed Shea, OFM
Fr. Ed is a Franciscan Friar who graduated from CTU back in 1987. He has been back at CTU for a couple of stints as Formation Director in the past 23 years, which is also his current role now with the Friars from three different provinces and (even one from Croatia!).
"I am the third of 8 children from an awesome Irish-Italian Catholic family, and I am crazy about my 19 nephews and nieces," he says. Ed is also an avid Notre Dame fan (class of 1978) and even played trumpet in the ND Band back in the day.
Since his ordination in 1987 he has had a wide variety of experiences and has worked for 15 years as a Pastor in three different Churches. He loves to sing and tell stories, more than anything I simply delight in celebrating the sacraments of the Church.
Ed believes that "as a true follower of St. Francis, it is my mission in life to find reasons to rejoice in the goodness of God’s presence in our world."
