Catholic Faith and Reflections

I have not written about Pope John Paul I for many weeks, not because he has been out of mind, but rather I have been preoccupied with so many other matters that I have scarcely had time to write much at all in this weblog. Papa Luciani is rarely far from my memory. I would say every week something occurs which leads me to think of him and what I experienced ever so briefly, but poignantly in 1978, the year of his papacy.

I know I am not alone in this, even though more and more individuals who had some direct experience of him are now passing from life to death. There are a few very dedicated men and women who are admirably working to make his memory and legacy better known to the general public. I am trying to do my small part in that endeavor.

One of the biggest obstacles in getting a good understanding of Luciani is all the misinformation that has been written about him in the popular press. For instance, if you read some of the books, you will be left with the impression he was to have been a great reformer to the extent that someone murdered him within the Vatican. Other books will leave you with the impression that he was an unintelligent simple priest unsuited for papal responsibilities and succumbing to death as a result of stress. These ideas can be easily written, but from what I can ascertain, lack solid evidence and support.

I have often said that if you wish to see what a Luciani papacy would have looked like should it have lasted ten or more years, look at the papacy of his successor, John Paul II. I truly believe John Paul II was a continuation of John Paul I, both in terms of the New Evangelization and in terms of the pastoral approach that both men so clearly valued and practiced.

Another obstacle in making John Paul I better known to the world, especially the English-speaking world, is that much of his writings is still in Italian. Translations have been increasingly available, thanks to a few dedicated souls. If you read his biography, and especially his writings as bishop and patriarch, you get a good glimpse of the man, who was anything but a simpleton or a great reformer that sought to overturn Church Tradition or discipline. He was, though, a man for the people with a firm grasp on a central Vatican II teaching, i.e., the Church is the Peopleo of God.

Did you know that the centenary of Luciani’s birth (October 17, 1912) falls on the same month that the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council?

May the cause of his canonization advance with all due haste. I pray that I may see the day in which he is added to the list of saints of the Church.

Papa Luciani, pray for us!

Here is my homily for this weekend. Thank you for listening.

Audio: Corpus Christi – Cycle B

Text:

How far are you from the Kingdom of God? How far are you from the throne of God? On this Solemnity of Corpus Christi, I would ask you to reflect on this question and its relationship with the Sacred Body and Blood of Jesus present to us at every Mass.

Our second reading today is from the Letter to the Hebrews. It is difficult to understand for most of us because it uses language and images quite unfamiliar to us who are not Jewish and who are some 2000 years distant from its culture and religious practices. But it does help us to understand the relationship between the Body and Blood of Christ and how close we are to the Kingdom of God.

This reading describes the Temple in Jerusalem. In the outer Temple there was the altar of sacrifice where bulls and goats would be killed and their blood collected. Then as you moved farther into the temple area, there was this big bowl that was filled with hot coals and incense would be put in it, and smoke would billow out symbolizing the prayers and supplications of the people. Then there was an altar or table where the bread offerings were placed. After this, going farther in, there was a huge curtain, or veil, that separated the inner tabernacle from the outer Temple. It was the “Holy of Holies” in which was the Ark of the Covenant, the presence of God among the people. It was only rarely entered. It was shrouded in mystery, hidden from view. A priest alone would pass through that curtain, that veil. No one else could pass through. There he would expiate the sin of the entire nation. There he would take the blood of bulls and goats and pour it out in offering to God. He would also offer the bread. He would offer sacrifices for his own sins and the sins of the people. For everyone else it was mysterious, hidden, off limits. It was a sacred place, the place of God’s presence among his people. Only a single priest could approach or enter it. The people were far from the throne of God, far from God’s Kingdom, far from God’s presence.

Now how does this apply to us today? In the Eucharist, at Mass, Jesus is the High Priest who passes through the veil, that curtain, that barrier, that once separated us from God’s Kingdom. He washes us in his blood and offers himself as a sacrifice for our sins and he invites us all to enter with him through that curtain, to enter with him before the very throne of God.  The Gospel account of the passion of the Lord Jesus tells us that when Jesus died, when his blood was shed on the cross, the curtain of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. It no longer would separate the people from God’s presence.

When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we enter into the holy and heavenly sanctuary not made by human hands. We are brought before the very throne of God! This is such a mystery! This is such a wonderful gift!

Yes, the Body of Christ which we receive is now the veil through which we pass. In other words, what we see with our eyes is bread. What we must come to see in that Sacred Host is the real presence of Jesus!

Oh, if only we could see beyond the veil of appearances! If only we could penetrate the mystery and remain firm in our belief as Catholics that this is the real presence of Jesus Christ. This is his body and his blood. His soul and his divinity, offered to us each day. Oh, if only we would take up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord! For my flesh is real food and my blood real drink,” says the Lord! Taste and see the goodness of the Lord!

When the deacon elevates the sacred cup containing the blood of Christ, and the priest raises the Body of Christ, they are raised as an offering to God our Father, as an oblation; in other words as a washing in the blood of Christ. We are cleansed by Jesus’ blood. We are, as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews says, delivered from our sins and called to the promise of eternal life.

My, O my! How wonderful this is! How privileged we are! How prepared we need to be, for if we drink the Blood of Christ and eat his Body, we draw close to the Kingdom of God. We pass through the veil to the throne of God. But if we are not prepared, if we are not in a state of grace when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we eat and drink to our condemnation, to our separation from God’s love and grace, not to our salvation, as St. Paul has told us.

That is why it is so important that all of us make regular use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation; to prepare a place suitable to receive Jesus’ Body and Blood. To prepare a place that is receptive to Jesus, and capable of benefiting from all the graces that flow from the Eucharist! Let us always approach Holy Communion with the right intention, with a soul free from serious or mortal sin, and having fasted for at least an hour.

When we worthily receive our Lord’s Body, we too pass through the greater and more perfect veil not made by human hands and the Blood of Christ, which purifies us, brings us to the throne of God, brings us to the Kingdom of God and a share in the everlasting banquet in heaven where all the saints, purified by the blood of Christ, are now singing his praises. We too are caught up in the heavenly song.

Our Lord invites us to himself, if we are prepared. Are you ready to receive him?