The Body and Blood of Christ Sunday

June 10, 2012

Exodus 24:3-8; Psalm 116; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

                The covenant takes central focus during this year's feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. In Exodus, in preparation for a holocaust, Moses reads the words and ordinances of the Lord aloud while the people assent to follow everything they hear. The next day, Moses builds an altar and sets a pillar for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses ritually commits the people through the sacrifice of young bulls as peace offerings and submission to God. After copiously splashing the altar with blood, he reads the words from the Book of the Covenant and seals human will to the divine will.

          The Letter to the Hebrews explains that Jesus became the most perfect sacrifice in covenantal fidelity because he shed his own blood for others. It shows how he, though not of a priestly class, functions as the high priest. In ancient Israelite custom, the blood of goats and bulls mingled with the burnt heifer's ashes are to sanctify those who have sinned. The blood and body of Jesus, as the one free who is from mortal sin, purifies those who have been defiled by sin and makes his offering to God on behalf of the people perfect. He dies to deliver them from sins under the first covenant, which sets them up for a life of eternal promise in the new covenant.

          The Last Supper depicted by Mark describes the events of the self-offering of Jesus. He distinctly ties what he is doing to the covenant as he prepares himself for his cruel death where his blood will be spilt and his body broken. He also links his actions with the Passover - the main salvific event in Jewish history. The theme of deliverance ties itself to sacrifice. Deliverance is no longer only from human oppression and enslavement, but also from the great abstract but personified tyrants of sin and death. No other self-offering produces a more wondrous result.

          What I most like about these passages is the amount of preparation that goes into getting ready for the meal. Moses and his crew takes a while to set up the altar, erect the twelve poles, and prepare the Book of the Covenant. Jesus sends disciples into city where they will find a man carrying a water jar who will meet them. The host thoughtfully furnishes and prepares the upper room for the banquet. In each reading for today, the preparation rituals almost have the same significance as the actual event. Most of the attentive planning and proper touches are done before the sacrifices/meals take place. The same is true for a special dinner like a Thanksgiving meal. It takes days of remote planning and hours of proximate preparation to make the meal successful and then it takes less than an hour to eat it.

          Think about the amount of time a parish puts into its weekly worship services. From the liturgy committee's seasonal planning, the music director's selection of hymns and choir preparation, to the assigning of lectors and servers, many people are involved in making the one-hour Sunday service go well. It is always better to be involved to get a glimpse of the extraordinary care people give to their ministries. The priest also spends a minimum of three hours praying over and composing his homily. One's active participation in the events makes them more meaningful.

          Let's do all things well. We don't want to be scrupulous, but tasteful. Whether we are dressing for the day, writing an email, driving a car, or preparing supper, find enjoyment in what you are doing and add that little flourish that provides your own signature to it. When I was in the corporate world, a colleague always found a new way to accessorize her professional attire each day. We bring something special to our preparations when we take just enough time to show others we care for ourselves and that we are proud of the quality of our work. It means being happily attentive to the task in which we are engaged. The preparation is the key. When we get to the main event, we can sit back and enjoy because we know we have offered ourselves to it - just as Jesus fully offered himself to the work God expected of him.

         

Themes for this Week’s Masses

First Reading: The story of Barnabas is told on his feast day on Monday. It describes how he became linked with Paul. He cares for Paul as a new convert and teaches him the faith. In Antioch that year, when a large number of people are brought together, the group is called Christians for the first time. In 1 Kings, the prophet Elijah spares a starving widow and her son in a drought by providing daily flour and oil until the rains water the ground once again. Elijah prepares his case against the god Baal. His sacrificial offering is more pleasing to God than the 450 prophets of Baal. The God of Israel consumes the sacrifice of bull, wheat, water and stones while nothing happens with the sacrifices of Baal. Elijah tells the young Ahab to go up the mountain because the sound of heavy rain is coming. Ahab makesway to Jezreel by chariot, and Elijah runs ahead of him. ~ On Friday's Sacred Heart feast, we hear from the prophet Hosea about God's special love for his child, Israel. On Saturday, Elijah meets Elisha as he plows the fields and allows him to become his attendant.

Gospel: We turn to Matthew's Gospel because Mark's Gospel is the shortest one and has run its course in the cycle. We begin with Jesus noticing the crowds, walking up the mountain, and addressing his disciples with the consoling words of the Beatitudes. He encourages them to be like salt that provides taste while also preserving food and to be like a lamp that shines for all to see. He then indicates that he did not come to be a revolutionary who throws out the law, but as one who will fulfill every aspect of God's law. Central to his message is a radical view of reconciliation and love for one's neighbor. Reconciliation is that which transforms anger and evil into good. ~ Friday's feast of the Sacred Heart depicts the scene in John shortly after the death of Jesus when the soldiers learn they do not need to break his legs because he is already dead. Saturday's reading focus on the suffering of Mary as she learns early in life that Jesus is obedient primarily to his heavenly Father.

Saints of the Week

June 11: Barnabas, apostle (d. 61), was a Jew from Cyprus who joined the early Christians in Jerusalem to build up the church. His name means "son of encouragement." He accepted Paul into his community and worked alongside him for many years to convert the Gentiles. He was stoned to death in his native Cyprus. He was a towering  authority to the early church.

June 13: Anthony of Padua, priest and doctor (1195-1231), became a biblical scholar who eventually joined the Franciscans. Francis sent him to preach in northern Italy, first in Bologna and then Padua. He very especially beloved because of his pastoral care, but he died at age 36.

Friday: The Sacred Heart of Jesus is set on the Friday following Corpus Christi. The heart of Jesus is adored as a symbol of divine, spiritual, and human love. Its devotion grew during the Middle Ages and was transformed in the 17th century when Mary Margaret Alocoque and her Jesuit spiritual director, Claude La Colombiere, reinvigorated the devotion.

Saturday: The Immaculate Heart of Mary began as a devotion in the 17th century. In 1944, the feast was extended to the Western Church. Her heart signifies her sanctity and love as the Mother of God.

This Week in Jesuit History

·         Jun 10, 1537. Ignatius and his companions were given minor orders at the house of Bishop Vincenzo Negusanti in Venice, Italy.

·         Jun 11, 1742. The Chinese and Malabar Rites were forbidden by Pope Benedict XIV; persecution broke out at once in China.

·         Jun 12, 1928. Fr. General Ledochowski responded negatively to the idea of intercollegiate sports at Jesuit colleges because he feared the loss of study time and the amount of travel involved.

·         Jun 13, 1557. The death of King John III of Portugal, at whose request Francis Xavier and others were sent to India.

·         Jun 14, 1596. By his brief Romanus Pontifex, Pope Clement VIII forbade to members of the Society of Jesus the use or privilege of the Bulla Cruciata as to the choice of confessors and the obtaining of absolution from reserved cases.

·         Jun 15, 1871. P W Couzins, a female law student, graduated from Saint Louis University Law School, the first law school in the country to admit women.

·         Jun 16, 1675. St Margaret Mary Alacoque received her great revelation about devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.