This weekend our Deacons preached all of the regular Masses and I was left to preach the Mass of First Holy Communion. This is my homily for that Mass.
Homily:
3rd Sunday of Easter – Cycle C
Mass
of First Holy Communion
Today, as we celebrate this
Mass of First Holy Communion, we have an opportunity to take a unique
perspective on our readings for the Easter Season. As it is the third Sunday of Easter, we heard
the readings for the Mass of this day.
These Easter readings—not specifically intended to be used for a Mass of
First Holy Communion—give us a chance to think about Holy Communion in light of
the Mass, in which it is received, as well as in the life of the evangelizing
Christian community, in which its fruit is brought forth. So, let’s take a closer look at these
readings.
Let’s start with the second
reading from the Book of Revelation.
Here John is given a vision of the great throne of God in Heaven and of
how all of the creatures of heaven and earth turn to bow down in praise and
worship of the one who sits on the throne.
The one whom they worship is called “the Lamb”. Who is the Lamb? It’s Jesus, of course. And who is sitting on the throne? It’s God, the Father, of course. Thus, what we’re seeing is a vision of
heaven, in which all of the creatures of heaven and all the creatures of earth
are able to see God face to face (like I am looking at all of you). And what do they do when they are given this
vision? Yes, they worship! Now, let me ask this question: When we come
to Mass, who is present here waiting for us?
It’s Jesus, right? And so, what
is it that we are doing when we celebrate Mass here, in the presence of Jesus? Yes, we worship! What we are offering to God in the Mass is
our worship of him in thanksgiving for every good thing that we enjoy in our
lives. And so, what we hear about from
the Book of Revelation today is truly a vision of what happens during the Mass:
during this Mass and during every Mass celebrated everywhere, every day, throughout
the world. We would do well to remember
that next time we’re having trouble paying attention: that is, to think about
the angels and saints standing with us, shouting with full voice, “Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive power, riches, and strength, honor, and
glory, and blessing!” That would
certainly make Mass a little more exciting, wouldn’t it?
Let’s move on to the Gospel
reading, however. Here we see a
different perspective on what the Mass is.
Here we see Jesus appearing to some of his disciples at the Sea of
Tiberias. As he makes himself known and
as his disciples come to recognize him, Jesus calls them to gather around him
in order to share with them a meal that he has prepared for them. In this sharing of a meal with Jesus, the disciples—all
of whom abandoned him when he was arrested and put to death—are now reunited
with him. This is also the Mass. When we gather for the Mass, we gather to
worship him, yes—like the image of the eternal worship of Jesus given in the
Book of Revelation—but we also gather around a table—this altar—from which
Jesus feeds us with a meal that he himself has prepared for us. This sharing of a meal with Jesus unites and
constantly reunites us to him.
Literally, in fact, it makes us one with him: as his Body and Blood,
Soul and Divinity, enters our bodies and unites his with ours. This act of communion (that is, of uniting
with him) is the greatest privilege that anyone can receive; and it demands
a true understanding of what it is and, thus, a true profession of faith in
it. Saint Justin Martyr, a second
century Christian, wrote about this, saying: “No one may share the eucharist
with us unless he/she believes that what we teach is true, unless he/she is
washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his/her sins,
and unless he/she lives in accordance with the principles given us by
Christ.” Our young people have prepared
themselves in this way and, thus, have now been invited to gather around this
table of Christ’s Body so as to share in this union with him, just as the
disciples gathered with Jesus to share a meal that he prepared for them on the
shore of the Sea of Tiberias, nearly 2000 years ago.
Finally, in our first reading,
from the Acts of the Apostles, we are given a glimpse of what participating in
the Mass and receiving Holy Communion demands of us. The Apostles were brought forth to the
courtroom of the religious leaders and questioned about teaching about Jesus. These leaders didn’t understand who Jesus was
and demanded that the Apostles stop teaching about him. Peter, speaking on behalf of all of them,
speaks up and says clearly: “We know who this Jesus is—that he is the Messiah,
the Son of God—and, therefore, we cannot stop teaching about him: for to do so
would be to deny this truth that we have come to know.” Since we, too, profess that Jesus is the
Messiah—and since we have worshiped him and have shared in this sacred meal of
his Body and Blood—we, too, must teach others about him: both in the words that
we speak and in the way that we live our lives.
To fail to do so would be to deny this truth that we have come to know:
like Peter denying Jesus three times after he had been arrested. When we receive Holy Communion—when we say
“Amen” as the minister presents the Body and Blood of Jesus to us—we are
promising God that we will teach others about him and the truths that he has
revealed: even if that means being oppressed by worldly authorities who are
hostile to this good news. Our young
people today are agreeing to take up this good work. They need the rest of us to show them how to
do it by being living witnesses of it in our own lives.
Today, however, we
celebrate! We celebrate because these
young people will experience for the first time the fullness of Communion with
Jesus as they receive his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity into their bodies;
and we celebrate that, in doing so, they come more fully into communion with
all of us who share in this same sacred meal.
Tomorrow, and every day after, they will go forth with us to teach about
Jesus: both by the way that they live their lives more like Jesus’ and by the
way that they share with others what they have come to know: that to know,
love, and serve God in this world is the path to the eternal happiness for
which we all long: that is, to stand in the presence of God, face to face. May Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of
the Eucharist, lead us—and especially these young people—by her motherly care
into this fullness of God’s peace. Amen.
Given at Saint Mary’s Cathedral: Lafayette, IN – May 5th,
2019
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