The readings today remind us God loves us and will provide for all our
physical needs, but also and especially He humbles Himself to be one with
us in Holy Communion.
In the first reading, through Elisha-- God multiplied 20 loaves of bread
to feed 100 people, and Jesus, who is God, multiplied 5 barley loaves and
two fish to feed 5,000 men, not counting women & children. We can see in
these two true events, if we trust in God’s providence, He will take care of
all our needs. He is concerned about everything about us, especially God is
concerned for our spiritual welfare and wants to be with us in the Eucharist.
The multiplication of the loaves prefigures the true presence of Jesus
in the Eucharist. At the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus took bread, gave
thanks and distributed the loaves, which Jesus also did at the Last Supper.
How is that 5000 men, not counting women and children could eat
bread from 5 loaves? And how is it that each person, who comes to Mass is
able to receive Jesus? There is only one Jesus, yet each person is able to
receive Him in what appears to be bread, but it truly His whole and entire
presence. The event of the multiplication of the loaves was truly a
miraculous event and even more miraculous is the event of the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass. At Mass Jesus multiplies His presence in the form of
what appears to be bread.
Have you ever thought about the humility of God? God loves us so
much that He allows Himself to look like bread. Would you want to look like
a piece of bread and still possess your heart, your eyes, your brain, your
ears, your whole body and yet not speak? No one could actually see you.
Would you allow yourself to be so helpless, that you have to be put in a
ciboria (the gold cup with a lid) and moved about from the altar to the
tabernacle? Would you allow yourself to be put on tongues, chewed up and
swallowed? Would you allow yourself to be dropped on the floor –though it
would be an accident? Even though you would ask people not to—would you
allow yourself to enter into a heart in mortal sin? If we commit a mortal
sin, Jesus, through the Church, asks us to go to Confession before receiving
Holy Communion. Through the Church, Our Lord asks us to abstain from
eating or drinking anything except water and medicine, one hour before
receiving Holy Communion. We should not receive Holy Communion, if we
have gum in our mouth. By receiving Communion when chewing gum, we
commit a sacrilegious communion, which is abhorrent to the Lord. Humility
will cause use to follow Church teaching by doing what the Church asks of
us, when we receive Holy Communion. Jesus in the Eucharist gives us an
example of humility. St. Francis of Assisi said,
“Let the whole of mankind tremble
the whole world shake
and the heavens exult
when Christ, the Son of the living God,
is on the altar
in the hands of a priest.
O admirable heights and sublime lowliness!
O sublime humility!
O humble sublimity!
That the Lord of the universe,
God and the Son of God,
so humbles Himself
that for our salvation
He hides Himself under the little “form” (appearance) of bread!
Look, brothers, at the humility of God
and pour out your hearts before Him!
Humble yourselves, as well,
that you may be exalted by Him.
Therefore, hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves
so that He Who gives Himself totally to you, may receive you
totally.”
I would like to tell you a true story. In Newton, there used to be a
church called, “The Father’s House”. The pastor of the church was Tim
Ogelby. Tim and his wife Jackie were strong in their Christian faith. Many
would come to this little church because of Tim’s down to earth preaching.
Over the years, due to the church’s Anglican influence, Tim began to add
things to his worship service, such as a communion service, and then later,
he even began to pray the prayers, the priests say during Mass.
Yet, because Tim was not Catholic nor ordained as a Catholic priest, he
was unable to change the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus.
One day after one of the communion services, a young teenage boy,
who was upset, came up to Tim. In the boy’s hand was a host that had
fallen on the floor. The boy told the pastor, “I am sorry, but I found this on
the floor. When I saw the host lying there, I knew I had to give it to you,
since its Jesus. I figured you would know what to do.”
Pastor Tim took the host from the boy and when the boy left, Tim
began to think. “Wow! That young man believes something I don’t’. I want
to believe what he believes.” Tim’s church doctrine was such that they
didn’t believe Jesus was truly present, body, blood, soul and divinity. Yet,
he re-enacted the Lord’s Supper, which he believed was only symbolic.
This caused Tim and his wife to begin their journey towards becoming
Catholic. They began to read all about the Catholic faith, and watch EWTN
(the Catholic Television Network) founded by Mother Angelica. Eventually,
the day came when both realized they wanted to become Catholic and yet
at the same time, he was still the pastor of his congregation.
He and his wife began to take RCIA classes and then he resigned as
pastor of his church. Two years ago, Tim and his wife Jackie became
Catholic at St. Teresa’s in Hutchinson. When the Easter Vigil Mass was
over, in which they became Catholic, confirmed and made their First Holy
Communion, a young man in his 20’s came to congratulate them. Pastor
Tim said to the young man, “I’ve seen you before somewhere.” The young
man said, “When I was in my teens, I used be a member of your
congregation. I became Catholic a few years ago.” And with tears in his
eyes, Tim remembered. It was the boy who picked up the host off of the
floor, and inspired Tim and Jackie toward a greater faith in the Eucharist.
The teenage boy too became Catholic because of his faith in the
Eucharist. All three abandoned their church, The Father’s House in Newton,
because they understood the real and true presence of Jesus is found only
in the Catholic Church. Mysteriously, God in His providence united them on
that special occasion of Tim and Jackie’s day in which they became Catholic.
My dear friends, God desires everyone to receive the true presence of
Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass. He helps each person, young and old to
become aware, that here and in every Catholic Church, the Eucharist, is not
bread, but a person, so that each person, no matter how many can come
and receive the one person is Jesus in Holy Communion. How great is
God’s love and beautiful it is that He works through each of us to help us to
grow in our faith.
We give thanks to God for being able to have Mass every day. We give
thanks to God for our adoration chapel, in which anyone, young and old can
come to be with Jesus for an hour, in the middle of the night, during the
day or in the morning. Jesus loves us and waits for us to come and be with
Him.
At the announcement of the angel, the Virgin Mary humbled Herself to
receive Jesus within Her womb, and became the first tabernacle. And Jesus
humbled Himself to become an unborn baby in the womb of Mary.
Now today, here on the altar Jesus humbles Himself to look like bread,
that we may humble our self and come to Him as often as possible to
receive Him in Communion and to kneel before Him in adoration, gazing
upon Him, who hides His glory from us, that we may not fear to come to
Him and pour out our hearts before Him. He who loves us—so much!