Homily for October 2017 \u2013 Year of the Eucharist
\n1 Kings 19:9-13a
\nPsalm 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18
\nRomans 12:1-8
\nJohn 15:1-17<\/p>\n
One of the phrases that Bishop Matano used in his pastoral letter proclaiming our Year of the Eucharist was to describe the Eucharist as \u201cthe source and summit of the Christian life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The quote as Bishop Matano wrote it comes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em> paragraph 1324.\u00a0 You can find the entire quote on the inside front page of tonight\u2019s program.<\/p>\n We have seven sacraments, all of which are very important ways of receiving God\u2019s grace.\u00a0 Baptism is the first sacrament we receive.\u00a0 In baptism, we become children of God and receive the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n Baptism is received just once in a lifetime.\u00a0 The Eucharist is to be received over and over to repeatedly give us strength.\u00a0 It is through what we receive in the Eucharist that we receive over and over the grace we need to live as Christian disciples.\u00a0 Thus, the Eucharist is the source of what we do from the strength it gives us. \u00a0It is the summit as they most important thing we do.<\/p>\n We consume physical food in many different forms but it the Eucharist as the Body and Blood of Jesus that \u201csatisfies the hungers of the human family\u201d (quote from opening prayer, Order for the Solemn Exposition of the Holy Eucharist<\/em>, paragraph 109).<\/p>\n When we talk about \u201creceiving\u201d the Eucharist, we are generally referring to \u201ceating\u201d the Body of Christ and \u201cdrinking\u201d the Blood of Christ as we do at Mass.\u00a0 This is the same way we receive nourishment for our bodies.\u00a0 Eating and drinking is a normal part of human life.<\/p>\n Tonight, we will not receive the Eucharist in the form of eating and drinking but tonight is still about receiving Jesus.\u00a0 Tonight, we receive by what is called \u201cocular Communion.\u201d<\/p>\n Ocular refers to what is perceived by the eye.\u00a0 We see Jesus in the form of the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance.\u00a0 In placing ourselves before the Blessed Sacrament we allow ourselves, as Paul writes to the Romans, to \u201cbe transformed by the renewal of your mind.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n We do this so that we \u201cmay discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 To aid in this, our holy hour includes readings from the Bible as the Word of God to provide us guidance but this hour also will include quiet time as a way of letting God provide direction in our lives.<\/p>\n Our lives can be filled with many different activities.\u00a0 It can be work or attending events that your children are involved it.\u00a0 Even in retirement people often find themselves busier than they expected in activities ranging from their grandchildren\u2019s lives to church or simply being with friends.\u00a0 When we get busy, sometimes we forget Jesus.<\/p>\n When we forget Jesus, we forget that the gifts that we have been given, our talents, are not giving to us for selfish gain but to be used as a living sacrifice for the building up of God\u2019s kingdom.<\/p>\n Sometimes we feel like the little that we can do doesn\u2019t really make a difference.\u00a0 That\u2019s because we aren\u2019t meant to do it all ourselves.\u00a0 As Paul wrote, we are many parts meant to come together as one body in Christ.\u00a0 It is only in working together that we accomplish what God asks of us.<\/p>\n To do this we need to remain in Jesus because without Jesus we can do nothing.\u00a0 God is the vine grower.\u00a0 Jesus is the vine.\u00a0 We are the branches.\u00a0 We need to be pruned.\u00a0 Sometimes pruning means going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation to have our sins removed.\u00a0 Pruning can also be removing unnecessary parts of our lives that keep us from knowing Jesus.\u00a0 Here you might think of what you gave up to be here tonight.\u00a0 In choosing to be here tonight you gave that up because you knew you needed Jesus.<\/p>\n Our first reading tonight picks up at a point where Elijah is fleeing for his life.\u00a0 By God\u2019s grace he had just defeated the 450 prophets of the false god Baal and people are trying to kill him.\u00a0 He goes to a cave to find shelter.<\/p>\n Hopefully, no one is trying to literally kill us but we do come tonight with our struggles and our fears.\u00a0 We come to find shelter in the Lord.<\/p>\n God chose to come to Elijah in that moment.\u00a0 At Pentecost, God, as the Holy Spirit comes down as a \u201cstrong driving wind<\/em>\u201d (Acts 2:2) but for Elijah was not in the \u201cstrong and violent wind.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n At the time of Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection there were earthquakes but at the time for Elijah, God was not in the earthquake.<\/p>\n God appeared to Moses as a burning bush (Exodus 3) but to Elijah God was not in the fire.<\/p>\n For Elijah, God came as a \u201clight silent sound,<\/em>\u201d a tiny whisper.\u00a0 Now let us spend a few minutes listening to the silence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Homily for October 2017 \u2013 Year of the Eucharist 1 Kings 19:9-13a Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18 Romans 12:1-8 John 15:1-17 One of the phrases that Bishop Matano used in his pastoral letter proclaiming our Year of the Eucharist was to describe the Eucharist as \u201cthe source and summit of the Christian life.\u201d The quote as …<\/p>\n