Ordinary Time, 21st Sunday (B)
This is the final homily in The Holy Mountain series. We have been reading through John 6 and I've been comparing Mass to a pilgrimage. Many Catholics don't struggle with Church teaching on the Eucharist because they've never actually come to grips with transubstantiation. The Church teaches that what looks like bread and tastes like bread is not, in fact, bread; it is actually the Lord Jesus Christ, King of the universe, fully alive in flesh and blood. You take Baby Jesus into your hands when you receive Communion.
To help us grasp the reality of the Eucharist, I am going to re-read the entire passage of John 6. As I read it, prayerfully reflect to yourself: What does the Church teach and what do I believe? Follow along at BibleGateway.com
The Word became flesh. Then the flesh became bread, so that you could eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood and have his life within you. There is no Communion without commitment. You come to the altar to give yourself to God as he gives himself to you. It is a beautiful exchange, an exchange that transforms you.
I want to share two moments when I experienced that Church teaching on the Eucharist is really true. One Labor Day I sat in the pew and experienced Communion and community in a whole new way. Another was a healing that at parishioner experienced. How have you been changed, "transubstantiated", by an experience at Mass? Share your #MassMoments in the comments below.
(22 Aug 2021)
Going Deeper: Get out your Bible and prayerfully re-read John 6. Share a #MassMoment
Listen to all five homilies in the series The Holy Mountain:
- The Holy Mountain: Hungry For More | #1136
- The Holy Mountain: I Am Not Alone | #1137
- The Holy Mountain: Tree of Life | #1138
- The Holy Mountain: An Hour in Heaven | #1139
- The Holy Mountain: Changed for God | #1140
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