Fr. Paul J. Campbell’s article for June 13, 2004

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Gn 14: 18-20                        1 Cor: 11: 23-26                        Lk 9: 11- 17

I just got a new cell phone.  Even though I have the cheapest plan available my phone is capable of doing all sorts of neat things.  The other day I sat down with the phone and the 300 page manual and started to play with it.  By the end of the session I had programmed the phone to come to me when I whistled for it. Also it could take my blood pressure, tell me what I had for breakfast last week and get text messages from people I don’t even know. There was only one problem.  I had done something to the phone and couldn’t make a call. I had been distracted by all the other issues and now couldn’t use the phone for the purpose for what it was intended.  I had forgotten what was really important.  I mention this situation because it reminds me a bit of what is happening in our church today regarding the Eucharist.  On this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ many of us need to be reminded that the Eucharist is the unifying nourishment of all that we do. Controversy has always been part of the church.  If you believe that all the early Christians did was sit around the fire and sing love songs, you are mistaken.  Take a close look at the Acts of the Apostles.  There was more than one occasion when Peter and Paul disagreed on what they felt were basic principals of the faith.  Yet these disagreements were secondary when it came to belief in the Eucharist.  In today’s reading Paul addresses the divisions in the Corinthian community.  The Jerome Biblical Commentary describes these versus and the preceding ones by saying “The essence of his (Paul’s) reaction is that there can be no Eucharist in a community whose members do not love one another”.  Despite the disagreements Paul realized that the hallmark of Christian communities would be how they loved one another.  In order to do this we must begin with what Jesus, with his wonderful sense of Jewish humor, calls the plank in our own eye. As I have said before moral outrage is always more fun when aimed at others.  Yet Jesus insists we look at ourselves.  Do we take the Eucharist for granted?  Do we have a “drop by when convenient” attitude toward Eucharist?  What happens when we are on vacation or have been up late the night before?  What would our young people say about how we approach Eucharist? How has your “Amen” changed throughout the years?  During our First Communions I try to remind the congregation that First Communions are more than just feel good moments. The children’s witness challenges us to look at how we approach the table of the Lord. Through the years has our “Amen” gotten stronger or more nonchalant?  Why can’t we receive Eucharist with that same sense of awe that we had as children?  What has happened to the innocence with which we used to approach the table?  Are we not called God’s children?  Finally, what do you do during communion?  Do you sing and say a prayer or hunt for your keys?  Perhaps you are a people watcher who determines whether others have dressed appropriately for church. Maybe you are a socialite who winks and smiles to their friends.  In any case what does this say about your attitude toward the sacredness of the moment?  I missed the essence of why I had a phone because I got caught up in distractions.  I pray we won’t let that happen with the Body and Blood of Christ.