Corpus Christi

1. The Lord wishes to feed his disciples and he has given us the Eucharist, the sacrament of his Body and Blood, to nourish our souls with his abundant love which led him to lay down his life for his friends. “This is my body given for you. This is my blood poured out for you.” These words, which we know so well, sum up the mystery of the Eucharist as the Sacrament of Love in which the crucified and risen Lord gives us his very self to be for us the food of eternal life. We recognise this Sacrament of Love to be uniquely holy and sacred. We sense that in this Sacrament we are before the great mystery of the Lord’s abiding presence to us as the Saviour who loved us to the end, and we approach this venerable Sacrament with the deepest faith, devotion and respect.

2. As he gave this gift to his Apostles, he told them and us, “Do this as a memorial of me.” And ever since that moment, the Church has gathered on the day of the resurrection, the Day of the Lord, which we call Sunday, to celebrate this mystery known to us as the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, the Mass, the breaking of bread. To carry out the command of the Lord has been considered such a serious obligation by the Church that to miss Mass on a Sunday without a good reason, in a careless or casual way, is considered such a breach of communion with the Lord and with his Church that it needs to be repaired by sacramental reconciliation in Confession before approaching the altar again. “Keep holy the Sabbath Day”, says the 3^rd Commandment. The disciples of Jesus Christ keep the Lord’s Day holy by participating at Sunday Mass.

3. Some months after Benedict XVI was elected Pope, the Holy Father met the First Communicants of the Diocese of Rome in a memorable encounter on a late summer’s afternoon in St. Peter’s Square at which were present some 15,000 people including First Communicants, parents, catechists and priests. Part of the event allowed for children to ask the Pope a question. One child said this to the Pope: “Holy Father, as first communicants, we know that we should go to Mass on a Sunday to receive Jesus in Holy Communion. Sometimes our parents are too busy to take us to Mass. How can we explain to them that we need to go to Mass on Sundays?”  In response, the Holy Father told the child that he must always speak to his parents with respect and love. And in a loving way, he should suggest to his parents that it is very important to go to Mass on Sunday, not just for himself (the child), but also for his parents and for the family. The Pope went on to explain to another child who asked a similar question about the importance of receiving the Lord in Holy Communion that without Jesus, we are truly lacking something essential in our lives, a direction, a spiritual focus and depth, a  key friendship, a profound joy, which is so important in our lives.

4. In parishes throughout the diocese, we have recently celebrated First Holy Communion Masses. I have no doubt that that dialogue between the Pope and the First Communicants of the Diocese of Rome is as relevant here as it is in Rome. A holy Sunday, sanctified by participation at Mass, is essential to our spiritual well-being and central to the life of the Church. Those of us who do go to Mass on Sunday need to work hard to encourage those who attend less frequently to come to Mass more often. To make Sunday truly the day of the Lord must be a goal of our efforts at evangelisation today and in the future.

5. The Gospel today tells us that Jesus multiplied the loaves to feed the hungry crowd. Today at this Mass he multiplies the bread of his presence for us in the Sacrament of Love. His love extends to all mankind. This Sacrament points to his death on the cross for every human being. In the strength of this Sacrament, we can re-double our efforts to feed the hungry of the world and bring justice and freedom to all those for whom Christ the Saviour died.

St. Fergus’, Paisley

10^th June 2007