The Real Presence in the Eucharist

June 9th, 2007

June 9, 2007

Corpus Christi

Gen 14: 8-20; 1 Cor 11: 23-26; Luke 9: 11b-17

Dc. Larry Brockman

Blood!  For all of history, Blood has symbolized the presence of the life force.  Shedding ones blood for another is the ultimate sacrifice because it means that you shed your life force.  Jesus knew he was going to do just that- shed his blood the very next day.  So, when he presided over the Last Supper, he knew that His disciples would feel abandoned; because His presence among them, the thing that motivated them and unified them, would be ended.  That’s why He gave them an incredible gift- the gift of the Eucharist. 

Jesus said that when his Apostles offer bread and wine in remembrance of Him then that Bread and wine become His body and blood.  He left them, and us, the gift of His life force, because Jesus is present in that gift- present inside all of you as you take His Body and Blood. 

Today’s second reading is the earliest written account of the Last Supper, even earlier than the Gospel accounts.  It is an account handed down to Paul by eyewitnesses at the event itself, during the decade of the actual events.  The early Christians understood that Remembrance meant more than just calling to mind.  It meant reliving the experience; savoring it for all that came out of it.  Perhaps that’s why nobody ever questioned the real presence for a thousand years in the Church, because the real presence in the Eucharist was such an integral part of their worship.  It was the center of early Christian worship; it was what Christianity was all about.  Indeed, just as the Eucharist was the center of the worship experience for the early Christian Church, It is the source and summit of our Catholic faith today.  So, we do well to reflect on what the gift of the Eucharist really means to us.

First, it means that each one of us that receives the Eucharist is guaranteed that Christ dwells in us.  Wow!  In the words of our pastor, Awesome!  Yes, indeed- when you receive the Eucharist, Christ is present in you; he is inside of you.  Take advantage of that opportunity!  But, don’t expect that you will feel that presence unless you work on it.  ust as with any other close or intimate relationship, it takes communications two ways; and it takes time.  That means you need to listen to Christ as well as talk to Him. 

God made all of you for his greater glory and for you to share in his everlasting life.  But, to do that, you have to be in communion with God.   You have to travel on the same journey, in the footsteps of Christ.  When you receive the Eucharist, that is the optimum time and place for you to be in tune with how Christ wants you to walk in his footsteps; to do the will that the Father has for you, just as Christ did His Father’s will.   Listen to Him. 

His voice may be in the form of a nagging feeling that something is wrong; if so, change it.  Or a sudden inspiration; if so, follow it.  Or even an appreciation of some gift God has given you- a talent, or even a limitation; if so, rejoice in it and embrace it. 

Take the opportunity to experience the Eucharist as frequently as you can because intimacy is something that only develops over time.  And after time, you will feel His presence.  You will feel the intimacy.

Second, the Eucharist is a community event, not an isolated experience.  The Eucharist is our heavenly spiritual food.  In the first reading, the bread and wine were offered to God as a blessing by the great priest of the Old Testament, Melchizedek.  But as Paul says, Jesus offered those same gifts, the bread and wine, as a new covenant.  One where we affirm our belief in the Priest’s blessing that Jesus is Lord, and has risen.   And we proclaim this new covenant at Mass as a Community.  In the Gospel, we hear that 5000 were fed from a few loaves and fishes. Imagine that- really- 5000 people.  Yet the same miracle occurs here every week.  All of us here at Holy Family, and there’s about 5000 of us attending all 6 Masses, are fed by a few loaves of bread and a flask of wine.  And that food is so special; it is our spiritual food.  And just as all of you have an opportunity to commune with Christ individually, so we all have an opportunity to give Thanksgiving to God for this special gift; and give Glory to God- as a Community.  It is God’s will that all of us share in his Kingdom and Glory.  You won’t do that as an individual!  Religion is just not something that’s between you and God.   No, to share in His Kingdom means sharing together.  The Kingdom is like your wonderful family celebrations at Christmas or Thanksgiving.  God wants all of you there, sharing together.  How else do you shed your differences and learn to get along together,than by learning to be a community.

In a few moments, you will have the opportunity to receive the Body and Blood of Christ.   Accept that gift of the Life Force.  Listen to Jesus and give Glory to God as a community for your many blessings.

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Are You an Evangelist?

April 26th, 2007

April 26, 2007

Thursday, Third Week of Easter

“Are You an Evangelist?”

Acts 8: 26-40; John 6: 44-51

Dc. Larry Brockman

Are you an evangelist? 

My bet is that most of you would say no.  Now I’m not talking about the group of Christians called Evangelists.  And I’m not talking about TV Evangelists.  But just a plain ordinary Evangelist, like Philip in the first reading.  Philip heard the promptings of the spirit- fruits of his own Baptism and Faith, and played the role of an Evangelist.  Still fresh from the Euphoria of Jesus’ Resurrection, Philip echoed what he knew about the scriptures and Jesus.  And so, he converted and baptized the Ethiopian Eunuch. 

Each of you is in contact every day with people like the Ethiopian Eunuch: people who are seeking the truth; people who read about their faith, and don’t understand; and people who ask questions- maybe not with their lips, but with their eyes, their attitude, or their body language.  All of us, by virtue of our Baptisms are called to be evangelists in words and deeds. 

At this special time of the Church Year when the Resurrection is fresh in our minds, we have an opportunity to spread our Easter Joy to others.  If you hear a little voice inside prompting you to be a Philip to a friend, coworker, or relative, try to respond to the urgings of the spirit.  The Gospel tells us that no one can come to the Father except through Jesus.  Jesus is the word of God.  You all can carry the word of God to others. 

So, what about you?  Are you an Evangelist? 

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April 15th, 2007

  April 15, 2007

Homily

Second Sunday of Easter

Divine Mercy Sunday

Acts 5: 12-16; Rev 1: 9a-11a, 12-13, 17-19; John 20: 19-31

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

How quickly we forget.  How soon after Easter everything returns to normal.  Just a week after Easter and the Resurrection and its meaning are already fading as we become embroiled in the turmoil of our daily lives. 

We are all kind of like Thomas with the nail marks in the arms and the legs and the pierced side.  They were the realities to Thomas; the resurrection was too much to believe.  And it just didn’t seem relevant.  The nails are like the job we went back to; the kids we take care of every day; and the aches and pains that all of us experience with our earthly bodies.  These are the things of the here and now.  This is what we have to deal with right now- what is real, not what was promised.  So, it’s just as easy for us to think that “The Resurrection and the Kingdom” are something way out there in the future as it was for Thomas to discount the words of his 10 friends. 

But, Jesus Resurrection is real and the Kingdom is now.  It is up to us to make that count now in our lives.  The Easter story and John’s revelation tell us that.  In Acts, the Apostles are described as “all together”.  That doesn’t just mean physically together.  The sense of the Greek original is different.  It means that they were all “of one mind”- all of one belief.  These apostles believed, and reinforced one another’s belief.  They worked miracles because they really believed, believed with all their hearts, that Jesus Resurrection was real and it meant that they, too, would experience the resurrection and everlasting life.  And so, the Spirit was with them. and they could do incredible things.   

Now, after their conversion the Apostles did not separate themselves from the world.  Rather, they lived in the world and dealt with the realities of life.  In fact, after Pentecost, they went out and lived separate lives, evangelizing throughout the World.  Thomas took the Church to India, and Bartholomew went to Persia, for example.  They believed strongly, and let God’s spirit work in them to do the will of the Father. 

Several decades after the scene in today’s Gospel, while in exile on Patmos, John wrote to people just like us- people who hadn’t seen the Risen Christ, people who were suffering from tremendous persecution by the Roman Emperor, people who were torn by divisions in their churches.  John wrote of the “Distress, the Kingdom, and the Endurance” to the people of 7 Churches in Asia Minor near Patmos.  Just like the people John wrote to, we are challenged to believe even though we have not seen.  We, in this Church, have only the scriptures.  They record the Church’s handing down of the events of the Resurrection.  We are also bonded together by the “Distress, the Kingdom, and Endurance”. 
The implications of the Resurrection on our attitude on life should be as remarkable as for the Apostles, not just passing moments of joy on an Easter Sunday.  Because the Kingdom that Christ offers all of us who believe is everlasting happiness, with our enemies out of the picture.  That Kingdom begins here and now, yet it is something that transcends this world and all the suffering and evil in it.  That’s what the Resurrection should mean to all of us- a path blazed by Jesus himself for all of us to everlasting life.  Jesus tells us that we are blessed who believe and haven’t seen.  And the Kingdom and everlasting life is how we are blessed. 

But there is also the Distress to deal with- all of us, in our humanity, feel that distress  In the lives that each of us has been given.  The distress of earthly life doesn’t go away- But the Resurrection helps us to see that distress in the context of the Kingdom.  Just as John exhorts the 7 churches in Revelation to hang in there, with endurance, we are challenged to hang in there with endurance.  Endurance means that we embrace our lives with the kind of endurance Christ practiced knowing of the certainty of our Resurrection and everlasting life. 

How can we do that?  Well, the first step is to really believe.  You can start with the Eucharist in just a few minutes.  Jesus is present in the Eucharist just as he was for Thomas in Solomon’s Portico.  And when we really believe that in our hearts,.and resolve to accept God’s will for us in our lives, including the distress and suffering that are part of his will for us,  then we will experience the divine mercy of God- Forgiveness for all of our transgressions against the will of God.  We will be filled with the grace of God, and feel the Spirit working in our lives.  It is fitting that on this Divine Mercy weekend, we make that beginning. 

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On Obedience and Suffering

April 1st, 2007

 April 1, 2007

Palm Sunday

Is 50:4-7; Phil 2: 6-11; Luke 24: 14 – 23:56

Dc. Larry Brockman

Suffering.  Jesus endured such terrible suffering.  The Movie “The Passion” graphically displays that suffering and it makes all of us uncomfortable.  But, the real theme of today’s readings is not the suffering, but Obedience. 

Just as Isaiah had to be obedient and speak the Word of God no matter what happened to him, so Jesus had to be obedient and live out the life that God had ordained for him.  Paul put it well, that Jesus emptied himself, taking on the form of a slave. 

The Passion demonstrates that it is hard to be obedient  It was hard for Jesus as well, as the agony in the garden attests.  Obedience to the will of God means accepting what God has in mind for us.  Sometimes, that’s the good times.  For me, my grandson’s birth a few weeks ago was a great time.  But, it also includes the bad times.  Like when my wife and I lost a son to crib death many years ago. 

Jesus bore great suffering, but he did so for the love of his Father.  He was, above all else, obedient.  He took on our sins, and redeemed us all in the process, earning everlasting life for all of us.  And that’s the point.  No matter what the suffering associated with our obedience, it’s worth it because the Kingdom of God and everlasting life are just on the other side. 

No matter who you are, you are ordained for both good times and bad times.  It’s our obedience to the will of God that counts.  We willfully accept and relish the good times.  But quite naturally, dread the suffering.  And yet, everyone faces suffering and death.  Everyone has illnesses, disabilities, limitations- physical and mental, poverty, and loneliness- something, whether it’s visible or not.  Even those who are seemingly always blessed- they are challenged to be good stewards of those blessings.  Nobody is exempt from God’s challenge to do his will.

I would ask you to reflect on today’s Gospel in a new light.  That no matter how dreadful the suffering was, Jesus bore it with dignity and obedience.  We are challenged to live his example and do the same.     

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March 8th, 2007

  March 8, 2007

Thursday of Second Week of Lent

Jer 17: 5-10; Lk 16: 19-31

Dc. Larry Brockman

Relentless.  All during Lent, the Lord’s message is relentless.  Like this morning- Jeremiah tells us:  “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh”.  But then on the other hand:  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord”. 

Now from our youth we are taught to be strong, to be independent, to learn how to live in the world and be successful.  We are encouraged to compete and to savor our success.  After all, we earned it.  Perhaps that’s what the rich man in the Gospel was doing.  He was just enjoying his success.  He was certainly preoccupied with self and success.  And the Gospel doesn’t say anything that would lead us to believe that the rich man even acknowledged Lazarus.  The rich man effectively built a wall between himself and Lazarus. 

All of us need to be productive in our lives, and there is nothing wrong with that.  There is nothing wrong with competing and being successful. That’s not Jesus point in the parable.  But, life does not end with success and comfort in this world.  We are challenged to grow constantly, even after we have achieved success and not to build walls between ourselves and the problems in the world. 

What success does is give you the capacity to move on to something even more important.  Because when you are successful, then God has given you time and resources to devote to something else besides making a living like raising the kids, volunteering to help others, or whatever.  It doesn’t matter whether you are in the prime of life or retired. 

Lent is a time for all of us to look for the balance in life between living in the world with some degree of comfort and trusting in the Lord when he nudges you to grow- even if it may be a little uncomfortable.   

Are you building a wall that isolates you from the rest of the world?  If you are, remember what happened to the rich man in today’s Gospel. 

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Believing with the Heart

February 25th, 2007

  February 25, 2007

First Sunday of Lent

Dt 26:4-10; Rom 1-: 8-13; Luke 4: 1-13

Dc. Larry Brockman

Do you believe with your heart?  When you say the Creed in a few minutes, will it come from your heart?  Or is it just something that you will rattle off from memory.  The Creed is what we believe; it tells us about God’s nature, both divine and human.  It tells us about what he did for us- sending His own son Jesus into this world; taking on human nature; dying on the cross; saving us all; and rising from the dead. 

But there’s more to believing in God than knowing about God and all He did for us, and saying with our lips that we believe.  To be saved, as St. Paul says, you’ve got to believe in God with your heart, and that means that you have to actually know God not just know about Him.   

Now all of you out there will say you know people.  But how many of them do you know from the heart?  When you know someone from the heart, then that means you are intimate with them.  They are people you can always trust; you are willing to always be yourself with them.  Most often, you only really know people from the heart whom you love.  Sometimes, a spouse; a parent or grandparent; or a very close relative or friend fits that description- sometimes.    

Well, what about God?  Do you know God that way?  If you are satisfied that you do know God intimately; that everything in your relationship with God is exactly right, then you truly believe in Him from the Heart. 

Here’s a little test for you to determine if you know God that well.  If I told you that tomorrow at 10 AM you would die, what would you do about your relationship with God between now and then?  If you are intimate with God, you wouldn’t need to do anything differently than you normally do.  But my bet is that most of you feel you do need to work on your relationship with God. 

Guess what; I’ve got some really good news for you.  You see, It’s Lent!  Why is that good news?  Because Lent is that time of year that the Church sets aside for you to renew your relationship with God.  Yes, you are being called to reflect on your relationship with God just like Jesus did in today’s Gospel.  Jesus felt he was being called at his Baptism.  And so, the Spirit led him into the desert where he reflected on what God’s will was for him.  Jesus was getting to know the father from the heart.   

You have these 40 days till Easter to dedicate yourself into getting to know God and make your relationship with him one from the heart.  But, it’s not going to be easy.  You are going to face incredible temptations to throw you off the track, just as Jesus was tempted. 

First, Jesus was tempted to turn stone into bread.  You will be tempted to just live life as you normally do. and just deal with your bodily and temporal needs.  If you do that, then before you know it, Lent will be over, and nothing will have changed in your relationship with God. 

Then, Jesus was tempted to grab worldly power while he had the chance and avoid the mission the Spirit was prompting Him to take.  If you keep right on a path to do your thing, whatever it is, never giving the Spirit of God a chance to move you, never finding out who God really is from the heart,. then you will succumb to that second temptation. 

Now, our call to get to know God requires us to be quiet enough to hear God.  That means we have to set aside some time, and just listen to what he has to say to us.  But, that’s where the third temptation comes in.  For most of us, the train is moving so fast that we won’t stand still long enough to really hear God.  So, you jump right back in to life prematurely if God doesn’t answer your prayer right away.  That’s just like jumping off a cliff; it’s like you think that if God really had anything to say to you, he would rescue you.  But, God wants your undivided attention.  That’s where the prayer and fasting come in.  These are ways for you to discipline yourself.  Discipline is what you need to really slow down and think about something else for a change; think about your relationship with God- at a deeper level.   

The parish is here to help.  We are offering lots of opportunities over the next 6 weeks for you to slow down, and reflect on your relationship with God.  There’s Daily Mass; the Adoration Chapel; and Stations of the Cross every Friday evening to start.  You can also check the bulletin every week for the special things that are going on.   

Why should we do this, learn to know God from the heart?  I’d like to leave you with this quote from Ash Wednesday’s first reading, from the book of Joel: 

“Yet even now, says the LORD,

return to me with your whole heart,

with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;

 Rend your hearts, not your garments,

and return to the LORD, your God.

For gracious and merciful is he,

slow to anger, rich in kindness,

and relenting in punishment.”

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Obedience in Families

December 28th, 2006

December 31, 2006

Feast of Holy Family

Sirach 3: 2-6; 12-14; 1 1 John 3: 1-2, 21-24; Luke 2: 41-52

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

They just got up and left.  The whole family of 5 walked out halfway through the film “The Nativity Story”.  I can only speculate why; maybe it was an emergency.  But I saw cell phones in use.  And I suspect that too much was going on in the world around them and there just wasn’t enough action and excitement in the film to capture their interest and attention.  So they left. 

What a shame.  Because that film captures the true spirit of Christmas.  It teaches us to rejoice over the coming of our savior.  It dramatizes the story of the Holy Family and Christ’s incarnation- the reason for the season.  It shows how Mary and Joseph accepted God’s will for them; how they formed the Holy Family; and how Jesus became man and dwelt among us.  Imagine how much God must love us to have done that- to have his son take on the limits of human nature. 

  

Now, as we learned in today’s Gospel, Jesus lived in the Holy Family through childhood and adolescence and He was obedient to his parents.  St John tells us we will receive whatever we ask if we believe in God and keep his commandments.  For young Jesus, to keep God’s commandments meant to honor his parents and to be obedient to them- just as Sirach described the family roles in the first reading.  

 

In fact, obedience is a key ingredient of Faith.  We show how much we believe by being obedient to God.  Because Jesus was obedient to his parents as a child, that obedience helped him to be obedient to God’s will as an adult.  You see, like any other human being, Jesus learned how to behave through his family environment.  He learned from his parents, Mary and Joseph.  He learned all the things that kids learn- how to eat, talk, walk, read, and write.  He also learned to pray, reflect, think, do a task- everything.  Nobody can learn those things in a vacuum.  We all need a family- however you may wish to define it- to learn them.  And the parenting Mary and Joseph did is a credit to them.  It was essential in helping to form Jesus.  Then, at some point in his life, Jesus used the learning he received from his Parents to put it all together- to realize who he was, and to seek out and be obedient to God’s will for him. 

You see, “obedience” is not something that disappears when we become adults.  On the contrary, it is even more important to be obedient as an adult than when we were children.  Jesus’ obedience to the Father meant that He had to suffer and die on the cross.  Likewise, all of us have to accept God’s will for us- whatever that is.  That will always involve a certain amount of suffering and dying.  Each of us must take up his or her cross and walk with it.  And during our life time, we are called to stick it out, to be obedient through the whole process along our way of the cross.  Usually, that means loving one another, loving our parents, children, spouses, and friends along the way- loving them when they are sad, sick, frustrated, and helpless; just as we hope and expect that they will love us in the same circumstances.  But we can always do our part- love them. 

John tells us why.  We are children of God now; but, if our hearts do not condemn us- and they won’t if we are obedient, then we will receive whatever we ask.  And what we all want, is to see God as he is in life everlasting.   

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Putting God First in Your Life

October 2nd, 2005

October 2, 2005

27th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Is 5: 1-7; Phil 4: 6-9; Mt 21: 33-43

Dc. Larry Brockman

Life is just one great big blur. There’s barely enough time to get done what you have to do, and precious little time to do anything else. You don’t even have the time to think about what you’d like to do.

But, the things that you do have time to do- your job, going to school, taking care of the children – whatever those things may be. Are they the real purpose of your life? Ah, but they are all so necessary. You’ve just got to do them- they are your responsibility.

Well do you feel that they are fruitful? Or do they bear the same as wild grapes- growing every which way, choked by thorns and weeds and other distractions.

God is telling you that he’s looking for you to bear good fruit. He doesn’t want a vine growing wild with activity that isn’t productive.

God made each of you special. You have unique personalities, gifts, and capabilities. He has planted you where he wants you, with a purpose and with a mission. He’s given you a real life. And he has also provided the right environment for you to be productive in that life.

But Life is not meant to be easy. Life is a challenge- it’s a challenge to be productive. God will provide you with insight you need to be productive if you will let him. For example, honor, justice, purity, beauty, excellence, and graciousness are a few a few things mentioned today that can help you to grow and be productive. You need to let these virtues work through you.  And that means you may have to slow down a little- or at least, force yourselves to pause, reflect, and pray on what your real purpose in life is to see how these virtues can help you to be productive in the way God intends.

Believe it or not, your real purpose in life is not your job, going to school, or raising a family. These things may all be important parts of your life. They may be an essential part of how your life can be fruitful. But they are not your real purpose in life.

You are here today because you all recognize that God is an important part of your life. You come here to worship God.  You all recognize that he is all powerful, and holds the key for your well being- now and for eternity. So, you are here to pray to him, to ask him to bless your lives in whatever your situation is. You may even be taking some time here to reflect on how He can help you to apply those virtues that Paul mentioned.

But, it’s not good enough that you honor God just this one hour each week. He can’t be the driving force behind your life if that’s all the time you give him. He can’t inspire you with the answers you are looking for in just one hour a week.

But if you can slow down, just a little bit, and pray and thank God for all that you have. In other words, give Him a chance to be a regular part of your life- then you can put him in the center of your life.

Here’s how you find the time. Society has “sold” all of you on making time for something that wasn’t a part of your life. For example, many people have made time for exercise.  Likewise, if you want to get ahead on the job, you find time to go the extra bit- take a class, or get involved in some outside activity. Some of you feel strongly about an issue, like the right to life, and will participate in the life link today outside of the Church.

So, it can be done- you can find the time, and it doesn’t have to be lots of time- just more time, and frequently enough that God is your constant partner. It takes discipline to do that, but it’s well worth it.

For example, our wonderful Pastor suggests rolling out of bed each morning, and saying, what? “This is the Day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be Glad”. It’s called morning prayer- and it takes discipline.

But if you start and end the day by thanking God and inviting Him to be part of your day- He will inspire you.  He will answer your prayer. The important thing is that if you make more time for God, then He will be there for you. You do that for your friends- make time for them. Well, if you want Jesus to be your friend- now and in eternity- then get familiar with Him. Make him a special friend.

Henry Van Dyke once said:

“A friend indeed is what I mean to be.

In times of trouble I will come to you.

And in the hour of need, you’ll find me true”.

That’s God he was speaking of.

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