Homily for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
     There is an expression that says “those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it.” Another says “hindsight is better than foresight.” The fifth book of the “Torah” or “Pentateuch,” the “Book of Deuteronomy,” was written centuries after the great liberation of the Israelites from slavery and their conquest of the “Promised Land.” As the author recalled for the people, while they were in the midst of their journey through the desert the goal seemed like a dream and their faith was often severely tested. As seen from the perspective of history and with the eyes of faith, there was a reason why they were permitted to encounter these obstacles:
 
“Remember how for forty years now the Lord, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention
to keep his commandments.”
(Deuteronomy 8:2)
 
When a people is starving and thirsty amid the hot sands of a desert, it is very difficult to recall why they began the journey and to trust the God they could not see. Paul, a Jew, who had encountered Christ, recalled the experience of  his ancestors and warned his friends in Corinth that if they yielded to their cravings and rivalries, their fate would be similar to that of the Israelites:
 
“I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert. These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did.”
(1 Corinthians 10:1-6)

History proves that humanity consistently forgets the lessons of the past and falls into idolatry. Our “false gods” vary; but they all have something to do with an insatiable lust for power or simply to “be in control.” Revelations of recent years, months and weeks label these “evil things” as sexism, racism, sexual abuse. Similar evils might also be described as “addictions” to a whole array of “substances” or “attitudes.” When we are deprived of something or someone we dearly love, either we “give up hope” or we allow the “heart to grow fonder.” I would hope that these months without Eucharist have provided many with an opportunity to appreciate more profoundly these words of Jesus:
 
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him in the last day…Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
(John 6:54-58)
 
When a person goes “on retreat,” often the various evils and temptations to which he or she is prone emerge in the mind and heart in a vivid way. Our “idols” must be confronted if we are truly to appreciate the “gift” that is being offered. Eternal life is not a distant reality but a present joy and “communion” with the saints of old and fellow pilgrims of today. Thus, Paul’s words to the Corinthians take on that much more significance:
 
“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”
(1 Corinthians 10:16)

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Bill Foley