I had the most amazing spiritual experience three weeks ago. My family and I went up to visit some of my wife, Julie’s, relatives who have cottages on a lake in Irish Hills Michigan. We went up there on a Saturday and soon after we arrived, one of Julie’s cousins started telling me about how amazing the priest is at their parish.
He told me how their priest is a really good preacher. He said this Fr. Dave sometimes walks four pews deep to help people stay engaged when he is preaching. Then, Julie’s uncle chimed in talking about how Fr. Dave packs their church with people because he is so good. They mentioned that Fr. Dave goes to Rome for training. Then, I learned that they were thinking about going to Mass that day, so when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
My family and I decided to go to Mass with them that day, and boy, am I glad we did. On the car ride to the Church, another one of Julie’s cousins started talking about Fr. Dave’s preaching and how it is as if Jesus is whispering in Fr. Dave’s ear what he should say.
Julie asked how old Fr. Dave is and her cousin said she thinks Fr. Dave is in his early 40s. As we pulled up to the church, I was fully prepared to hear the best homily of my life. As we walked up to the church, we saw the priest standing outside the Church. It was clear this priest was twice the age of Fr. Dave.
Julie’s uncle’s shoulders slumped in disappointment, and he said “Sorry, it looks like Fr. Dave isn’t here today.” I responded, “it’s okay, Jesus will still be here.” The reality is that if we place our hope in Fr. Dave, at some point, we are going to end up being disappointed. At some point, Fr. Dave will be on vacation or will give the worst homily he has ever given, but Jesus will always show up in his glory and be present in the Eucharist.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus reminds us of the importance of the Eucharist when he says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
We’ve probably heard the line from Vatican II that receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith as Catholics. So, no matter how bad or good the preaching is or how bad or good the music is, receiving Jesus will always be the best part of the Mass. Sometimes we need a reminder that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith as Catholics.
I use the word reminder because I think many of us knew at a young age that the Eucharist is the best part of Mass. I’ve seen a child cry during a homily and be taken out of Mass, but I’ve never seen a child throw a fit because they were missing a homily as they were taken out of church. What I have seen is a kid who hasn’t received his First Communion yet get upset about missing out on receiving Jesus in the Eucharist.
One of the best things about Mass being live-streamed is that these meltdown moments are recorded so we can go back and watch them. One of the best meltdown moments I’ve witnessed was in January. Let me take you back to January and introduce you to little Jack McCarty who was four years old at the time. Now, by this point, there was already some tension that had been growing between Jack and me and it was about to come to a head.
Jack would see his parents and his older sister receive Jesus in the Eucharist and gosh darn it, he wanted to receive Jesus as well. He felt the blessing I gave him instead when it was his turn in the communion line was a consolation prize he wasn’t interested in. He would stare me down and give me a dirty look letting me know that he wants the real deal because he was hungry for Jesus. He wanted Jesus and he wanted Jesus now.
So here we are on January 17th and it’s time for communion and Jack gets in line behind his Mom and his older sister and, man is he ready to receive Jesus. I give him a blessing instead and he just stares me down making it clear that this blessing is not what he came here for. The stare down goes on so long that Jack’s Dad physically turns little Jack’s head toward his seat in a not-so-subtle way of letting Jack know it’s time to take your blessing back to your seat. Jack gets an upset look on his face and he stomps off flailing his arms in the most dramatic fashion I’ve ever seen. I think more of us need to approach communion with the hunger for Jesus like little Jack.
All too often we fill ourselves with all the world has to offer and the Eucharist becomes for us like the after-dinner mint after we’ve stuffed ourselves at a restaurant, we can take it or leave it, it really doesn’t matter. This can be seen when we approach the Eucharist as if we don’t really care. This can also be seen with the absence of many Catholics at Mass on the weekends, making it clear that they view the Eucharist as something not worth going out of their way to go to church to receive. The way we approach receiving Jesus in the Eucharist matters.
One last story that has reminded me of this truth. When I was studying to become a Deacon, I was at Mass and the craziest thing happened to me when I went up to receive communion; the priest smiled at me. Msgr. Kubacki smiled at me when I came up to receive the Eucharist. I wasn’t really sure what was meant by this smile, but I liked it and my natural reaction was to smile back at him. That smile opened up for me an aspect of the Eucharist I had never considered and appreciated before. As I digested the meaning of this smile and the Eucharist, the two thoughts that came into my head and my heart are that:
- Jesus is happy to see me come to receive him. This smile spoke to my soul. It is as if Jesus is saying to me, “I am so glad to see you here.”
- That smile also reminds me of how I am on Christmas morning when I picked out the perfect gift for a loved one and I am anxiously awaiting their response as I give them the gift. In this moment, I don’t have a somber look on my face, I have a smile on my face in anticipation of the joy my loved one is about to experience when they open up this gift.
Today, let us come to have a deeper appreciation for the Eucharist being the best part of Mass and of being a Catholic. Let our lives bear testament to this truth. Let us have a hunger for the Eucharist like little Jack. Let us feel Jesus’ smile speak to our soul letting us know that he is glad to see us here today and that he has the perfect gift waiting for us, his very self.
And when we leave Mass today, if we say anything to someone about Mass, let it be this: “Even though the Deacon preached today and it wasn’t the best, I had the most amazing spiritual experience. I received Jesus in the Eucharist.”
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle B – August 8, 2021
Mass Readings:
Reading 1: 1 Kgs 19:4-8
Psalm: Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Reading 2: Eph 4:30—5:2
Gospel: Jn 6:41-51