Homily: Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, YR C
"We Are to Be Broken for the World"
by Fr. William Holtzinger
June 13, 2004

There is a story of a tightrope walker who was practicing to walk across Niagara Falls with a wheelbarrow. Many people had tried and many failed.  Failure would mean death for the person. So, one day he was practicing on a wire suspended 20 feet in the air, enough to make it very dangerous, but not nearly the height that would be done at Niagara Falls. A crowd gathered to watch him practice. The people started shouting at him, "You'll never make it!" "Be careful! You're going to kill yourself!" Everyone was telling him to give up the stunt except one man. This man was saying, "You can do it! I believe in you." The tightrope walker was afraid and was losing confidence. But, when that one man told him he could do it, he responded, "Thank you my good man.  Your positive words have really helped me. I believe I can do this. But, I have one problem. I need someone to ride along in the wheelbarrow.  Will you join me?"

This story is intended to offer us a challenge. We, as Catholics, say we believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, but do our lives, our behaviors demonstrate it? Recently, a bishop told me, "If we don't live it, then we don't believe it." So, what does it mean to live out the belief that Jesus is present in the Eucharist?

Mass is a beautiful celebration. The music is intended to draw us closer to God and each other. The Scriptures are intended for us to hear God's words and actions in the world. The prayers are intended to offer our needs to God. And when we bring the bread and wine to the altar, we offer them to God who, in turn, changes them into His Son. Then we, again, offer ourselves back to God with the Son. And then we celebrate communion where we eat Jesus' flesh and drink his blood. But, here is the challenge... Mass does all these things, but we are not to simply keep this event to ourselves.

The word "Mass" means mission. We come to receive Jesus in the Scriptures and in the bread and wine. But, we are then supposed to be Christ as we go out into the world. The big question is: Do we go out into the world and live as Christ? Or is Mass something that is solely about fulfilling an obligation, maybe removing that guilt feeling? Do we understand that when we eat Christ's flesh and blood that we become like him? Then do we go out and do what he did? Do we help those in need? Do we love all those around us? Or do we harbor resentment and hatred for those who are unloving to us? Do we feed our sins with the things of the world, things that will never fully satisfy? You see, the Eucharist is the food that will encourage us to love those we don't like, even our enemies. In the process, we will get hurt. God has told us that when we follow him, we will suffer. But, that's okay. We are bread for the world, given in order to be broken. And we are told that in our brokenness, our weakness, we will be strong.

Mass, therefore, is meant to be lived out in the world. At our youth Mass, we end the celebration by saying, "The Mass never ends. It must be lived. So let us go out to love and serve the Lord." It is a way of teaching our youth that we are all on mission to love the people of the world and show them God's love. We are to live what we believe. We are being asked to jump into the wheelbarrow of life that Jesus will push. And so we know that we are not alone. Today, receive Christ in the Eucharist and become what you eat. Go out and transform the world around you as Christ would, because you are likely the only Christ that some people will ever meet.