Whose Body?

Memorial of Saint John Vianney, priest
Readings for Friday
Biographical Information about St. John Vianney

Reflection:

On the memorial of St. John Vianney I would be remiss if I did not say something about Fr. Doug Osborn. Fr. Doug was the Director of the Permanent Diaconate when I was in formation and for some time after. He is a remarkable homilist and genuinely spiritual person. When he left the Diocesan offices to take over a parish, it was St. John Vianney in Flint, Michigan. He stayed there until he achieved Senior Priest Status (Retired) last year (2005). I am sure the people of his parish miss him, I certainly do. I wonder if they realized what a wonderful homilist Fr. Doug is? I’m sure they have learned by now since he has been gone more than a year. I do not know who followed him in the parish but it must be difficult.

While the Gospel reading today focuses on Jesus going back home and finding the people he grew up with did not recognize him for what he was (and is), the reflection actually focuses on what Jesus became, the Eucharist. You see, the reason Jesus had such difficulty in stiring up faith in his home town is because they were too familiar with him. They could not recognize his divinity because they had been close to it throughout Jesus’ life with them.

A short time ago, I was having a debate with my oldest daughter who is no longer a practicing Catholic (she has affiliated herself through her husband, with a non-denominational evangelical Christian community). We were, as usual, speaking about the Mass vs. her services and the subject got around to the Eucharist (probably because I took it there since it is the central focus of the Mass). Having finely tuned my apologetic arguments about the miracle of the Eucharist over the years, I came, through impeccable scriptural logic, to transubstantiation and the real presence and was expecting her to put up another objection. She did not. Rather she said something that really struck a chord. She said; “The reason I have difficulty believing in the Eucharist and many of my friends do is that it happens every day. It’s like a miracle on demand and it is not special anymore.”

I have to tell you it shook me pretty hard. I had always assumed so many people who claimed to be Christians did not believe in the real presence because they lacked the leap of faith, not that it had become common place, repetitive, and meaningless. How can we become so complacent with the body of God, served up as a meal for us, that through His sacrifice, we can attain everlasting life? How can we loose our awe for so great a love that the Creator of the Universe placed his essence inside us that we could be in Him and He in us.

I see in the Gospel today the same kind of attitude, the loss of faith through familiarity. We must take this message to heart. We must pray that we never loose sight of the great gift Christ gives us in the Eucharist, new each day, recreated as it was 2,000 years ago.

That is our prayer for today, that we are renewed in faith and awe of God’s wondrous presence each time we participate in the consecration or see the vigil flam lit in the sanctuary.

Pax