What’s in your in Report Card?

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Last Sunday’s Gospel taken from Mark 6:7-13 tells us that after summoning the Twelve, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, specific instructions on how to embark on their missionary journey, and thereafter sent them out two by two into the villages to deliver the message of change and repentance. The Twelve went out, preached, drove out numerous demons, anointed the sick with holy oil and many were cured of their ailments. Today’s Gospel (Mark 6:30-34) is the continuation of the story. After accomplishing their mission, the Apostles returned to Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. One after another, they took their turn and reported in detail what they preached and did. They probably said the following:  “Lord, we preached about the kingdom of God and called on the people to turn away from their evil ways.” “Lord, guess what happened? At the mention of your name, the devil trembled. And do you know that we expelled lots of evil spirits from the possessed?” “Lord, we also visited several hospitals, anointed the sick and a good number of them got well.” “Lord, we also visited the homebound, brought your message of salvation to them, and also anointed them too.” “Lord, we took your message to virtually every village around us. We preached without fear. We told people about you. We urged them to accept you as their Lord and Savior. We maintained that you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” “Lord, some of them opposed and resisted our message and tried to stop us, but we stood firm.” “Lord, in our preaching, we emphasized that God is love, that God is merciful, that God is full of mercy and compassion. We invited people to accept his mercy, healing and goodness.” “Lord, we think we have made many disciples for you; the next time you go out, a lot more people will come to follow you.” “Lord, we have made you known around here.”

What exactly was going on there? The Twelve were giving a report of their accomplishments. They were reporting to the Master of the harvest—what they did with the word and power he had given to them. With the word of God, prodigals were being saved. With the word, lives were being turned around. With the word, the lost were being found, hopelessness was being replaced by hope, hatred was being replaced by love, injury and hurt were being supplanted by healing. With the word of God, strife was being replaced by peace. With the power in the name of Jesus, the possessed were being set free, spiritual prisoners were being liberated, the sick were being healed and cured. With the power in the name of Jesus, blindness to truth was being overtaken by courage to embrace and promote the truth. With power in the name of Jesus, darkness was giving way to light, sadness was vacating the front seat for joy and comfort. With the power in that name, chains were being broken—chains of habitual anger, chains of addiction, of being judgmental, unnecessarily too critical, selfish, unkind, unappreciative—chains of sins.  

After reporting “all they had done and taught,” Jesus was very pleased with them. The Lord was elated and delighted in their accomplishments. “Well done, good and faithful servants. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. But before then, come and share in your master’s happiness” (Matthew 25:23), Jesus may have said to them. To share in their master’s joy, he invited them saying: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). He recognized weariness in them and offered them some time to rest and recuperate. “So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.” But the rest was thwarted by the surging crowds who wanted to see Jesus. When Jesus saw them, “his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34). This highlights the profound mercy and compassion of Jesus. But let’s not forget how we got here. Why did Jesus take the Twelve to such a lonely place? He brought them there to rest, to recuperate and to be rewarded. Why? For accomplishing creditably well the assignment he had given to them. 

Beloved in Christ, like the Twelve, Jesus too has given us a mission and an assignment to do while we still have life. Do you know what your assignment is? Are you carrying it out steadfastly and joyfully? What role are you playing in the spread of the Kingdom of God? Are you building up or tearing it down? When the Lord calls, what kind of report are you going to give? At the end of that report, do you think Jesus is going to offer you the invitation to come over with him and rest everlastingly? What’s in your report card? 

Check this out! Good or bad report, there’ll surely be a reward!

Sent Forth to Bring the King’s Message and Mercy

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, July 12, 2015

A disciple is a follower or student of a teacher, leader or philosopher; whereas an apostle is someone who is sent forth to deliver a message. Simply and differently put, a disciple is a learner, whereas an apostle is a graduate who’s ready to get a job done. Jesus’ disciples have received enough training and apprenticeship. They have been taught enough and were ready to be sent forth in twos to do what they had seen him do. The period of tutorship was over. Graduation celebration was over too. Standing beside Jesus and watching him do all the talking was over as well. Like the mother bird, the Lord completed teaching them how to fly on their own. But in this case, the disciples were not being sent out to hunt for food, but to hunt for the lost sheep and to guide them safely back home. After giving them authority to expel evil spirits and render them powerless, Jesus instructed them, “to take nothing for the journey, but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts.” That meant they should trust God for their provision. In Matthew 6:25 Jesus puts it clearer: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” Jesus did not want them to be distracted by material things. Their focus should’ve been on the message—God’s kingdom is at hand. But if people didn’t like the message, they should move on. 

With the travel instructions stated, ‘job’ description and code of ethics read out, the newly graduated students of the Lord, “went off and preached repentance.” Their preaching was not invented by them. They did not create their own message. They brought a message. They did not proclaim their personal opinions. It wasn’t their personal theologies that they brought to the people; it was God’s eternal truth. They simply sounded the message Jesus had told them. They did not make themselves the focal point of attention. They knew they were only messengers and not the message. And the message they brought to the people of God was, “Repent!” 

Whenever we hear the word “repent” in church, we feel uncomfortable and uneasy. Why? Because we are being asked to relinquish, abandon, and set aside what we are used to and what we may be comfortable with. To repent involves a change of mind and actions. Repentance means a change of heart and behavior. This change certainly brings some sort of hurt or disturbance to us, because of the painful realization that the way we have been living is wrong. When we get so comfortable with doing something, we hardly want to jettison it. When a certain way of life fits our philosophy of life, we do not want to let it go. If the way we treat others makes sense to us, we do not want to be told to change from it. Any call for a radical change of life, oftentimes disturbs us because it involves letting go of what we have and what we have been doing. It also involves embracing a new life—a complete turnaround. If you are wondering why repentance is hard and why few people heed to it, those are the reasons.  It is a religious call that invites us to place on the scale of eternal life, all of our thoughts, habits, character, and attitude towards God, life and others, and then weigh them. When we realize, all of a sudden, that their weight does not surpass a featherweight, it disturbs us. Repentance is hard because change is hard. But if we truly want to spend eternity with the good God, that’s the only path to tread. 

There are regular church-going folks who arrogantly or ignorantly claim that their lives are “perfect”—that they have nothing to change about themselves or repent from. They often say to themselves: “I say my daily prayers, go to Mass, give money to church, and sometimes give a sandwich or a dollar to a hungry man on the street. I live by myself. I am too old. What sin can I possibly commit?” But repentance or change is not always from robbery, theft, murder, lies, immorality and obvious and conspicuous sins. Anyone who is selfish needs to change. If you are ungrateful, you need to change. Are you inconsiderate? You need to repent from it. Are you always complaining? Can nothing or anyone please you? You need to repent! Are you always looking at others with suspicion—not trusting anyone, even in the house of God? You need to repent. Are you one of those who come to church but hardly volunteer to help out? Then you need to embrace change. This change must move us from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. It must move us from the “I” to “us” and “we.” 

The Apostles of Jesus did not only preach repentance, they also brought the most beautiful message: God is merciful! (Luke 6:36). God’s mercy is God’s healing balm on the wounds of humanity. No human person is completely and thoroughly whole and healthy. As such, we all need God’s mercy. But we must ask for it. Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it shall be given to you…” Never assume that you are morally and spiritually spotless, with no blemish or wrinkle. Romans 3:23 has already given its verdict: “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” 1 John 1:10 declares even further: “If we claim that we have not sinned, then we are calling God a liar, and his word is not in us.” But our sinful condition is not going to be our ultimate destiny. We serve an awesome God who is good and merciful. Psalm 145:8 tells us that, “The Lord is full of mercy and compassion, slow to anger and rich in unfailing love.” 

Embrace change and embrace God’s mercy!

His Social Status was His ‘Sin’

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Who are the people that we sometimes tend to ignore or reject? Who are the people that we easily pass by pretending they don’t exist? We avoid them, not because they will cause us any harm, but because they irritate us.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus went home to his own people. But before he made this journey, he had expelled unclean spirits from the possessed, healed a woman who had suffered hemorrhages for 12 years, and raised the daughter of a Synagogue official, Jairus from death. His fame and popularity had spread. His message was gaining ground and multitudes of people were flocking to him. But when Jesus came to his hometown, Nazareth, the reception he got was different. The response he got from the people who had known him since boyhood was cold and hostile. As he taught in their Synagogue on a sabbath day, his teaching was received not with pleasant amazement but with contempt. “They took offense at him.” They were astonished, scandalized and upset that a man who came from such an impoverished, low-life background like him could speak with such authority and profundity. They knew Jesus’ humble and lowly beginnings; they knew his profession, his mother, and his relatives: “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary…”  And in contempt, they asked: “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!” 

Jesus was in his hometown’s synagogue proclaiming the Kingdom of God, the presence of God among his people but his people couldn’t hear or see him. To them, he was simply an unexceptional carpenter and the impecunious son of Mary who doesn’t worth listening to. Jesus wasn’t born in a noble family. He wasn’t born with a silver-spoon in his mouth. His earthly father, Joseph was poor and obviously died a poor man. His mother Mary didn’t have much. But Jesus had a job. Even though his job was ridiculed, he was not jobless. After the death of Joseph, Jesus inherited his carpentry workshop, worked hard, earned a living and supported Mary. He was as a matter of fact a handyman who could build a wall, mend a roof, repair a gate, fix a furniture and construct a new floor or repair an old one. Unfortunately, his folks despised him for being an ordinary hard working man. Jesus was not a Wall-street man but a Main-street man. He was a man of the people, a layman, a common man, a handyman who could do anything to help people and support his mother. He was rejected and resisted  due to his social status. Simply put, his status was his sin. But that ordinary man of Nazareth, rejected by Nazarenes, held in contempt by Nazarenes, today is the center of history.

From Jesus, we learn that it is not only the moneybags that can make a difference in the world. It is not only the intellectually gifted people that can make a difference in our society. It is not only those who sit on the exalted seats of power and who walk on the corridors of power that can make a difference in our community. From Jesus we learn that regardless of status, fame, position in life, degrees acquired, you can make a difference by the witness of your life.

The saddest words in this Gospel is: “So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them” (Mark 6:5). Why? They lacked the faith needed to receive from God. The atmosphere wasn’t right. The work of God can hardly be done in an atmosphere of religious coldness and indifference. The most power packed and spirit-filled message of salvation can fall lifeless in an environment of coldness and scorn towards God and what pertains to God. To those he healed, Jesus never said: “Your faithlessness has saved you” or “Your religious coldness and indifference have saved you.” It has always been: “Your faith has saved you.” Great things happen to people of great faith. Great things happen to hearts and lives that are open to receive the Lord. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Because he was rejected by his own people, Jesus formed a new family. This family began with the people whom we have been hearing about- the disciples, those who struggle, the commoners, the sick, the woman with hemorrhages, Jairus and his little girl, folks seeking for salvation etc. By baptism, we have become part of this family too. This family is not based on blood, or race, or origin, but on faith. I conclude this reflection with a question: “Is the Lord going to do something great, something mighty, something new among us, or is he going to be amazed by our lack of faith in him and in each other?” 

When Everything Else Fails…

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Today’s Gospel has certain elements of tragedy in it: the near death experience of a sick young girl and a woman’s twelve years of sickness (hemorrhages) without any cure or even a small relief in sight. The women in both stories were in desperate situations that needed desperate and urgent responses. The first story is about the daughter of one of the synagogue officials, named Jairus. His daughter was on the threshold of womanhood when death came and was knocking on her door. Her father, Jairus, was not just a synagogue official, he was one of the most important and most respected men in the community. He was the administrative head of the synagogue, the president of the board of elders whose responsibility it was for the good administration and management of the synagogue. Jairus was a highly placed official, but when his daughter became sick and was about to die, he remembered Jesus. Jairus was a lord, but when his daughter’s life was about to be snatched from her, he reached out and appealed to another man who was not only the Lord, but the Lord of lords. 

The folks in the synagogue did not like Jesus at all. They saw him as an outsider, a dangerous heretic, as someone that should be kept out of the synagogue. They regarded him as a law-breaker, and as someone to be avoided by those who cherish their orthodoxy. Jairus was one of those folks. Their hatred for Jesus was deep-set because his teachings and lifestyle called for a theological, cultural, social, political and economic revolution. His way and modus operandi challenged the status quo in every sphere of life. His teaching was also gaining momentum among the people, as such, synagogue folks hated him. But when Jairus’ daughter was seriously ill and dying, he abandoned his hateful prejudice, sought for Jesus, and on finding him fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live” (Mark 5:23). Check this out! Jairus had to cast aside his political and religious positions. He forgot his dignity and pride and threw himself at the feet of the one he once called awful names. The words of the Bible: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11) became a reality in this case. But to his credit, Jairus was able to put off his reputation- probably his office and positions, even some of his friends- put on the virtue of humility in order to save the life of his daughter. As a highly placed synagogue official, he must have been warned not to seek the help of Jesus, not to approach him because doing so would mean legitimizing Jesus and his teaching. The problem of others is usually regarded as “their problem” until the same problem comes calling on the one who once thought it was their problem. When Jesus was healing other sick people, Jairus was one of those who despised him. But when his daughter became a victim, it became his problem too. But glory be to God he was not an intransigent and unbending person. He was wise to cast aside everything: his initial prejudice on Jesus, dignity, pride, religious and political positions, friends and admirers etc and sought for the help of the Lord. And because of that singular act of humility and letting go, he and his daughter experienced Jesus as a Savior and Lord of life. 

Sisters and brothers, what are you gonna let go of in order to experience Jesus as the Savior, the Healer and Lord of your life? As we celebrate the feast of Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, let’s pray with the Blessed Mother who let go of her personal goal and plan in life and freely accepted God’s will for her: “I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to the Lord’s words” (Luke 1: 38).

The second story is about the woman with hemorrhages. According to the Gospel, “she had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse” (Mark 5:26). Her case was dire because her sickness rendered her unclean, and also shut her out from the worship of God and fellowship of the community. In those days, hemorrhages did not only deprive the afflicted the good and happy life, it also deprived them the right to associate with others. The illness made the afflicted ritually unclean to join in worship and to fellowship with the rest of the society (Leviticus 15:25-27). 

This unnamed woman had tried the medical doctors of her time, spent everything she had, but the result was that she did not feel better, instead she got worse. She appeared more pale, thin, haggard and weak. A constant loss of blood is a serious medical concern. To lose blood is to lose good health and strength, and to lose life itself. Blood is so important that if it’s not enough in the body, life may cease to exist. When every human attempt to find a solution to her problem failed, someone told her about Jesus. Credit should be given to this woman for not being oblivion or careless or unserious to what was happening to her. She wasn’t like some people who, knowing that something is wrong with them, would not want to see a doctor. Some would even be in denial. Some would fold their hands and claim to be waiting on the Lord. But this woman tried to find a cure for her sickness. Her neighbors, friends and relatives knew she had sold everything she had in search of medical cure. But when everything and everyone failed, someone brought the good news about Jesus to her and encouraged her to try him. The Gospel says that “She had heard about Jesus and came behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak” (Mark 5:27). Before touching Jesus, she had said to herself, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” Great faith! Great statement of faith! And on touching Jesus, “flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.” 

These two great miracles in this Gospel happened by means of touching. The dying girl was touched by Jesus; the woman with hemorrhages on the other hand, touched Jesus. What’s your story? Are you at the point of dying spiritually, financially, socially, psychologically, emotionally, materially, relationally? Have you spent all you had trying to salvage a situation? Jesus can still touch you, and you can still touch him as well. Like the father of the dying little girl, speak, “Lord, I am at the point of death. Please come and lay your hands on me. Do something about my situation.” But do you have the kind of expectant faith that the woman with the flow of blood had? Jesus can still touch you; you can still touch him. He can still  make us whole again.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my Shepherd = That's Relationship! 

I shall not want = That's Supply! 

He makes me to lie down in green pastures = That's Rest!

He leads me beside still waters = That's Refreshment! 

He restores my soul = That's Healing! 

He leads me in the paths of righteousness = That's Guidance! 

For His name sake = That's Purpose!

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death = That's Testing! 

I will fear no evil = That's Protection! 

For you are with me = That's Faithfulness! 

Your rod and you staff comfort me = That's Discipline! 

You prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies = That's Hope! 

You anoint my head with oil = That's Consecration! 

My cup runs over = That's Abundance! 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life = That's Blessing ! 

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord = That's Security! 

Forever = That's Eternity! 

Face it, the Lord is crazy about you. 

Homily for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Even When Jesus Is In The Boat With Us…

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, June 21, 2015

The storms of life simply speaking are those things that inconvenience us. They are those life’s experiences that bring us to tears. They trouble us and sometimes can lead to a loss of interest in life itself. They keep us sleepless at night. In extreme situation they can lead some people to depression. They are those life’s experiences that make people ask questions like “God, where are you?” “God, why me?” Lord, why must I suffer?” “God, have you abandoned me?” These storms can come in different fashions. Sometimes they come unannounced and when we least expected them. No matter one’s state of life, storms are unavoidable. When one is confronted by the difficulties of life, how he or she handles it will go a long away in determining how long the storm will last. If handled wrongly, it can lead to another storm thereby multiplying the person’s misery. This is the reason why some people go through life carrying all forms of storms without any end in sight.

In today’s Gospel, taken from Mark 4: 35-41, Jesus was “crossing to the other side” with his disciples. As the boat sailed, a violent storm came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. But Jesus was fast asleep. Terribly afraid of the situation, the disciples exclaimed: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus got up and rebuked the wind: “Quiet! Be still!”  Immediately, there was a great calm. Jesus then turned to his disciples and asked, “Why are you terrified? Do you not have faith?” But the disciples looked at each other and wondered: “Who then is this that even the sea and wind obey him?”

This gospel passage teaches us that even when Jesus is in our life, in our relationships, in your marriage, in our job, studies, ministry, families, business, vocation etc. problems could still occur. Even with him accompanying us on our journey, we are still going to experience the storms of life. With Jesus in our life, the wind could still turn violent, and we can still be exposed to danger. We can still be in trouble. With Jesus in our life, the difficulties of life would still come. Your spouse may still hurt you. Your son or daughter may still betray you. Even when we are riding with the Lord it’s still possible to lose a job. A young lady could still find it hard to find a life-partner. The man out there could still suffer from heartbreak. With Jesus in the boat of our life, health can still fail sometimes, business can still be slow at times. You might even lose your retirement and have to begin afresh. Your credit card company can still overcharge you; the money you pay for your health insurance can still double up; you may still experience a foreclosure of your house. Even with Jesus in your life raising your children and having to pay for their tuition and other expenses can still be tough. None of us is immune to the adverse effects of the plundering and exploitation of nature. 

But our attitude to the challenges of life is what is going to distinguish us from non-believers and faint believers. The disciples’ journey to the other side is our journey. Their experience is our experience. They had Jesus with them, yet there was a storm. We have Jesus with us too and there are storms also. If you have never experienced any, wait for your turn. Storms are part of human life. From time to time we will experience them in different fashions and forms. When they come, there are basically two opposite reactions: Fear or Faith. True believers lean on faith; they are not totally destabilized. When the violent winds of life begin to blow, they remain calm because they know they have a very big God who is always standing by their side. As humans, they may experience and express some fear, but due to their faith in God they are able to make a quick transition from fear to faith. Non-believers and faint-believers, on the other hand, are overwhelmed and crippled by fear. Fear is false evidence about reality. Fear makes us doubt the power of God to save us from our situation. Satan loves people of fear. In fear and out of fear, we can easily do something that radically goes against our beliefs and values. But persons of faith remain calm and prayerful. Like the disciples, they go to Jesus in prayer. After their initial experience of shock, or anger or fear at what has happened, they begin to call upon the Lord for rescue. They call in faith, in expectant faith.

Dearest beloved, what is your present situation? Are you sick? Have the doctors written you off? Have they concluded that you are not going to live again? Have they given you the month, date, and year to die? Did you lose your job? Are the storms of life blowing so violently that you are almost being blown away? Is your business going south? I urge you to run to Jesus. Do not run away from him. When the disciples called out to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” he woke up, and rebuked the wind: “Quiet! Be still!” Stop keeping silent. Speak out to the One who was obeyed even by the sea and wind. Run to Jesus and call out to him. Break that silence; stop hiding and crying in the secret corners of your house. Instead of suffering in silent, you can silence the aggressive winds of life. Quiet the storms that threaten to destroy you by going and speaking to Jesus. Don’t suffer alone! 

Arise and shine, for the Lord is here!

Eucharist: The Amazing Gift of Love

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, June 7, 2015

I am not one of those who spends a great deal of time watching movies. I hardly watch movies either in the house or at the theater. I may be interested in going to a movie theater if there is a historic movie that everyone is talking about. In the past, I have gone to see movies like: “Twelve Years a Slave,” “The Butler” “Lincoln” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom etc.” But I have in the past watched a few action and horror movies that were very bloody. Most times I contend that such movies are well made, but too bloody. I would prefer if there was less bloodshed in them. When I watch such bloody movies, I often times forget that they are merely movies, not real, but make-believe actions. But then, there are not too many people who will delight in watching movies littered with gory bloodshed and remain unmoved. So many people cannot stand the sight of blood, and that includes me. 

It might surprise us to hear that the three readings today all have to do, not just with the shedding of blood, but sprinkling it on people, as Moses did out in the desert, thereby presenting Jesus as the great high priest who goes into the sanctuary bearing his own blood, which will “cleanse our consciences from dead works (Hebrews 9:14) so we can worship the living God. 

As we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the Church presents us Mark’s account of the Last Supper (Mark 14:12-16, 22-26) where Jesus tells his disciples, not only to eat his body but also to drink his blood. We have gotten used to hearing these words since they are spoken at every Mass. But if we stop and reflect on those words again, we will find those directives shocking and appalling. In the biblical world, just as in our time, blood is sacred; blood is life. Jesus offered his Body and Blood in order to give us life, his life, in order to make us sacred. In the Old Testament, animals were used for sacrifice. Their blood was offered in sacrifice. But by offering his Body and Blood, Jesus offered once and for all a sacrifice for all ages. His sacrifice opened a new relationship between us and God. Through the gift of his Body and Blood, salvation was won for us and is present to us when we gather in his name to praise the Father. 

The Eucharist (Jesus’ Body and Blood) is a sacrament of love. It simply calls us to convert to loving the Lord our God with our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind. Love is a gift of self. St. ignatius of Loyola teaches us that love consists in a mutual sharing of what one has or is. In the Eucharist, that is, in the moment of Communion, what is being expressed and what is happening is just a mutual gift. That is why we call it “Communion.” It simply invites us to love the one that is offering himself to us. In the other six sacraments, Jesus comes to us to perform an action. In the other sacraments, Jesus does the giving, and we do the receiving. For instance, in Baptism, he comes to save us, to incorporate us into his own life, death, and resurrection. He comes to incorporate us into his Body. In reconciliation, Jesus comes to forgive and to heal us, and to help us grow. In confirmation, he comes to bring us to Christian maturity, to empower us and to send us on his own mission. In matrimony and holy orders, he comes to consecrate us to form the two communities that are necessary for Christian life: the community of the family and the community of the worshipping church. In anointing, Jesus comes to assure us of final victory over sin and death. But in the Eucharist, he comes for a mutual giving of himself to us and us to him. In Communion, we receive Jesus. We receive healing, strength, and every grace of the Lord. Now, Jesus does not come to us to remain silent and dormant. Communion is a very active moment. It is a time of deep union with him, a time for the communication of all he is to us and all we are to him. That is why the Eucharist is called the sacrament of love. We know that we are not worthy to receive the Lord, but since the Lord himself is happy to give himself to us this way, we should not be afraid to receive him. With confidence, let’s pray, “only say the word and I shall be healed.” With humility, let’s also pray for deep-down healing so that we may give ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord.