Fr. Rick Spicer

While we never literally experienced the exodus, traveling 40 years in the desert, freed from slavery, fed manna in search of the Promised Land, we are on an exodus ourselves.  At baptism, we were figuratively freed from the slavery of sin, invited to embark on a journey to the Promised Land, namely eternal life with God.  Along the way, we too would be fed a food unknown to many, namely the body and blood of Christ, the son of God.

To the outsider, what Jesus has to say in today’s gospel makes little sense, especially to those, like his Jewish listeners, who would take his words literally. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” He sounds so cannibalistic!

But Jesus isn’t speaking literally.  He tells us, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him…Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Notice, he made no attempt to soften what he said or correct any potential misunderstandings although he knew that many of his disciples, appalled by his words, would abandon him in protest. His listeners knew this was not another parable, nor was this a slip of the tongue for he repeated his message four more times in this short dialogue.

Undoubtedly, Jesus had given much thought to what he would say at the Last Supper, anticipating that these words would be repeated throughout the world for the rest of time. He didn’t say, “This bread symbolizes my body.” No, Jesus was clear. In no uncertain terms, he said, “The bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

At any given moment, somewhere in this great world of ours, a believer is offering the Eucharist to another believer while saying, “The body of Christ,” and the one receiving the Eucharist responds, “Amen.” Within that short exchange lies a profound mystery that has been witnessed for nearly 2000 years.

So what is your reaction when you hear the words, “Body of Christ?” Do you believe that the consecrated host held up as those words are spoken is no longer bread but is now the body of Christ? This belief, so central to our worship, is called real presence. We recognize the now consecrated bread as his flesh.

There is a fair amount of literature from the days of the early church which shows that everyone who wrote anything about the Eucharist believed in the real presence of Christ in the elements of Holy Communion. Nor was this belief taken lightly for many were persecuted and martyred for believing in this mystery.

Most of us received communion for the first time as a young child. We weren’t inhibited by the need for any explanation of this mystery. We accepted the truth put forth by those whom we trusted who told us that bread and wine, consecrated by a priest, became the body and blood of Jesus Christ. How readily we remain drawn to this article of faith depends on our willingness to ponder that mystery.  Many who did not continue to deepen their understanding of this mystery left the table of the Lord. Their belief in the real presence eventually withered like a dried plant.

Only through eyes of faith can we recognize the real presence of Jesus Christ on the altar.  While I cannot fully explain the mystery, I can offer this insight from Saint Augustine. When we eat ordinary food, we transform the food into us, but when we eat the bread of life, the food transforms us into him.

According to Socrates, one of the great philosophers of ancient times, wisdom begins in ignorance. In other words, we have to acknowledge how little we know. The same is true for faith.  We have to keep in mind that we are on a faith journey, each step potentially bringing us closer to God.  Augustine and Socrates are both speaking of conversion as an ongoing experience, a life long process, not a one time event.

Real presence is a tough concept for many people to accept yet I suspect that those who don’t are limiting what God can do in human terms. Had Jesus not risen from the dead, I imagine the words of the Last Supper would not have been taken literally, but when the disciples witnessed the risen Lord, they discovered that God can and does do more than we will ever fully realize. If God can raise his son from the dead, why couldn’t God transform our gifts of bread and wine into the body and blood of his son, even though what we see still appears to be bread and wine?

As some of you know, I gave up meat for lent, endeavoring to be a vegetarian at least when cooking for myself. Little did I know that because I wasn’t eating a sufficient amount of protein, I was slowly malnourishing my body. Last week at Priest Days, the health coach spoke of vital amino acids, available only from proteins, as being vital to one’s physical health. A well balanced diet is called that for good reason.

Likewise, one needs a well balanced “spiritual” diet if we are to draw close to God.  We find God in countless ways through nature, prayer, acts of love, spiritual reading, a faith community, and as Paul pointed out, participation in the body of Christ, which comes from partaking of the Eucharist. God provides us with much needed nourishment which we cannot do ourselves.

The Eucharist, like any meal, invites intimacy. As you receive communion today, respond with conviction and enthusiasm as a testimony that you do believe that what you are receiving is the Christ, the living bread, whose death on the cross enables us to remain free from sin and experience God’s love and forgiveness. On your journey through the desert of life toward the Promised Land, think of the Eucharist as God’s chance to feed you and sustain you.

The prophet, Joel, quotes the Lord as saying, “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh…I will work wonders in the heavens and the earth.” And he certainly has. On the first Easter, Jesus said to his disciples, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” and so they did 50 days later on Pentecost. And we did too when we were baptized and confirmed. Pentecost is our opportunity to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Throughout the Easter season, we were reminded that the disciples were filled with both faith and fear. The church was a product of their struggle, crisis, disagreements and the gift of the Holy Spirit. On the first Pentecost, the disciples announced the good news of salvation “in different tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The Church emerged on that day and has weathered the test of time, surviving many trials and tribulations to the present day.

Like the first disciples, we bring our fears and our faith, along with our own struggles and disagreements to the Lord. No generation of disciples has come to the Lord as perfect people, full of faith and lacking fear. That same spirit which touched the disciples continues to breathe throughout our Church today, 2000 years later, giving life and direction to our mission and ministry to preach the gospel in every corner of the world, proclaiming a message of forgiveness and hope.

What many Catholics don’t realize is that the mission of the disciples is also their mission. “Who me?” you might ask. “Yes you,” the Lord would say. “But I’m too shy,” you reply. “My faith is a private matter between God and me. I’m not that smart!” If that is your excuse, then you aren’t seeing the role God has in mind for you.

Anyone who is hesitant to follow in the footsteps of the disciples might appreciate this analogy. For the mechanically challenged among us, the three most terrifying words in the English language are some assembly required. Given the choice, some of us would rather buy the product already assembled but sometimes that isn’t an option.

Some things like jig saw puzzles have to be assembled. When all the pieces snap in place, we feel a great sense of accomplishment. The assembly process may have been more challenging than we expected and we may have experienced a level of frustration and anguish along the way but when everything came together we were delighted with the outcome.

I have assembled numerous things including furniture and toys since the summer of 1960 when I put together my first model airplane. Sometimes the effort ended in disaster, not because I lacked the necessary skills, but because a piece was damaged beyond repair or I gave up instead of persisting. Fortunately, Jesus is much more patient with building the Church than I was with building certain models!

Paul in his letter to the Corinthians points out that we are not meant to be a scattered bunch of self-reliant individuals, intent on living apart from God or others who share the same faith in Jesus Christ. Instead, as a community of believers, we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to make God’s will our will and to make His will evident to others by what we say and do in our daily lives. With the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which include wisdom, understanding, piety, knowledge and fortitude, we have been transformed so that we may bring an awareness of God’s presence and will into our broken world.

A vibrant faith community depends on its many members pooling together their talents and treasures to instill life in the parish.  Like the parts that make up an assembled product, they are all essential to enabling the parish community to achieve its fullest potential. In other words, your participation in the life of your parish is vital. God is counting on everyone present to do his or her part in proclaiming the good news of salvation.

Don’t presume that the Church is just a weekend assembly. We who gather to celebrate Mass are “church” the other six days of the week. The church becomes authentic when we who gather for worship strive to live the gospel message when we leave this gathering. By finding God in the everyday market places, homes and neighborhoods, we become a living church, drawing inner strength from the Holy Spirit as the disciples did with their fellow believers whenever they celebrated the sacraments, especially Eucharist.

The power of the Spirit worked wonders in and through the lives of the first disciples. The power of the Spirit has worked wonders in and through the lives of believers down through the ages. The spirit called me 25 years ago to be ordained a priest. Likewise, the Lord has poured his Spirit upon you. You are also being called to do your part in building up God’s kingdom with your time, treasure and talents. Have you wondered what would happen if each and every one of us did more than just come to Mass?

Like the wind, you cannot predict where the Holy Spirit will move. In Hebrew, his name is ruah, which means, “breath,” a reminder that the Spirit can be a gentle breeze or a “driving wind.” The Spirit has moved the lives of countless people in unexpected ways. Perhaps the same could be said of you. Imagine what wonders the spirit can work in and through you.

There is an ancient traditional story about the last days of St. John the evangelist, who lived longer than any of the other apostles. He became so feeble that he had to be carried to the meetings of the faith community. Due to his health, John wasn’t able to say much but because he had personally known Jesus, the people always insisted that he say something. Each time, he would say the same thing, “Love one another.” Weary of hearing this advice all the time, his disciples asked him why he never said anything else. In reply, John told them, “This alone is good advice.”

“Love one another” summarizes well the message of John’s gospel. His advice sounds so simple but deep down we know this isn’t easy advice to follow or the world we live in would be very different from what we see.

The gospel passage we hear today is part of the farewell discourse Jesus gave to his disciples at the last supper. His final piece of advice, you might say. Quite simply, he is telling them, “If you love me, obey my commandments.”

But what are these commandments? I do not recall any scene in the gospels where Jesus specifically talks about the Ten Commandments, but we repeatedly find instances which reveal the commandments he is talking about.

Having been very critical of their legalisms, Jesus was not interested in creating a new generation of Pharisees. The commandments he gives are intended to provide a whole new set of values and attitudes toward God, toward others, and toward life itself. If we claim to love Jesus, then we must look at these essentials do’s and don’ts. Imagine then what Jesus would tell us if he were to give us a recap of all that he had shared with his apostles during his earthly ministry.

Don’t return evil for evil. Nothing is achieved through retaliation. Don’t judge your neighbors. No one but God knows all the facts in any case, so leave the judgments to God.

Don’t condemn your neighbors. If we shouldn’t judge them, we shouldn’t pass sentence on them either.

Don’t worry about food, clothes, and shelter as if these were the most important things in life. They will fall into place if you honestly make your relationship with God, not materialism, your first concern.

Likewise, don’t store up treasures for yourselves here on earth. Money, property, and goods can be a hindrance in any relationship, especially your relationship with God.

Don’t give up hope when times are rough and friends can’t be found. Keep on trusting in me and in my Father. Remember, you are loved and that should be enough for you.

Let’s not overlook the do’s, they are as important as the don’ts. Let your light shine before others. If your deeds are good, don’t hide them or apologize for them.

Love your enemies, not just your friends and family because that is easy enough for most anyone to do. To practice kindness toward those you do not like or who have been unkind to you is hard, but that is what true love is all about.

Give to those in need and you will receive abundantly. The name of the game today seems to be “gimme, gimme, gimme,” but that is simply another name for selfishness, which is the death of love.

Forgive anyone who sins against you. Not just in words, but from the heart as well. If you forgive them, then be assured that your heavenly Father has forgiven you.

Take care that your heart and mind are clean and pure. That way, everything that comes from them: your thoughts, your words, your deeds will be clean and pure.

Take this bread and eat it. Take this cup and drink from it. Do this in memory of me. In the Eucharist, you will find the nourishment you need to live as my disciple. Finally, love one another as I have loved you. If you do this, then I know that you indeed do love me.

Actions speak louder than words, so would Jesus see a difference between what you claim to be doing and what you are actually doing? Do you treat the people in you life with respect or abuse? Would you treat Jesus in the manner you treat them? Do you even respect yourself? If not, why not? After all, you are made in the image of God.

Far from saddling us with numerous legalisms, Jesus provides us with sound guidelines for healthy living yet some of us tend to ignore much of what he has to say. The consequence of our reluctance to listen to him is evident by all the woundedness that surrounds us. We cannot honestly consider ourselves to be faithful disciples unless we are really putting into practice his commandment to love one another.

The question we really need to ask ourselves is this: “If I were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me?” I hope that question leaves you feeling a bit uneasy. Otherwise, the jury might find you innocent of the charge.

With summer fast approaching, I imagine some families are already dreaming about where to spend their vacations. Planning a trip usually means getting directions. With advice from AAA and the use of MapQuest, I consider what route serves me best. After all, getting lost can be so frustrating at times.

If and when we get lost, common sense tells us to pull over and ask for directions. Life itself is a journey. No wonder, Thomas asked Jesus, “How can we know the way?” Indeed, how do know which way to go when our hearts are troubled or a choice has to be made?

In the spring of 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly non-stop across the Atlantic, arriving in Paris thirty hours later. When he became lost approaching Europe, Lindbergh had no one to turn to for help. He had to rely on his own intuition and a certain amount of luck to find his way to Paris. Some of us venture through life like that but we have guidance that we can rely on every moment of our life journey, especially when our hearts are troubled.

I am not talking about GPS systems or MapQuest. The guidance is none other than Jesus Christ himself. In response to Thomas who asked, “How can we know the way?” Jesus told him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” Having made the journey of life to God, he comes to guide us every step of the way. “No one,” Jesus points out, “comes to the Father except through me.”

Not everyone would agree with him.  They opt instead to find their way through life and to God using their own directions, or directions given them by anyone other than Jesus.  Thumbing through the gospels, we can find countless people who chose not to follow Jesus. Some found his words impractical and told him in effect to go fly a kite. His sayings, such as “Turn the other cheek,” or “If someone asks you for your coat, give him your shirt as well,” are nice but very unreal, thank you.  Even now, many people think that what Jesus has to say could be summed up as a nice moral guide, but his words “don’t tell it like it is.”

But the words we hear in today’s gospel are not the words of a dreamer. Jesus didn’t come to tell his listeners how the world ought to be. He came to tell us, “This is the way it is, folks. If you want to get to God, the only way is through me.”

When Isaac Newton announced the law of gravity (what goes up must come down), he wasn’t pleading for an ideal situation. He was stating a fact of life that cannot be altered. And that is how Jesus felt about the truth he was proclaiming in this gospel. He came to give us the best way to truly find God in our lives.

Those who cannot or will not accept the truth which Jesus proclaims in the gospels and the teachings of the Church, reject whom Peter called the cornerstone. Consequently, they stumble and fall through life, convinced that is their destiny. If they find their hearts troubled, they need to ask themselves, “Which way have I been going? My own way or the way of Jesus Christ?”

Jesus’ advice, “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” is a holy directive on how to live with adversity. These words are not a magic eraser intended to wipe away our difficulties. But when we refuse to allow our hearts to be troubled, we free our minds to seek creative and constructive solutions to problems. When our hearts resist being troubled, we can love those who are the source of our trouble. And if we love them, they cannot become our enemies.

Today’s gospel may have sounded familiar since it is often read at funerals. When we hear the line, “I am going to prepare a place for you,” we think of a future residence that will be our home for all eternity but we don’t have to die to live there.

There is a “for rent” sign hanging in the window right now. The cost to live there is our willingness to follow Jesus directions for getting there. The dwelling place he has prepared for us is a place for us to rest from our labor, to pray, to work for the kingdom of God now, to find shelter from the stormy events that can occur any time.

Someday, we will live there permanently but until then, the Lord is here to guide us through whatever challenges we will be required to face in this lifetime.  He has revealed to us a way of living and loving that just won’t go away. For example, he tells us, “love your enemies, do good for those who hate you, pray for those who maltreat you.”

Imagine how different our world would have been had his advice been heeded. A century ago, the war to end all wars was fought in Europe.  Instead of ending all wars, the trail of bloodshed continues to this day, only now in the Middle East instead of Europe. Will we ever learn that violence simply begets more violence?

To get back on the right track, Jesus urges us to love. He would have us begin by practicing the lesson close to home. Love the person you think is most against you; try loving your enemy for enemies are defeated by making them your friends, not by conquering them or sabotaging their reputations.

The American poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, once said, “Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: it might have been!” Yes, our lives might have been very different if we had dared to follow Jesus’ direction, his way, when we chose not to. Peter tells us that those who choose Christ are living stones. As living stones, we must let God shape us by his truth if the world is to experience joyful rather than troubled hearts.

The story of Emmaus is the longest and most elegant appearance story in the gospels. In the afternoon of the first Easter Sunday we encounter two discouraged disciples walking away from Jerusalem, away from the place where their hopes had been shattered. The gospel affirms what many of us know by our own personal experience. Like Cleopas and his unnamed companion, some venture away, convinced that they can find God elsewhere outside of what was their faith community.

One mother prayed for years that her two sons would return to the faith they had left behind as teenagers. One Mother’s Day, they surprised her, showing up for Mass. Filled with joy, she asked them afterwards what prompted their return to the faith.

Her sons had been vacationing in Colorado. One very rainy Sunday morning while driving down a mountain road, they came upon an old man without an umbrella. Thoroughly soaked, he was walking with a limp alongside the highway. The brothers stopped and offered him a ride.

The old man told them he was on his way to Mass at a church three miles down the road so the brothers took him there. Since it was raining so hard and they had nothing else to do, they decided to give him a ride home after Mass. Rather than wait in the car, the brothers decided to go inside the church as well. As they listened to the readings and sat through the Mass, they were deeply moved. As one son said, “You know, Mom, it felt so right. It was like getting home after a long trip.”

That, I believe, was how Cleopas and his companion felt when they finally recognized Jesus after their long walk home from Jerusalem. Failing to understand the meaning of the Last Supper and disillusioned by what happened on Good Friday, they had left the community of disciples behind in Jerusalem, perhaps intent on returning to their old ways.

Jesus was gone and their dream of a new Israel was shattered or so they thought. Then they met this mysterious stranger on the road who offered them new insights, “Beginning with Moses and the prophets, he interpreted what referred to him in all the Scriptures.” They listened but still did not recognize him.

Not until Jesus took bread they offered him and said the blessing did Cleopas and his friend see the light. He was no stranger; this man was Jesus, whom they thought was dead but now was very much alive! All that he had said in the past, especially at the Last Supper began to make sense to them! “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us?”

The brothers on that Colorado highway had a similar experience. Growing up, they had followed Jesus, believing him to be the Son of God but in the stormy days of their adolescence, they left their faith community behind and ventured on their own way.

Years later they met this stranger on a wet Sunday morning. He spoke to them not with words but with his heroic example and they began to listen. With their hearts burning, they rediscovered the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

I think of Emmaus as the first celebration of the Eucharist after the Last Supper. (Maybe this was Cleopas’ first communion!) Every Sunday since then, that is what we as Catholics have done, recognizing Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Are our hearts burning within us when we come forth to receive the Eucharist? For some, the answer is no, so they forgo this most precious gift. I wonder if they have ever seen the parallel between our Mass of today and the first one in Emmaus. Cleopas and his friend listened to Jesus, and then they offered him bread which he then blessed and broke. We are encouraged to do the same. We must listen to what Jesus has to say to us through scripture and the homily. Secondly, we must give something of ourselves so that when the gifts of bread, wine and the collection are brought forth, they include our gift to God.

In one of his earliest talks, Pope Benedict said, “The Eucharist makes the risen Christ constantly present: Christ, who continues to give himself to us, calling us to participate in the banquet of his Body and Blood.”

Today’s gospel is a story of how Jesus’ followers moved from expectant wishing to being grounded in true hope.  Like Cleopas, his friend and the apostles, we thrive on a future full of hope. They had been wishing for someone who would rescue them from bondage and transform their situation for them. For that to happen, Christ would first inflame their hearts with hope.

Now more than ever, in these changing economic times, the Church of Western Washington needs your support. The Annual Catholic Appeal enables pastoral care ministers to visit the imprisoned and the sick offering them hope, sustain the 9th largest school system in our state, which serves over 23,000 students, and prepare men to serve us as priests of tomorrow, along with 60 other crucial ministries. Closer to home, the appeal allows us to offer counseling here at St. Hubert. The goal this year is $10 M.  Our parish goal this year is $42,724. Help us to build a future full of hope with your gift.

I know that not every family will be able to support the appeal financially, but if you can, please consider doing what I do, that is, pledge a $1 a day ($365). That is less than the cost of a latte. Know that every gift, whatever the amount, is valued.  You have enabled the parish to exceed its goal every year that I have been here and until recently, our rebate has equaled our annual goal. In the past, the rebate has gone toward a pet project, such as the generator, but as you heard me say last weekend, our rebates are now being used to pay our bills.

Five years ago, before we built our new addition, our Sunday collection surpassed our expenses. That is no longer the case. The collection now averages $6K less per month than it did five years ago yet it cost more to run the parish, now that we have a larger facility. Consequently a month ago, we were in the red by nearly $33K. Last year’s rebate has helped to narrow the gap down to $10,556.

Last year, 214 parishioners contributed to the Annual Appeal with an average gift of $249.  Join me now in completing a pledge envelope, if you haven’t already done so. Keep in mind as you fill out the envelope that your pledge can be paid over a period of ten months or with a one time gift. You can use plastic or electronic fund transfer. You can even donate on line or donate stock.  You might even be able to multiply your gift! Some companies have gift matching programs that would double your gift. Check with your employer to see if that is the case for you.

If you are unable to give, please fill out an envelope and write, “I am offering a prayer.” This will let us know that you are participating so that we will not send you any follow up letters.

Join me now by taking the next few moments to complete an envelope and committing yourself to this year’s annual Catholic appeal.  No parish or individual can accomplish the mission of the church, but together as the body of Christ, we can build a future of hope.

The choice to make a difference in the lives of others is ours.

On behalf of Archbishop Sartain, the chancery staff and the many who benefit from the Annual Catholic Appeal, thank you for your generous response. Thank you for your pledge; your gift, whatever its size, helps us to build a future full of hope.