Let Us Make of Our Lives
Bread Broken for the Life of the World
Summary of Fr. Gerry Creedon's homily June 14,
2009
"All that the Lord has said, we will heed and do.” Exodus 24:3-8
The Feast of Corpus Christi brings back memories of Eucharistic processions through the street, monstrances, benediction, adoration and genuflection. All of the externals cemented a belief in transubstantiation; the substance of bread is changed into the substance of the body of Christ. The scholastic definitions focused on the physical presence of the Lord in the sacred elements.
These aspects of Eucharistic devotion are not so omnipresent in today's church. Some are prompted to think that belief in the presence of the Lord has diminished. I strongly disagree. Rather than vanish, the experience of the Lord's presence has been deepened and widened with the renewal of the liturgy after Vatican II.
Christ is present in a variety of modalities in the Eucharistic celebration: in the assembly, in the word, in the sacred elements, in the person of the priest and in the commission to service.
Rather than focus on the elements alone, liturgical renewal uncovers the scriptural base for the whole liturgical action which reenacts the saving work of God.
In the book of Exodus we see the fundamental dynamic of the New Passover Covenant. Moses presents the Word. It is not a word that evokes only belief, it is a commandment that calls for a new way of life. The Decalogue is an invitation to live in a community that respects the basic rights of all people. The word is offered as a challenge. The people offer their assent. That assent is sealed by the covenanting action. Blood is sprinkled on the altar and the people. The altar represents the Lord. The people are bound to Yahweh by shared blood, shared commitment and a shared life.
The format of the Mass has precisely the same dimensions. The first half, the liturgy of the word, proclaims the vision and the demands of the Kingdom. The second half, the rite of communion, seals the response of the people. We offer the great Amen. So be it. "All that the Lord has said, we will heed and do."
While there needs to be room in our church for quiet reflection and meditation on the mystery of Christ present as the Bread of Life, our sacramental life is primarily a dynamic plunge into the saving mystery of Christ's redeeming work.
Let us make of our lives bread broken for the life of the world.
