Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Credit for the ideas - if not the text - of this post goes to my kind pastor. It was a wow! kind of homily today. Apologies for anything that I butcher too badly in the retelling. I assure you, he told it better!
Imagine if you will, that you were invited to a supper - a supper that you had no right to attend. But you decided to attend, mostly just to see what it was all about. You get there, and there is the most delicious, beautiful spread you have ever seen. Only one problem....you're not hungry! "Eat!" you host says. "Well, I didn't really know if I'd like the food that you were going to have, so I ate before I came...I guess I'll try a little of this..." But you are already full, so the delicious food that you sample, does nothing for you.
Here we are...at the most supreme of all miracles...of all suppers. Are we hungry??
The Lord gives himself to us...so that He can assimilate us into Himself...so that we can become more like Him. Not so that we can assimilate Him into ourselves.
He knows that we are on a journey and that we need food for that journey. He knows that we hunger...for love, for security, for peace, for health. We look to fill those needs in all the wrong places. He also knows that most of the time we are full...full of self-righteousness, pride, selfishness, doubt, fear, and ourselves. Yet He comes to us anyway.
And the preparation for this meal? The host suffered, died, and rose so that He could give Himself to us! We, in preparation, need to empty ourselves. We need to be hungry so that He can fill us! Are you hungry?
I'm starving!
What a beautiful inspiration!
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