Weekly HOMILY for June 10, 2006: Transformation from Within or Without?

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
June 10, 2007

Transformation from Within or Without?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


Transforming: Outside In

There is a cute anecdote about a three-old boy named David.

David received a Superman cape for his third birthday. He was just ecstatic.

David quickly tied on the cape and ran as fast as he could around the backyard. But then, a few minutes later, he came back into the house.

David was dragging the cape behind him, with a disgusted look on his face. He blurted out to his mom and dad, “This thing doesn’t work.”


Transforming: Inside Out

David learned an important lesson at a very young age.

He learned that you cannot become a “Superman” or “Superperson” just by putting on a cape. There’s a lot more involved.

And that is exactly the point of today’s celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharist is intended to transform us into God-like persons, but it doesn’t come by wearing a Superman cape.

In other words, this sacrament doesn’t work from outside in, as little David thought about the cape. Instead, it works from inside out.

And besides that, the Eucharist does this “inside →out” transforming very differently from the world of nature around us. Let’s just look at our experience.


Transformation: Nature versus Eucharist

For example, plants and all things that grow from the earth absorb nutrients from the soil and transform them into plant cells. The nutrients from the soil become an integral part of the plant.

Or we human beings eat and digest vegetables and meats and fish and transform all of this into our own body cells. All of this nutrition becomes an integral part of our body.

This is how the world of nature works. I mention this because the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ works very differently.

When we eat this spiritual food, a reverse transformation takes place. Instead of our transforming the Body of Christ into our own body, here this food transforms us into the Body of Christ.

Unlike the Superman cape, the Eucharist changes us from within. And unlike food for our bodies, this spiritual food changes us little by little into Christ-like persons.


Allowing This to Happen

Now that is what the Body and Blood of Christ is intended to do, but we also have to do our part to allow this to happen.

What do we have to do? I recommend two things.

First, when we walk up to receive Communion, instead of looking around or thinking of other things or chewing gum, we need to focus on what or whom we are about to receive. When we say “Amen,” we really need to mean: “Yes, I believe this is the Body and Blood of Christ; I want to receive the Lord.”

And second, instead of seeing the Communion hymn as just keeping us busy while everyone is receiving, we need to see it as a community prayer. Our praying the words in the hymn defines what this Sacrament is to be for us and it also joins us to one another in the way that Jesus wants us to be connected.

Theses two practices – (1) Our awareness and the way we say “Amen,” and (2) Our praying and singing the hymn together – these practices allow the Eucharist to transform us from inside out. They allow this food to make us more like Christ, more like God.

The result will be that this Sacrament will strengthen us for dealing with the challenges and sufferings of our lives. And it will also shape us into a community that cares, much as Jesus does in the feeding of the 5,000 people in today’s Gospel.


Conclusion

So, that’s what Corpus Christi – the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ – that’s what it can do for us.

Instead of our transforming this food into ourselves, this food will transform us from inside out, into itself, into Christ. And of course, we need to do our part to allow this transformation to happen.