JOHN 6:51-58
WELL, SAMMY, YOU ARE SEVEN YEARS OLD
AND ARE READY TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION. I'M SURE YOU DON'T
REMEMBER, BUT I BAPTIZED YOU IN THIS CHURCH SHORTLY AFTER YOU WERE
BORN. YOU WERE NAMED AFTER THE PROPHET SAMUEL. WHEN SAMUEL HEARD
THE VOICE OF GOD, HE SAID, “SPEAK, LORD, FOR YOUR SERVANT IS
LISTENING”. WHEN YOU WERE BAPTIZED, GOD GAVE YOU SOMETHING VERY
SPECIAL – THE GIFT OF BEING ABLE TO LISTEN TO HIM SPEAK IN YOUR
HEART. AND NOW YOU ARE READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP. YOU HAVE
LISTENED TO YOUR TEACHERS, YOUR PARENTS, YOUR PRIEST, YOUR BROTHERS
AND SISTERS, AND GOD HAS GIVEN YOU THE SPECIAL GRACE TO KNOW THAT THE
LITTLE BIT OF BREAD YOU WILL RECEIVE IS NOT REALLY BREAD, BUT JESUS.
AND THAT IS A MIRACLE EVEN GREATER THAN THE MIRACLE THAT TOOK PLACE
AT YOUR BAPTISM WHEN YOU BECAME A BROTHER OF JESUS AND A SON OF GOD.
SAMMY, I KNOW YOU KNOW ABOUT CATS.
YOUR MOTHER AND HER SISTERS AND BROTHER ALWAYS HAD A CAT AROUND WHEN
THEY WERE GROWING UP, AND I KNOW YOU HAVE ONE AS WELL. CATS HAVE
BEEN HANGING AROUND HUMAN BEINGS FOR AT LEAST 5000 YEARS. THEY KNOW
THAT HUMAN BEINGS WILL FEED THEM, AND IT'S A LOT EASIER TO GET FOOD
FROM A HUMAN THAN TO GO OUT AND CATCH MICE OR BIRDS. WE HAD ONE CAT
THAT WE ADOPTED WHEN HE WAS SORT OF HALF-GROWN. HE NEVER DID LIKE US
VERY MUCH. BUT WHEN HE GOT HUNGRY, HE WOULD COME FROM WHEREVER HE
HAD BEEN HIDING AND PURR, AND RUB AGAINST OUR LEGS, AND REALLY PUT ON
A SHOW. AND THEN WHEN WE FED HIM, HE WOULD DISAPPEAR AGAIN.
ACTUALLY, THAT'S KIND OF LIKE WHEN YOUR MOTHER AND HER SISTERS AND
BROTHER WERE TEENAGERS.
WE GET HUNGRY, WE LOOK FOR FOOD; WE
EAT IT, AND THEN WE STOP BEING HUNGRY FOR A WHILE. BUT I WANT YOU TO
KNOW THAT HOLY COMMUNION IS DIFFERENT. WHEN YOU EAT THE BODY AND
DRINK THE BLOOD OF JESUS, YOU SHOULD GET HUNGRY. IF YOU DON'T,
SOMETHING IS WRONG. SAINT THOMAS WAS ASKED BY ONE OF HIS STUDENTS,
“IF A SMALL PIECE OF THE CONSECRATED HOST FELL ON THE FLOOR AND WAS
EATEN BY A MOUSE, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?” THOMAS ANSWERED, NOTHING.
BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THE CONSECRATED HOST IS THE BODY AND BLOOD, SOUL
AND DIVINITY, OF JESUS HIMSELF, THE MOUSE CANNOT KNOW THIS, CANNOT
FEEL THIS, CANNOT IN ANY WAY APPRECIATE THIS. FOR THE MOUSE, IT'S
JUST BREAD. BUT IF YOU HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED AND YOU KNOW THAT THE
BREAD YOU ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE IS REALLY JESUS, IT SHOULD MAKE YOU
HUNGRY.
YOU SHOULD BE HUNGRY FOR WHAT JESUS
WANTED – FIRST, THAT EVERYONE IN THE WHOLE WORLD, ESPECIALLY YOUR
FRIENDS AND FAMILY, KNOW ABOUT GOD AND HOW GOOD HE IS. SO MANY
PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT. BUT WHEN WE SAY THE OUR FATHER, WE SAY,
“HALLOWED BE THY NAME”. IF WE ARE CHILDREN OF SO WONDERFUL A
FATHER, SHOULDN'T WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP THE PEOPLE WE LOVE
KNOW HIM, SO THAT THEY CAN BE HIS CHILDREN AS WELL? SHOULDN'T WE BE
WILLING TO TELL THEM HOW GOD SENT HIS SON TO US SO THAT WE COULD GO
TO HEAVEN?
YOU SHOULD BE HUNGRY FOR THE KINGDOM
THAT JESUS TALKED ABOUT. IT'S GREAT TO COME TO CHURCH AND PRAY. BUT
THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT, WHO DON'T HAVE
A BED TO SLEEP IN; THERE ARE CHILDREN WHO HAVE NO PARENTS, AND OTHER
CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS DO TERRIBLE THINGS TO THEM. IN THE KINGDOM
JESUS WANTS, NONE OF THOSE THINGS WOULD HAPPEN. AND HE WANTS YOU AND
I AND ALL HIS CHILDREN TO MAKE HIS KINGDOM REAL – AND THAT MEANS WE
HAVE TO GET UP EVERY MORNING AND LOOK AROUND AND SEE WHAT IS WRONG
AND TRY TO MAKE IT RIGHT. A SEVEN YEAR OLD CAN'T DO TOO MUCH, BUT
YOU CAN KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR LITTLE SISTER WHEN YOUR MOTHER IS BUSY;
AND YOU CAN KEEP FROM FIGHTING WITH YOUR BIG SISTER WHEN SHE PICKS ON
YOU. THERE IS A LOT YOU CAN DO TO MAKE THE KINGDOM HAPPEN, AND AS
YOU GET OLDER, IF YOU ARE HUNGRY FOR THE KINGDOM, JESUS WILL GIVE YOU
MANY CHANCES TO HELP HIM BRING HIS KINGDOM INTO YOUR LIFE. HE GIVES
EVERYONE MANY CHANCES EVERY DAY, AND MOST OF THE TIME WE DON'T TAKE
THEM. YOU DON'T WANT TO BE LIKE THAT.
YOU SHOULD BE HUNGRY FOR PEOPLE TO
COME TOGETHER. ALL OVER THE WORLD, PEOPLE ARE RECEIVING JESUS IN
HOLY COMMUNION. BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE JESUS AND CUT HIM UP INTO LITTLE
PIECES. HE DIED AND ROSE AGAIN, AND THERE IS ONLY ONE JESUS. WHEN I
MADE MY FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 66 YEARS AGO, I RECEIVED THE SAME JESUS
YOU ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE. AND SO DID SAINT FRANCIS, AND SAINT
THERESA, AND ON AND ON. IF WE ALL RECEIVE THE SAME JESUS, THEN IN A
WAY WE ARE ALL PART OF EACH OTHER. AND WHEN JESUS IS IN ME AND JESUS
IS IN YOU, THEN WE HAVE SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO SHARE. IF JESUS
WANTS YOU TO BE PART OF HIS BODY AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO RECEIVES HIM
TO BE PART OF HIS BODY, THEN HOW DO WE DO THAT? SAINT PAUL TOLD US
THAT EACH OF US ARE GIVEN GIFTS SO THAT WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER; SO
WE NEED TO FIND OUR GIFT, AND WE NEED TO USE IT TO HELP EACH OTHER
BECOME MORE LIKE JESUS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR GIFT WILL BE, BUT I
DO KEEP HEARING STORIES ABOUT HOW YOU GET YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS
TO DO THINGS THEY SHOULDN'T, SO IF WE CAN JUST HARNESS ALL THAT
LEADERSHIP INTO SOMETHING GOOD, MAYBE THAT'S YOUR GIFT.
HOLY COMMUNION SHOULD MAKE YOU HUNGRY.
JESUS GAVE US HIS BODY AND BLOOD FOR FOOD AND DRINK BECAUSE HE WANTS
US TO BE LIKE HIM. WHEN YOU EAT REGULAR FOOD, IT TURNS INTO YOU.
BUT WHEN YOU EAT THE BODY AND DRINK THE BLOOD OF JESUS, YOU CAN
BECOME MORE AND MORE LIKE HIM. AND JESUS WAS ALWAYS HUNGRY – HE
LOOKED AROUND AT THE WORLD AND SAW HOW IT WAS; AND BECAUSE HE IS GOD,
HE SAW HOW IT SHOULD BE. AND HE WANTED WITH ALL HIS HEART FOR THE
WORLD TO BE THE WAY GOD WANTED IT TO BE. AND HE SPENT HIS WHOLE LIFE
TRYING TO CHANGE THE WORLD. IF HE MET SOMEONE WHO COULDN'T WALK, HE
WOULD SAY, “THAT'S NOT HOW IT SHOULD BE!” AND HE WOULD HELP THAT
PERSON WALK. AND WHEN HE MET PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT GOD ONLY CARED ABOUT
YOU WHEN YOU WERE PERFECT, HE WOULD LAUGH AND TELL THEM THAT GOD
LOVES YOU EVEN IF YOU ARE A SINNER. AND WHEN THE FATHER ASKED HIM TO
GIVE UP HIS LIFE SO THAT IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR ALL OF GOD'S
CHILDREN TO LIVE WITH GOD IN HEAVEN, JESUS SAID, “OF COURSE I'LL DO
THAT.” BECAUSE JESUS WAS ALWAYS HUNGRY – HUNGRY FOR SOULS.
SO WHEN YOU RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION
TODAY, AND ALL THE OTHER TIMES IN YOUR LIFE, YOU SHOULD FEEL HUNGRY,
AND WHEN YOU FEEL HUNGRY, YOU SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. BECAUSE
CHILDREN OF GOD WILL FEEL HUNGRY. BUT IF YOU DON'T FEEL HUNGRY,
MAYBE YOU ARE JUST A MOUSE.
TODAY IS THE FEAST OF THE BODY AND
BLOOD OF JESUS – WE CALL IT CORPUS CHRISTI. NEVER FORGET THAT
TODAY YOU BECOME IN A SPECIAL WAY, PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST.
