The Feast of the Body and Blood of Chirst: Your Van. A Tabernacle?
[Preacher's note: I just returned from a two-week Texas vacation. Had a great time but now it's back to work. Here's this weekend's homily. Hope your summer is going well! -JMS]
(Second Draft)
Today is the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ
and I’d like to begin today’s homily with a reflection by Susan McGurgan,
Director of the Lay Pastoral Ministry Program
at the Athenaeum of Ohio.
Her words reveal a suburban mother’s perspective
on the Eucharist:
She often thinks that her van
is like an archaeological site…
historians could reconstruct her life
by sifting through the layers.
At the top
are a couple of hamburger wrappers,
some hockey tape and a gymnastic schedule.
That would be carpool night,
the night they grabbed burgers to eat on the run.
The middle layer holds coloring books,
a fortune cookie
and that glove that got lost last January.
That was the day they ordered Chinese carryout
between the doctor’s office and the Cub Scout meeting.
Underneath it all lie some coupons,
remnants of the weekend tournament
when they lived on pizza
and vending machine snacks.
At home, the freezer is filled with microwave meals.
Most of their food is gulped in the car
or eaten in front of the open refrigerator.
In fact, she can’t remember
the last time they all shared a meal.
The dining room table
is buried under school projects
and orphan socks
waiting for a mate to emerge from the dryer.
They go to Mass every Sunday,
but in shifts,
to accommodate soccer games
and basketball practice.
Sometimes,
with one eye on her watch and one eye on the altar,
it seems to her as if the Eucharist itself
has become just one more meal,
to be grabbed on the run.
Whenever she has this thought,
she bites her lip and prays extra hard,
hoping God will understand.
* * *
McGurgan paints a picture that reflects the lives of a lot of people these days.
Personally, you might not be a suburban mother
trying to juggle a hectic schedule,
but we all know the feeling of trying to grab as much of life as we can
while on the go and on the road.
This approach to daily life affects the way we approach our spiritual life.
We treat God the same way
and end up feeling guilty about it.
One result of a hectic life is that quality time
with God
falls off our schedule
like a note slips from beneath a magnet on the refrigerator door.
Yet, that’s exactly the situation we encounter in today’s gospel.
Step back and take a look at that scene.
What do you see?
Why, you see hundreds of people with hundreds of things on their minds:
Some were sick with leprosy
some had a sick child
some were sick of their job
others were sick and tired of living under the glaring eye of Roman soldiers.
Their lives were as busy, hectic and complicated as any of ours and more so.
Yet God touched them.
Out there, in that open field…God touched them.
Through the word of hope in their ears
and the comfort of bread in their stomachs,
Jesus managed to reach through their worries and preoccupations
and touch them deep in the soul.
So, there’s a lesson for us.
The lesson is this:
The Lord Jesus Christ is not going to let your list-of-piddly-things-to-do
get in the way of the serious work that the Father sent him to do.
Christ entered into this world
to heal the sick
to feed the hungry
to wipe out sin
and lead all nations in the way of peace.
Do you really think your daily schedule is more important than his?
It’s not.
* * *
I recently came across a story about a man in Texas named Arnold De La Garza.
A house painter with no work and no insurance,
one night, close to Christmas,
one of his youngsters came down with pneumonia.
His wife begged him to take the boy to the hospital.
He resisted. He didn’t need more bills to pay.
“What kind of man are you?” she yelled.
Her words hit him like a slap on the face.
He jumped out of bed and started to get dressed.
Suddenly, he had a plan and was determined to carry it out:
he’d rob a gas station or a convenience store
to get the money for the boy’s medical care.
His wife grew frantic, she begged him to pray.
“All right,” he threw up his hands,
“we’ll pray to your god.”
The couple put the feverish child in bed between them
and started praying.
In a few minutes, the fever broke.
De La Garza fell to his knees.
This time prayed with sincerity.
“Lord, whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.”
For thirty years, this housepainter, who could neither read or write,
has been one of the most effective prison chaplains
in the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas.
* * *
God will touch you
and God will change you.
It’s on his list of things to do.
Our lives might be busy.
Our minds burdened with preoccupations.
Our cars and vans full of wrappings from fast food restaurants.
But God longs to touch you and feed you
and provide you with all that you need.
Let Christ be your food.
Let Christ by your bread.
Do this, and amazing things will happen.
Your van will become a tabernacle of the Eucharist;
your bed a place where miracles unfold.
______________________________
(First draft)
Today is the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ
and I’d like to begin today’s homily with a reflection by Susan McGurgan,
Director of the Lay Pastoral Ministry Program
at the Athenaeum of Ohio.
Her word reveal a suburban mother’s perspective
on the Eucharist:
She often thought that her van
was like an archaeological site…
historians could reconstruct her life
by sifting through the layers.
At the top
were a couple of hamburger wrappers,
some hockey tape and a gymnastic schedule.
That would be carpool night,
the night they grabbed burgers to eat on the run.
The middle layer held coloring books,
a fortune cookie
and that glove that got lost last January.
That was the day they ordered Chinese carryout
between the doctor’s office and the Cub Scout meeting.
Underneath it all were some coupons,
remnants of the weekend tournament
when they lived on pizza
and vending machine snacks.
The freezer was filled with microwave meals
and pre-portioned servings.
Most of their food was gulped in the car
or eaten in front of the open refrigerator.
In fact, she couldn’t remember
the last time they all shared a meal.
The dining room table
was buried under school projects
and orphan socks
waiting for a mate to emerge from the dryer.
They go to Mass every Sunday,
but in shifts,
to accommodate soccer games
and basketball practice.
Sometimes,
with one eye on her watch and one eye on the altar,
it seemed to her as if the Eucharist
had become just one more meal,
to be grabbed on the run.
Whenever she thought that,
she bit her lip and prayed extra hard,
hoping God would understand.
* * *
Personally, we might not be a suburban mother
trying to juggle a hectic schedule,
but we all know the feeling of trying to catch as much of life as we can
while on the go and on the road.
We treat God the same way
and end up feeling guilty about it.
One result of all this is that quality time
in prayer with God
falls off our schedule
like a note from a magnet on the refrigerator door.
Yet, that’s exactly where today’s gospel comes to us
and speaks an encouraging word.
Take a look at that scene and what do you see?
Hundreds of people with hundreds of things on their minds:
Some were sick with leprosy
some had a sick child
some were sick of their job
others were sick and tired of living under the glaring eye of Roman soldiers.
Their lives were as busy, hectic and complicated as any of ours and more so.
Yet God touched them.
Through the word of hope in their ears
and the comfort of bread in their stomachs,
Jesus managed to reach through their worries and preoccupations
and touch them deep in the soul.
So, here’s a lesson for us:
The Lord Jesus Christ is not going to let your list-of-piddly-things-to-do
get in the way of the serious work that the Father sent him to do.
Christ enter into this world
to heal the sick
to feed the hungry
to wipe out sin
and lead all nations in the way of peace.
Do you really think your daily schedule is more important than his?
It’s not.
* * *
I recently came across a story about a man in Texas named Arnold De La Garza.
A house painter with no work and no insurance,
one night, close to Christmas,
one of his youngsters came down with pneumonia.
His wife begged him to take the boy to the hospital.
Not wanting more bills to pay, he resisted.
“What kind of man are you?” she yelled.
Her words hit him like a slap on the face.
He jumped out of bed and started to get dressed.
He had a plan and was determined to carry it out:
he’d rob a gas station or a convenience store
to get the money for the boy’s medical care.
Instead, she begged him to pray.
“All right,” he threw up his hands,
“we’ll pray to your god.”
The couple put the feverish child in bed between them
and started praying.
In a few minutes, the fever broke.
De La Garza fell to his knees, and this time prayed with sincerity.
“Lord, whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.”
For thirty years, this housepainter, who could neither read or write,
has been one of the most effective prison chaplains
in the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas.
* * *
God will touch you
and God will change your life.
Our lives might be busy.
Our minds burdened with preoccupations.
Our cars and vans full of remnants of fast food caught on the fly.
But God longs to touch you and feed you
and provide you with all that you need.
Let Christ be your food.
Let Christ by your bread.
Do this, and your van will become a tabernacle of the Eucharist;
your bed a place for miracles to unfold.
(Second Draft)
Today is the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ
and I’d like to begin today’s homily with a reflection by Susan McGurgan,
Director of the Lay Pastoral Ministry Program
at the Athenaeum of Ohio.
Her words reveal a suburban mother’s perspective
on the Eucharist:
She often thinks that her van
is like an archaeological site…
historians could reconstruct her life
by sifting through the layers.
At the top
are a couple of hamburger wrappers,
some hockey tape and a gymnastic schedule.
That would be carpool night,
the night they grabbed burgers to eat on the run.
The middle layer holds coloring books,
a fortune cookie
and that glove that got lost last January.
That was the day they ordered Chinese carryout
between the doctor’s office and the Cub Scout meeting.
Underneath it all lie some coupons,
remnants of the weekend tournament
when they lived on pizza
and vending machine snacks.
At home, the freezer is filled with microwave meals.
Most of their food is gulped in the car
or eaten in front of the open refrigerator.
In fact, she can’t remember
the last time they all shared a meal.
The dining room table
is buried under school projects
and orphan socks
waiting for a mate to emerge from the dryer.
They go to Mass every Sunday,
but in shifts,
to accommodate soccer games
and basketball practice.
Sometimes,
with one eye on her watch and one eye on the altar,
it seems to her as if the Eucharist itself
has become just one more meal,
to be grabbed on the run.
Whenever she has this thought,
she bites her lip and prays extra hard,
hoping God will understand.
* * *
McGurgan paints a picture that reflects the lives of a lot of people these days.
Personally, you might not be a suburban mother
trying to juggle a hectic schedule,
but we all know the feeling of trying to grab as much of life as we can
while on the go and on the road.
This approach to daily life affects the way we approach our spiritual life.
We treat God the same way
and end up feeling guilty about it.
One result of a hectic life is that quality time
with God
falls off our schedule
like a note slips from beneath a magnet on the refrigerator door.
Yet, that’s exactly the situation we encounter in today’s gospel.
Step back and take a look at that scene.
What do you see?
Why, you see hundreds of people with hundreds of things on their minds:
Some were sick with leprosy
some had a sick child
some were sick of their job
others were sick and tired of living under the glaring eye of Roman soldiers.
Their lives were as busy, hectic and complicated as any of ours and more so.
Yet God touched them.
Out there, in that open field…God touched them.
Through the word of hope in their ears
and the comfort of bread in their stomachs,
Jesus managed to reach through their worries and preoccupations
and touch them deep in the soul.
So, there’s a lesson for us.
The lesson is this:
The Lord Jesus Christ is not going to let your list-of-piddly-things-to-do
get in the way of the serious work that the Father sent him to do.
Christ entered into this world
to heal the sick
to feed the hungry
to wipe out sin
and lead all nations in the way of peace.
Do you really think your daily schedule is more important than his?
It’s not.
* * *
I recently came across a story about a man in Texas named Arnold De La Garza.
A house painter with no work and no insurance,
one night, close to Christmas,
one of his youngsters came down with pneumonia.
His wife begged him to take the boy to the hospital.
He resisted. He didn’t need more bills to pay.
“What kind of man are you?” she yelled.
Her words hit him like a slap on the face.
He jumped out of bed and started to get dressed.
Suddenly, he had a plan and was determined to carry it out:
he’d rob a gas station or a convenience store
to get the money for the boy’s medical care.
His wife grew frantic, she begged him to pray.
“All right,” he threw up his hands,
“we’ll pray to your god.”
The couple put the feverish child in bed between them
and started praying.
In a few minutes, the fever broke.
De La Garza fell to his knees.
This time prayed with sincerity.
“Lord, whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.”
For thirty years, this housepainter, who could neither read or write,
has been one of the most effective prison chaplains
in the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas.
* * *
God will touch you
and God will change you.
It’s on his list of things to do.
Our lives might be busy.
Our minds burdened with preoccupations.
Our cars and vans full of wrappings from fast food restaurants.
But God longs to touch you and feed you
and provide you with all that you need.
Let Christ be your food.
Let Christ by your bread.
Do this, and amazing things will happen.
Your van will become a tabernacle of the Eucharist;
your bed a place where miracles unfold.
______________________________
(First draft)
Today is the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ
and I’d like to begin today’s homily with a reflection by Susan McGurgan,
Director of the Lay Pastoral Ministry Program
at the Athenaeum of Ohio.
Her word reveal a suburban mother’s perspective
on the Eucharist:
She often thought that her van
was like an archaeological site…
historians could reconstruct her life
by sifting through the layers.
At the top
were a couple of hamburger wrappers,
some hockey tape and a gymnastic schedule.
That would be carpool night,
the night they grabbed burgers to eat on the run.
The middle layer held coloring books,
a fortune cookie
and that glove that got lost last January.
That was the day they ordered Chinese carryout
between the doctor’s office and the Cub Scout meeting.
Underneath it all were some coupons,
remnants of the weekend tournament
when they lived on pizza
and vending machine snacks.
The freezer was filled with microwave meals
and pre-portioned servings.
Most of their food was gulped in the car
or eaten in front of the open refrigerator.
In fact, she couldn’t remember
the last time they all shared a meal.
The dining room table
was buried under school projects
and orphan socks
waiting for a mate to emerge from the dryer.
They go to Mass every Sunday,
but in shifts,
to accommodate soccer games
and basketball practice.
Sometimes,
with one eye on her watch and one eye on the altar,
it seemed to her as if the Eucharist
had become just one more meal,
to be grabbed on the run.
Whenever she thought that,
she bit her lip and prayed extra hard,
hoping God would understand.
* * *
Personally, we might not be a suburban mother
trying to juggle a hectic schedule,
but we all know the feeling of trying to catch as much of life as we can
while on the go and on the road.
We treat God the same way
and end up feeling guilty about it.
One result of all this is that quality time
in prayer with God
falls off our schedule
like a note from a magnet on the refrigerator door.
Yet, that’s exactly where today’s gospel comes to us
and speaks an encouraging word.
Take a look at that scene and what do you see?
Hundreds of people with hundreds of things on their minds:
Some were sick with leprosy
some had a sick child
some were sick of their job
others were sick and tired of living under the glaring eye of Roman soldiers.
Their lives were as busy, hectic and complicated as any of ours and more so.
Yet God touched them.
Through the word of hope in their ears
and the comfort of bread in their stomachs,
Jesus managed to reach through their worries and preoccupations
and touch them deep in the soul.
So, here’s a lesson for us:
The Lord Jesus Christ is not going to let your list-of-piddly-things-to-do
get in the way of the serious work that the Father sent him to do.
Christ enter into this world
to heal the sick
to feed the hungry
to wipe out sin
and lead all nations in the way of peace.
Do you really think your daily schedule is more important than his?
It’s not.
* * *
I recently came across a story about a man in Texas named Arnold De La Garza.
A house painter with no work and no insurance,
one night, close to Christmas,
one of his youngsters came down with pneumonia.
His wife begged him to take the boy to the hospital.
Not wanting more bills to pay, he resisted.
“What kind of man are you?” she yelled.
Her words hit him like a slap on the face.
He jumped out of bed and started to get dressed.
He had a plan and was determined to carry it out:
he’d rob a gas station or a convenience store
to get the money for the boy’s medical care.
Instead, she begged him to pray.
“All right,” he threw up his hands,
“we’ll pray to your god.”
The couple put the feverish child in bed between them
and started praying.
In a few minutes, the fever broke.
De La Garza fell to his knees, and this time prayed with sincerity.
“Lord, whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.”
For thirty years, this housepainter, who could neither read or write,
has been one of the most effective prison chaplains
in the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas.
* * *
God will touch you
and God will change your life.
Our lives might be busy.
Our minds burdened with preoccupations.
Our cars and vans full of remnants of fast food caught on the fly.
But God longs to touch you and feed you
and provide you with all that you need.
Let Christ be your food.
Let Christ by your bread.
Do this, and your van will become a tabernacle of the Eucharist;
your bed a place for miracles to unfold.
posted by BlueCollarPreacher at 11:13 AM
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