HE LIVES RIGHT HERE IN OUR MIDST
"You don't have to live here to love our Lord, because
now He lives in every part of the world. Every land is now the Holy Land. Wherever we are, we are in the land of Jesus."
The story of the
multiplication of the loaves, which even includes the Eucharistic gestures Paul
handed on to the Corinthians - "He took...He blessed...He broke...He
gave" (1 Cor 11:24) - is so familiar to us that it is a challenge to find
fresh meaning in it. A close reading of Luke's account, however, does reward
the careful readers by highlighting one dimension of this miracle that is often
overlooked. Luke's message doesn't mention Jesus' compassion for the crowd. Instead,
He receives and welcomes the people as though He is the host of a long awaited
dinner party. Jesus likes to call this a banquet! "For the hungry He has
filled with good things" (Lk 1:53).
This reminds me of a
story about a Priest, Father Frank Ramsberger, who was touring the Holy Land. He especially wanted to study the places where
Jesus lived, worked, suffered, died and rose from the dead. He became good
friends with a young boy named Josef, a brown-faced son of an Arab shepherd.
The young boy served at the Mass with Father and taught him some of the
difficult Arabic words. As the priest was about to leave for other parts of the
Holy Land, he told Josef, "Not many boys
and girls have the privilege of living in the land where Jesus lived. You know
that God's Son, as a Boy and as a Man, walked these roads and breathed this
air. Doesn't that help you to love Him more?" Josef gave this very
thoughtful answer, "You don't have to live here to love our Lord, because
now He lives in every part of the world. Every land is now the Holy Land. Wherever we are, we are in the land of Jesus."
Did you ever think
that our Church, here in Eastern Washington, is part of the Holy
Land? Jesus lives right here, right now!
This is our thought on
this Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ: the Body of Christ,
as we recall that Holy Thursday, when He first spoke the words, "This is
My Body...This is My Blood." Today, we celebrate the fact that these words
are repeated all over the world every day and that Jesus is present on altars
all over the world. Christ lives here. This is the Holy
Land. Spokane is the Holy Land! This is Bethlehem;
Jesus is born right here in every Mass.
This is Nazareth;
Jesus grows up right here in the midst of our lives. Jesus works miracles right
here, spiritual miracles. He heals us of our sins. He heals the spiritually
crippled so they can walk in His Way. He gives sight to those who cannot see
the things of the Spirit. Christ forgives sin in the Sacrament of reconciliation,
when you are true to your heart.
Most importantly, this
chapel is the "large Upper Room" of this Sunday's Good News, where
Jesus spoke the Words of Consecration for the first time. No land could be
holier than this. Yes, you and I are actually living in the Holy
Land, because God lives right here in our midst. He is filling us
with good things - His Body and His Blood!