2018 ICMC Fr Bill Casey The Eucharist

[Music] hmm thank you fellas I'm gonna begin this conference with a reading from the Gospel of st. John chapter 6 and starting in verse 31 listen carefully jesus said to the crowds I myself and the Living bread come down from heaven if anyone eats this bread he shall live forever the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world let me solemnly assure you if you do not eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood you have no life in you he who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal and I will raise him up on the last day my flesh is real food and my blood real drink the man who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him this is the bread that came down from heaven unlike your ancestors wait and died nonetheless the man who feeds on this bread shall live forever many are the disciples of Jesus remarked this sort of talk is hard to endure how can anyone take it seriously Jesus was fully aware that his disciples were murmuring in protest at what he had said does it shake your faith he asked them or then if you were to see the Son of Man is sending where he was before the flesh is of no avail it is the spirit that gives life the words I spoke to you our spirit and life yet among you there are some who don't believe from this time on many of his disciples broke away and would not remain in his company any longer Jesus then said to the twelve do you want to leave me to Simon Peter answered him Lord to whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life we have come to believe we are convinced that you are God's Holy One because we're gonna close this conference with a period of Eucharistic Adoration the guys have asked me to speak a little bit about the biblical and historical foundations of our worship specifically on the mass and the Holy Eucharist because if you don't understand this part of it if you don't get this you don't understand your Catholic faith it's just that simple the late father John a hardened arguably the greatest and dogmatic theologian this country has ever produced as cause for canonization has been introduced in Rome used to say one who does not believe in the real presence of our Lord and the Holy Eucharist is not properly called a Catholic it's true statement the Second Vatican Council reaffirmed the church's timeless faith in teaching on the mass and the Holy Eucharist and these words at the Last Supper our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his body and blood he did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages until he should come again and in this way to entrust to his beloved bride the church a memorial of his death and resurrection the celebration of mass also proclaims the sublime mystery of the Lord's real presence under the Eucharistic elements the mass does this not only by means of the very words of consecration by which Christ becomes present through transubstantiation but also by that spirit and expression of reverence and adoration in which the Eucharistic liturgy is carried out in quote well as if someone would ask me what I think is the biggest single problem facing the Catholic Church today scandals notwithstanding I would answer without any hesitation that it is the widespread loss of faith in our Lord's real presence in the Blessed Sacrament that is the biggest problem all the other problems that church faces today is serious and as pressing as so many of them are we all pale in comparison to this one and I would suggest to you most of them emanate from this one when you go to mass when you go forward to receive Holy Communion your priest holds up the host the sacred host and he says the body of Christ and you say Amen and the word Amen means that yes it is true so what do you say that word Amen you are acknowledging before God that you believe that what you are receiving is in fact the body of Christ hidden under the appearance of bread but in the Holy Eucharist you were receiving Jesus Christ whole and entire body blood soul and divinity under either species you're receiving Jesus Christ body blood soul and divinity but is that really what the majority of Catholics in our country today believe yeah I think not I think it isn't at least that's what all the facts and all the evidence would seem to indicate the results of all the most recent surveys conducted by sources outside of the church unfortunately confirmed by sources inside of the church surveys conducted among Catholics after masses around the country show that about 70 percent 70 percent of our people either do not know do not understand or simply don't believe what the Church teaches has always taught about the real true and substantial and abiding presence of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist and my brothers this is a very serious matter because Holy Eucharist is the heart and center of our Catholic worship and devotion it is one of the central mysteries of our faith the Holy Eucharist is the greatest of the seven sacraments because in it we are receiving not just the grace of Jesus Christ we're receiving Jesus Christ himself Archbishop Fulton J Sheen the great Catholic preacher the last century was cause for canonization is well underway in Rome used to say without the Eucharistic presence the Catholic Church is essentially just another Christian domination among thousands hmm he used to say without the Eucharistic presence our churches in spite of the goodness of the people gather together in them are essentially meeting houses prayer halls not much more now at this point and brothers we got to be able to make a critical theological distinction about the ways in which God is present what we call the modality of God's presence and you don't have to be a theologian to get this mmm listen yes God is present everywhere spiritually God is present everywhere in his divinity God is present everywhere God is omnipresent there's no place you can be in the heavens wrong the earth that God is not but in the Holy Eucharist Jesus Christ the Eternal Word made flesh true God and true man is uniquely present sacramentally present he is not just spiritually present he is also substantially present bodily present present in his physical reality present in his divinity and his humanity not just present in his divinity but present both in his divinity and his humanity and by the will of God the Father in heaven the sacred Humanity of Christ is the greatest source of graces and blessings and strength and help and consolation and power given for our lives given for those who believe I'm speaking here about the sixth chapter of the Gospel of st. John and our Lord's first revelation of his greatest gift to us the gift of himself in the Eucharist one year before his passion and death on the cross Jesus Christ gathered it together his apostles and the rest of his disciples in the synagogue at Capernaum it was there the sinigang he told them something he knew was going to shock them all something that would cause many of them to turn their backs on him and walk away from him and never follow him again when he said to them I myself and the Living bread come down from heaven if anyone eats this bread he shall live forever and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink the man who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day and in John chapter 6 G says this over and over again and the Jews hear him they know what he's saying but it's just too much for them it is too much even for some of his own disciples I can't believe their ears they're scandalized they say this sort of talk is hard to take who can stand it he said if you don't eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you now just as a little review we can ask why would our Lord have said these things why would he say these things so incredible and so shocking why would he insist time and time again that they eat his flesh and drink his blood well to answer that question we have to think back over 3,000 years to the time of Moses and the Exodus the time when God was getting ready to free his chosen people the Israelites from centuries of hard slavery in Egypt and you'll recall was God's plan at that time to free the Israelites and punish the cruelty of the Egyptians by sending 10 plagues 10 supernatural disaster is that he inflicted upon the Egyptians recall that every God had sent nine plagues Egypt was close to collapse but the Pharaoh's heart was still hardened he still refused will allow the Israelites their freedom and so God sent the tenth plague and the most terrible of them all and in that final plague God sent the angel of death scripture calls the destroyer to strike down the firstborn of the Egyptians but before that half God commanded Moses to have every Israelite family take a lamb spotless male lamb and slaughter II sacrificing and they would have taken the blood of the lamb and they would have put the lambs blood on the wooden door posts of every Israelite home the Angel of Death seeing the Lambs blood on the wood he's a key phrase blood on would pass over that house and spare the firstborn inside but that wasn't all there was the God's command there was much more God also committed Moses to have every Israelite family prepare a sacrificial meal a Passover meal they were to take bread and wine and with it they were to eat the lamb that they sacrificed God commanded that every Israelite family every man woman and child eat the flesh of the lamb they had the eath of flesh of the lamb and to physically actually consume that sacrifice of all the Israelites had done at the Passover was to fulfill God's command in a partial way if all they did was to put the lambs blood on the wooden lintels and doorpost of their homes if they had not actually eaten the flesh of the lamb as God commanded them to do that night at midnight they would have found their firstborn struck down with the firstborn of the Egyptians they had to eat the flesh of the lamb so God's chosen people were saved by the blood of the lamb and nourished by eating the flesh of the lamb as they began their march for the promised land so the Passover lamb became the sacrifice of the Old Covenant sometimes the question arises why would God choose the lamb to be the symbol of Israel's salvation simply because from the most ancient times the lamb had always been seen as the most gentle the most innocent of all of God's creatures the blood of the lamb the blood of an animal had power to save the Israelites only because it was a sign a figure a foreshadowing of an infinitely greater sacrifice the sacrifice of the Redeemer the Messiah the suffering Lamb of God who is still to come the one whose coming was foretold by the prophets for the ages and then 12 centuries later twelve hundred years after the Exodus st. John the Baptist the last and the greatest of the prophets arrived in the scene of history baptizing in the Jordan River and the day came when he saw our Lord coming toward him and he cried out behold the lamb of God behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world Jesus Christ is the true Passover lamb he is the divine Paschal Lamb who opens the gates of heaven by shedding his precious blood once and for all and then three years later three years after his baptism in the Jordan at the end of his public ministry at the Last Supper what he celebrated that last Passover with the apostles Jesus Christ offered his life for the father and sacrifice for our sins and before he goes to Calvary to shed his blood on the water the cross he takes unleavened bread and wine this time he is the sacrificial lamb and he says this is my body this is my blood do this in memory of me brothers and do you understand do you really understand what our Lord did at the Last Supper do you understand what is happening every time you gather together in your churches to offer the mass do you understand what is meant by the separation of the body and the blood you know that every time mass is offered your priest stands at the altar acting in the person of Christ standing in the place of Christ he always consecrates bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ and he always consecrates them separately never together have you ever seen your priest at the consecration at Mass hold up the bread and the wine together and say this is my body and blood you never have I hope you never have that would be an invalid mass do you understand what is meant by the separation of the body and the blood what happens when the blood is separated from the body the blood is poured out from the body the separation of the body in the blood means death death that's why the mass is a true sacrifice and when our Lord said those words I do this in memory of me he instituted the priesthood of the new and everlasting covenant whether sheer power of his word God's Word Jesus Christ changed bread and wine into his own body and blood men he commanded the Apostles to do the same thing the only thing he would ever command them to do in memory of him Bishop Sheen is to say our Lord and did not leave the memorial of his passion and death to the chance recollections of men our memories are way too short for that he himself would Institute the way he wanted his eternal sacrifice to be remembered and perpetuated through the centuries in the mass death of the centuries again God commands his faithful people he's new covenant people to eat the flesh of the lamb and his body and blood are the sacrificial meal that God frees his new chosen people a far worse form of slavery which is slavery to sin the Old Testament Passover became the New Testament Eucharist the sacrament of Christ's body and blood and the mass became the sacrifice of the newer and everlasting covenant that is why the mass is the greatest act of worship that the world has ever known or ever will know what is the mass the virus is the one supreme eternal active worship of the Son of God the mass is the mystical representation the mystical renewal of our Lord's sacrifice on Calvary Calvary made present again and an action which transcends time and space for the merits of his passion and death are applied our time and our lives what does that be means simply this it means that all the graces in all the blessings that flow from his eternal sacrifice his perfect obedience to the Father's will the shedding his precious blood his atrocious agony on Calvary are applied to our time and our lives and for our needs and for the needs of the entire church and the needs of the entire world that is the power of the mass the mass is the miracle where Jesus calls Christians of every age and every time and every people and every nation to come to be present at the Last Supper in a mystical way to come to Calvary to stand at the foot of the cross to relive the hour of his passion to keep the reality of his passion and his death and his undying love for us always in front of our eyes so we can never forget it becomes to feed us with a bread from heaven that becomes his body by the power of God's words and there is power in God's Word it is the same divine word that brought this world in the creation out of nothing we have the spiritual food that gives life and health to the soul we are saved by the blood of the Lamb and we are nourished by eating the flesh of the lamb as we continue on our spiritual journey to the true promised land which is God's heavenly kingdom brothers this is the mystery the Holy Eucharist the summit and the source of the Christian life the center and the source of true Christian worship for all time that is why whether you know it or not whether you understand that or not whether you believe it or not whether you take it for granted or not no matter where it is offered no matter how small the parish no matter how ordinary the priest the mass is the greatest the most powerful the most awesome the most sacred thing that takes place on the face of this earth that is why nothing in this world can give God greater honor and glory and praise and the offering of the mass and that is why Padre Pio Saint Pietro chena the great mystic of the last centuries to say it would be easier for the world to exist without the Sun than without the mass in the gospel that I read to you we heard how in the synagogue at Capernaum our our Lord tried to prepare the Apostles and the rest of his disciples for the miracle to come he tells them the words he has spoken our spirit in life he says my flesh is real food and my blood is a real drink now that word real is taken from the Greek word used by the Apostles Saint John and His gospel the word La Voz la voz or that means just that real true actual literal you see there is no way that gospel word can be explained away or watered-down our Lord meant exactly what he said real flesh real blood real food real drink and then our Lord said the flesh is of no avail it is the spirit that gives life so did our Lord contradict himself could Jesus contradict himself impossible God cannot contradict himself our Lord meant exactly what he said real flesh real blood real food real drink you see that was to say that his body his body is more than just flesh his Eucharistic body is no ordinary flesh because he's Eucharistic flesh his sacred body is inseparably United to his divinity and of the Spirit of God his sacred flesh is inseparably United to his divinity and of the Spirit of God that's why the words he had spoken our spirit in life in other words what our Lord was talking about was a great supernatural mystery the work of the Holy Spirit something that could have no natural explanation something that could only be accepted with absolute faith and trust in His Word but in John chapter 6 we saw that some of those disciples and didn't have that kind of faith you know had a kind of faith it was weak and wavering they couldn't believe our Lord's word they couldn't accept them then something happened that had never happened before for the first time and the only time in our Lord's public life that we know of some of his own disciples turned their backs on him and walked away from him and never followed him again and to me the most interesting thing about John chapter six is the gospel shows us clearly that our Lord did not try to stop them he let them go he didn't try to call them back when they walked away our Lord didn't say no wait come back let me explain no no you misunderstood me I was only using a figure of speech I was only using symbolic language I was only talking about a symbolic presence it was all just a metaphor just a play on words I didn't really mean that you would have to eat my flesh and drink my blood now our Lord didn't say that they heard what he said they knew what he said they understood what he said and he let them go he let them walk away and he let them walk away because of their lack of faith you know brothers the gift of faith that we have is a very precious thing in fact faith with the gift of life is the most precious gift that God can ever give because whether we have the beginning of our salvation and faith is a gift that can only come from God through His Holy Spirit faith is God's free gift there's nothing we can do to merit that gift for ourselves in the New Testament and the letter to the Hebrews it says without faith without faith it is impossible to please God don't you know it may well be that the hardest thing the toughest thing our Lord will ever call on us to believe in is his real presence in the Holy Eucharist because in order to believe in his real presence we've got to essentially disregard the evidence presented by our own senses and believe entirely in the Word of God that is to say we can't see his real presence with our eyes his presence is hidden veiled under the appearance the species of bread and wine we can't see his real presence with our eyes we can only see it with the eyes of our minds our minds enlightened by the gift of faith and faith as a gift that is only given to those who are humble humble enough to open their minds and their hearts to the truth and the truth is not some thing it is someone it is somebody it is Jesus Christ the way and the truth and the life and there is no other brother as I tell you this is the secret the Saints know that's why we can say with absolute confidence be not afraid Jesus I trust in you here is a secret the Saints knew as a Catholic you got to be convinced that in your life there is no problem too great there is no cross too heavy there is no situation so hopeless that you cannot endure or the help of our Eucharistic Lord in his Eucharistic presence is to be found the joy of our soul the salvation of our loved ones the protection of our families the conversion of sinners the conversion of our country I hope of the sick the needs of the poor hope for those in despair light for those in darkness the renewal of the church the end of abortion the defeat of the culture of death it is all there because Jesus Christ the miracle worker is always with us if only we can see with the eyes of faith mother Teresa of Calcutta is to say people ask me what will convert America and save the world my answer is prayer what we need is for every parish to come before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in Holy hours of Prayer she said the time you spend with Jesus and the Blessed Sacrament will be the best the most profitable time you will ever spend here on earth Pope Saint John Paul the second used to say make the Holy Eucharist the source of your strength make the Holy Eucharist the source of your strength our Lord once said these words to st. Faustina behold for you I have established a throne of mercy on earth the tabernacle and from this throne I desire to enter into your heart I am NOT surrounded by a retinue of guards you can come to me at any moment at any time I want to speak to your heart and desire to grant you Grace's I am your strength I will help you in this struggle again fellas I say to you this is the secret the Saints new Saint John Vianney the Curia var used to say if we could see with a vision of angels who it is was present to us in the Blessed Sacrament who it is we are receiving in holy communion that we would die he said that we would die not a shock not a fear but of love and also wonder at the greatness of God's which keeps him present to us in the tabernacle he said if the Angels Envy human beings it is for only one thing Holy Communion at the Last Supper when he gave us the Holy Eucharist Jesus said to the Apostles without me you can do nothing he said if you live in me and my words say a part of you you may ask what you will and it will be done for you yea brothers without him we can do nothing without him we are nothing but thanks be to God he is the one who makes something out of nothing you know it's always been true to say that every one of us needs to have a personal relationship with Christ a personal relationship with Christ the televangelists are harping was constantly they're constantly talking about the need to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior whenever I hear that you know what I thank God that I'm a Catholic and I think God for the Apostolic Church and I thank God for the Holy Eucharist because the high point the summit of that personal relationship with the Christ comes when we are united with him physically spiritually in the sacrament of his body and blood in Holy Communion where Jesus is present to us body blood soul and divinity and brothers remember this and don't ever forget it he just can't get any more personal than bad amen may the blessing of Almighty God the Father and the son of the Holy Spirit descend upon you and remain with you forever amen [Applause]

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Length: 30min 51sec (1851 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 19 2018