How to Live Life Daily

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 10/28/04)

The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde for the Youth Rally at Bishop O’Connell High School on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2004.

The following story is true although it took place a long time ago in third-century Rome.

A young man — Tarsicius by name — was hurrying down a road called the Appian Way when a mob tried to stop him. They wanted to see what he was carrying. He would not let them and tried to keep going. Why? Because Tarsicius was bringing Communion to some Christians in prison, and that meant that he was carrying the Blessed Sacrament — truly Jesus under what looked like bread. Well, the mob got angry and they forced him to stop. When, even then, he would not show them or give them the Blessed Sacrament, which he was carrying, they beat Tarsicius to death.

Why would this young man, Tarsicius, be willing to die rather than give up the Blessed Sacrament? Because he believed what the Catholic faith proclaims: that Jesus Christ is truly and really present under what looks like bread and wine; he believed that God’s power changes bread and wine during the Mass, through the words of Consecration which the priest speaks, into the True and Real Presence of Christ! Listen to what you hear said in the Eucharistic Prayer at every Mass — in the words I shall quote or in similar words: "And so, Father, we bring you these gifts. We ask you to make them holy by the power of your Spirit, that they may become the body and blood of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate this Eucharist" (Third Eucharistic Prayer). If he didn’t believe that, why would he have been willing to give up his life to protect and defend the Blessed Sacrament?

What Tarsicius believed in ancient Rome is what we believe today in 2004: namely, that during the celebration of Mass, the Eucharistic Sacrifice, God, acting through the priest, completely changes bread and wine into True and Real Presence of Risen Jesus. The same Catholic faith that proclaimed this truth, this reality, centuries ago is the faith we profess and proclaim today. Or, do we? A New York Times/CBS poll several years ago, revealed some very disturbing statistics. Many Catholics in the United States do not believe what our Catholic faith proclaims regarding the True and Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. They think that His presence is "only symbolic."

My role as bishop — a successor of the first bishops, the Apostles — includes proclaiming and teaching the truth, which God makes known to us through the Sacred Scriptures and the Tradition of the Church. I take seriously the words which my patron St. Paul addressed to his friend, the young bishop Timothy, words which we heard in today’s second reading: "Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." And the faith proclaimed in the Scriptures is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who took up our human nature, died and is now risen, this Jesus is truly and really present in a special and unique way in the Eucharist. This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church: We are proud to profess it — and to live it!

Is this the understanding we have? Is this the faith we proclaim? Is this the truth we accept? Is this the reality we live and, like Tarsicius, would die for?

Something is happening in Rome today which has the power to help us answer these questions with an enthusiastic and joy-filled "yes!" What is happening in Rome today? Our Holy Father is beginning today an entire year in which our focus will be Jesus truly and really present in the Eucharist. This "Year of the Eucharist" begins today and will end next October at the end of a month-long meeting of bishops in Rome, whose focus will also be the Holy Eucharist. In addition, as you already know, the theme for all your youth activities this coming year will likewise be centered on the Eucharist: "get real — the Real Presence"!

As the bishop of this diocese, I desire so much for all of our people, including you, the Young Church, to acquire a deeper understanding of the Lord’s Eucharistic Presence and to live in our world as His Eucharistic People. Three days ago, on Oct. 14, Pope John Paul II sent us a letter. Referring to young people and to the upcoming World Youth Day in August, he wrote: "I would like the young people to gather around the Eucharist as the vital source which nourishes their faith and enthusiasm … " (No. 4).

Prayer expresses our relationship to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Today’s Scripture readings remind us that we must never give up praying, that is, we must be persistent in praying and not grow weary, and that we must support one another in prayer, as Aaron and Hur supported Moses in his prayer. Our God is not like the unjust judge in today’s parable. Rather, He knows all our needs and desires what is best for us, above all, that we be saved, that is, that we live forever with Him once this life ends. Our God wants us to be persistent in praying, so that our ability to accept His grace and love is stretched and widened.

Now the greatest prayer we can enter into is the prayer of the Eucharist, of the Mass. Joined to Christ Jesus our Lord, we give praise to God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit and pray for the salvation of all people. During the Mass, we listen to God’s word, which is life-giving, and then receive in Holy Communion God’s Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, who is life-sustaining.

Now, if we are aware that we have sinned seriously, that is, we have committed a mortal sin, we must first receive forgiveness through the Sacrament of Penance before receiving Communion. We also confess our less serious sins — our venial sins — in this sacrament. This afternoon, you will have a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance, receiving God’s mercy and love in that special way He reaches us in this sacrament.

I would like to speak about Holy Communion. To receive Holy Communion means to receive Jesus truly and really present under the signs of bread and wine. Often, we receive Communion under the sign of bread alone. Sometimes, we receive Communion under both signs: bread and wine. Jesus is truly and completely present under either sign and under both signs. If we understand that it is truly Jesus who is about to be given to us in Communion, then we go up to Communion in a respectful and reverent way. We do not look around to see who is in church or talk to our friends as we go up the aisle. Certainly, we do not chew gum. We should not be afraid as we approach Jesus because He loves us and is Our Friend. Precisely because He is Our Friend and even more, Our Lord and Savior, we should approach Him with respect and love.

In receiving Communion, we allow Jesus, truly present, to come into the home of our persons — into our body, heart and soul. There can be no greater union than the union of two persons. And in Holy Communion the Person of Jesus and each of our persons become one, become united. Jesus lives in each of us in a very special and unique way. That means that when we return to our seats, we should speak to Jesus within us. This is not the time to talk with people around us or to joke and kid around or to see who else is coming up the aisle. This is time to talk silently with Jesus: to tell Him that we adore Him because He is God, that we thank Him for coming to us in Communion, that we need His help in lots of ways — we can share with Him all our needs and the needs of others, the people we want Him to help, the things we really need. This is time to tell Jesus that we are sorry for the sins we have committed, to ask His forgiveness and His help to avoid sin in the future, to tell Him that we love Him. If any of us were invited to someone’s house and then when we arrived, our friend or host ignored us, we would feel unwelcome and even hurt. If we return from Communion and begin to talk to people around us or laugh and kid around, are we not ignoring Jesus who has just come into the home of our hearts? In fact, the Liturgy directs that after Communion, there be a period of giving thanks, either silently or with music in the background, so that we can speak with Jesus and allow Him to speak to us by inspiring us with good thoughts and ideas for doing good in the world.

Prayer before Jesus in the Eucharist is also very powerful. As you know, some of the consecrated bread is kept in a special place called the tabernacle. This tabernacle is in every Catholic Church. One of the signs that Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament is a lit candle, often in a red cylinder, near the tabernacle. Because Jesus is truly present, when we enter the church, we show reverence and respect to Jesus by genuflecting toward the tabernacle because that is where Jesus dwells. Yes, our prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is so powerful. So, I hope that we will often, if not daily, visit Our Lord present within the tabernacle and offer Him our prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, petition and reparation.

Finally, if we truly believe that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist and remains among us in His Real Presence within the tabernacle, then, we will be led from faith-filled prayer to faith in action, that is, to doing good for others, especially the poor and needy. Again, our Holy Father said this so clearly in his Oct. 14 letter. "The Christian who takes part in the Eucharist learns to become a promoter of communion, peace and solidarity in every situation (No. 27) … Can we not make this Year of the Eucharist an occasion for diocesan and parish communities to commit themselves in a particular way to responding with fraternal solicitude to one of the many forms of poverty present in our world?" (No. 28). Isn’t your participation in WorkCamp one of these tangible ways to assist the needy?

Yes, because of what the Catholic faith proclaims about Jesus in the Eucharist, centuries ago in ancient Rome Tarsicius gave up his life. That belief is still the same. We may not be asked to die in defense of the True and Real Presence of Jesus, but we are asked to reverence His Presence, that is, to value His Presence deeply and to show our reverence and appreciation outwardly by the way we treat Jesus in Communion and by the way we act in church. I cannot think of a better way for us to keep on remembering this Youth Rally than for us to keep alive and to live our understanding, respect and love for Jesus really and truly present in the Holy Eucharist. In this way, what we celebrate here during Mass becomes how we live life daily out there in the real world.

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