Simplifying the Simply Simple

"Take this and eat it. This is my body."

this apologetics moment brought to you by:

Jesus Christ.
"I am the king of the universe and created the world,
so why don't you think I can do that up there?"

Man Made Traditions

"Making void the word of God by your own tradition, which you have given forth. And many other such like things you do." - Mark 7:13

FOR EXAMPLE:

1. Baptism that does nothing on the inside. - 1 Peter 3:21

2. A Eucharist that is a mere symbol. - Luke 22:19

3. Marriage that confers no grace. - Verses

4. Pastors without Holy Orders. - 1 Corinthians 11:24

5. Singles struggling without the religious life. - Matthew 19:12

6. Ministers who will not hear confessions. - John 20:22

7. Prayer without the belief in healing. - James 5:15

8. Demoniacs without a rite to deliver them. - Mark 16:17

Just to name a few...

St. John on the Eucharist

The Bible we use

Last night, before my children dove into their respective beds and attempted to stay there, I read aloud St. John's short account of Jesus walking on the water. My two oldest children, now fully alive with inquisitiveness, could not help but wonder both how and why Jesus did it.

Because you do know, don't you, that walking on water is a real miracle?

While my children were taken in by this small but grandiose detail, I was struck by the context of the story. If we truly believe that St. John had a purpose, and that the purpose was divinely inspired, then we can see that there is a lot more going on than just Jesus deciding to take a mid-night, stormy stroll across Lake Kinneret. Instead, God wants us to notice something. He wants to give our carnal eyes the horizon of the Spirit. Namely, He wants us to see what He is capable of doing, so we will believe what He says He will do.

You see, the story just before the mid-night stroll across the top of the lake would seem out-of-place if there were nothing right after that starry night lake walk. However, there is. Thus, the almost incredulous story of Jesus feeding the five thousand with a few loaves and fish makes perfect sense. We would not expect it, but given its context we can understand it.

The Biblical Context

As we enter John 6, let us remember from where we have come. In the beginning of John 5, Jesus re-writes the rules of the Sabbath to include miracle working (vv.1-17). Then, we find out that He is claiming to be God, and that He has authority (vv.18-29). Jesus ends this chapter with a sharp rebuke against those who do not listen to Him. Here's the re-cap: He's God, He has authority, you should listen to Him. Got it? So, as we turn the page to chapter six, we can hardly imagine what will come next, but what comes next does not disappoint.

"Do what?
Are you serious, Jesus?"

Jesus performs what would be by any account two very gratuitous, almost superfluous, miracles: the feeding of the five thousand and walking on water. For my purposes, I will simply ask the question: did anyone see how Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fishes? Notice in the story that no one says, "Look! My loaf is growing," or, "Wow, that fish just multiplied!" No, instead the people just know that it has happened. I'm not saying there is not any physical evidence, but the point is that the people's reaction is not to emphasize it as if they could understand the "how" of the miracle. 

Fresh off-of putting Walmart out of business, next Jesus decides to turn to Evinrude -- He's going to walk on water. Again my question: did anyone see how Jesus walked on the water? Notice in the story that no one says, "Look! I can see that Jesus's feet are just slightly over the water, he is clearly hovering." There was no physical explanation, although there was a tangible miracle. Also, it was dark, and no doubt the disciples' fear was justified. Yet there only response upon hearing that it was Jesus and not a ghost?

They were glad. That's it.

Joy.

The Bread of Life

The flesh will not help
you understand this

And then we get to The Bread of Life discourse -- equally gratuitous and seemingly superfluous. The Protestant objector, more than once, will be quick to point to verse sixty-three:

"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all."

And I agree but for just the opposite reasons. The objector to the Catholic Eucharistic doctrine, citing this passage of Scripture, fails to appreciate what Jesus is communicating. He is not saying that His flesh and blood are not true drink. He just said that (v.55)! He is saying that by the flesh, you will not understand this teaching. A carnal mind will be of no help at all in understanding the Eucharist. It is the Spirit who gives life.

And this makes perfect sense given the context. In the mind of God, before all time, it was well pleasing to have the story of His Son feeding the five thousand and walking on water just before His Son's words to "eat his flesh and drink his blood". Who can believe that Jesus can do the other two miracles? Really, how could He? Certainly, the flesh is no help at all! While one can put the fish and bread to his lips, and see that Jesus walked upon the water, I say (and someone else does too) it is more blessed for those that believe who do not see (hint: Eucharist)! Moreover, neither do we, as Catholics, know how the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is a mystery. Yet, like the disciples, we do not see that it is Jesus, we hear that it is Jesus. And upon hearing, what is our response?

Joy.

We have seen the loaves and fish. We have seen Him walk on water. Why should we doubt Him now? And so I ask you, who would you expect to follow our Lord onto the water? None other than the one, who upon hearing the "hard saying" of our Lord, said:

"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

And if He's the Holy One of God, then I say the Eucharist just makes perfect sense.

First Confession: A Poem

This is in honor of my daughter, Leah, who will partake of the Sacrament of Holy Confession today for the first time in preparation for her first Holy Communion.

Her First Confession

Six and a half to separation

But if I go backwards, I can still feel the newness of your skin

It was your life that made me pause

Six and a half to separation

I can't go backwards, only you now older stand before me

You are pure beauty to us

Holding you then, this feels different

Small, incapable, inculpable

Now, less, more, culpable

Six and a half to destination

I can't go backwards, only He stands before us

You see Him, my heart faints

I have less of you now, only your hand

Small, resolved, wanting

I thought I was leading

Six and a half to salvation

In His vicars, He waits for you

In the host, He calls you

And you hear

You answer

You give

You receive

And I realize that this wasn't separation

I was leading and

You were following

Six and a half to salvation

We can't go back, only forward

but now we are together, equals in eternity

And I realize that this wasn't separation

I was leading and

You were following

Him

Eucharistic Reflection

People lived with God Incarnate and thought him only a nice teacher, carpenter or prophet. St. John said, though, that when we beheld Christ we beheld “the glory of the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). Even at the Cross, the soldiers were casting lots while the salvation of the world was happening above their heads. Do you fail to perceive the glory of God in the Eucharist? Of course, this cannot be the fault of the Eucharist; in the same way that it was not Christ’s fault that one woman touched his garment and was healed while the crowds thronged around him unfazed. Let us now consider the words of the holy ones regarding the most August Sacrament of the Altar: 

“Do grant, oh my God, that when my lips approach Yours to kiss You, I may taste the gall that was given to You; when my shoulders lean against Yours, make me feel Your scourging; when my flesh is united with Yours, in the Holy Eucharist, make me feel Your passion; when my head comes near Yours, make me feel Your thorns; when my heart is close to Yours, make me feel Your spear.” -St. Gemma Galgani

“This food we call the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ handed down to us. For we do not receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being incarnate by God’s Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus.” -St. Justin Martyr

“And just as He appeared before the holy Apostles in true flesh, so now He has us see Him in the Sacred Bread. Looking at Him with the eyes of their flesh, they saw only His Flesh, but regarding Him with the eyes of the spirit, they believed that He was God. In like manner, as we see bread and wine with our bodily eyes, let us see and believe firmly that it is His Most Holy Body and Blood, True and Living. For in this way our Lord is ever present among those who believe in him, according to what He said: “Behold, I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world.” (Mt. 28, 20)” -St. Francis of Assisi

Peace to you on your journey!

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3 Reasons to Believe in the Real Presence

What I am about to do is not the Biblical exegesis of the relevant passages regarding the Eucharist. So, if you feel compelled to tell me that my Biblical exegesis is way off, I'll be quick to inform you that you are flailing your hands in the air, jumping into an empty pool, in other words, missing the point.

Even if you believe that Jesus' words in John 6 and Luke 22 mean that Christ is truly present--body, blood, soul, and divinity--in the Holy Eucharist doesn't mean that you still won't struggle believing. I can assent to the truth of something while still struggling to interiorize it. The point of this post is to build up your faith, to ground it in areas you already exercise the virtue of faith, and to make belief of Christ's presence under the appearance of bread and wine reasonable in relationship to other things you already know and believe.

1. God created the universe ex nihilo
As Christians, we all believe God made the universe from nothing (ex nihilo). In fact, we can get to this conclusion from Scripture and reason. Both in 2 Maccabees 7 and John 1, we get the notion that everything that exists comes from God and nothing exists apart from God. Through reason, we notice that everything that exists does not have a cause in itself. Even if the universe was eternal, the question is still begged, "Where did the universe that has always existed come from?" One way to think about this question, is to write the word universe on a piece of paper. Draw a circle around it and then in the circle give the universe certain attributes. Then ask, "Where did it come from?" Even if the universe were eternal (one of its attributes), that would still not be a sufficient nor necessary reason for its existence.

Even more, we can always think beyond that which is prior, but we know that causes cannot go on for an infinite regress. The terminus of causality must be in a being that is un-caused, or else the existence of everything has no cause which is against our experience and the evidence that things do, in fact, exist.

In turn, if it is reasonable to believe that God can create the universe ex nihilo, we can certainly believe that he is able to give himself to us under the appearance of bread and wine.

2. God became a baby
"The Word (which created the universe) became flesh and dwelt among us." This is truly the scandal of the Gospel. As Christians, we universally believe that God became a human. The level of condescension implied in the Incarnation makes the Eucharistic miracle seem rather facile. Of course, the Eucharistic miracle is not facile, but what we learn about faith, is that in believing in Christ, we are prepared to trust him when he says that he will be with us to the end of the age in a especial way in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Faith in Christ as truly God prepares our hearts to believe that Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist. 

3. St. John the Baptist said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world"
On that day, there was no faith radar gun that zapped the on-lookers. The "lamb of God" was--in appearance--like you and I. Those who exercised their faith "saw" that "what" was before them was not a mere man but the "Lamb of God" promised from the times of old.

It is no mere coincidence that the Catholic priest holds our Lord in his hands and says, "Behold the Lamb of God...". Dare I say that it takes the same faith to believe that under the appearance of bread and wine the Groom is cloaked in a humility not so much unlike his humanity that it does to believe that the Jesus who walked  up to John the Baptist was the "Lamb of God' and not just some prophet or preacher.

Our eyes would have deceived us just as much when perceiving a mere man as when we perceive bread and wine.  True, it is more blessed for those who do not see and believe than those who do. The Apostles truly looked upon the face of God. Yet we are not merely to believe in a long lost meme. No, the Eucharist is the unique way we can demonstrate our faith in the Christ who we "do not see". And, truly, we are blessed, most blessed through the graces we receive in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

May the Holy Spirit grant you the virtue of faith so that you might partake of our Lord (2 Peter 1:4) in a worthy manner, discerning the body of Christ (1 Cor 11:29) which is truly and really present: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

Amen.