Visitation of Our Lady

Since our readings this weekend reveal the healing power of Christ, we will look at the healing power of the Liturgy. When we reflect on all aspects of the Liturgy this is one that tends to be overlooked. I think this is mostly because the two Sacraments of Healing (Confession and Anointing of the Sick) are what mostly come to mind.

This weekend we reach the dramatic conclusion of Jesus’ Bread of Life Discourse. I think it is dramatic because we are told that many of Jesus’ disciples “returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” What Jesus told them was so difficult that they could no longer follow him. Their spiritual distance from Jesus was evident through their physical distance, as they were no longer near Him.

As we continue our reflection on the Eucharist, I would like to focus on the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist. This side of it can get lost on us. At first blush, the Mass can seem like it is just a meal, or that it is just a repetition of the Last Supper. But where the Last Supper gives us the form of the expression, Calvary gives us the content of what we are expressing. In other words, if we lose sight of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the Cross at Calvary during the Mass, seeing the Mass only as a meal, then we are ripping the heart out of the entire Eucharistic Liturgy itself.

The Gospel reading for the next 5 Sundays will not come from St. Mark, which is what we focus on in the B Cycle of Sunday Gospel readings, but from St. John, particularly the 6th chapter. The Church is taking a step back from the flow of St. Mark’s Gospel to meditate on the Eucharist, as Jesus’ Bread of Life Discourse appears in the 6th chapter of St. John’s Gospel. So I’ll take the Church’s lead and reflect on the Eucharist the next 5 weekends as well.

How many people do you suppose actually make it to heaven? A few? About half? Quite a few? Most? Well, if you know the answer, give me a call. I’d like to know the answer as well. Because, truth be known, I don’t know. But, I do have an educated guess which, later in the article, I’ll share with you. Jesus was asked the question. And, he punted. Rather than answering the question directly, Jesus did what he so frequently did. Jesus said in effect, “Look, I’m not going to give you a percentage of people who get to heaven but I’m going to tell you HOW to get there.” Jesus then went on to say, “Go through the narrow gate.” And, of course, that’s a head scratcher. What does going through the narrow gate mean? Well, I think it means we’ll get to heaven if we live the way Jesus did. If we live a life of sacrificial love. If we put others first and ourselves last.