| The
Responsibility of the Eucharist
August
13, 2006
John
6:41-51
Fr.
George Smiga
It
is often said that it is better to give than to receive, but
it is usually more difficult to receive than to give.
The person who gives is in charge, independent, and has the
satisfaction of helping and supporting another. The
person who receives is in a different situation. The
one who receives becomes indebted to the person who gives.
A bond of responsibility is formed. This is why usually
in giving and receiving we try to make things mutual.
We all know the experience of exchanging gifts and feeling
a bit uneasy when we realize that someone has given us a gift
that is much nicer than the one we bought for them.
We understand when someone is presented with a wonderful gift
and says, “I can't accept this.” To accept would make
the person too indebted to the other. Receiving a gift
changes us. It binds us in responsibility to the one
who gives.
Tommy was eight years old and blind from birth. He
lived in the Midwest with a loving family who was always on
the lookout for a way to improve his medical condition.
When the family heard of a surgeon at Massachusetts General
Hospital who had developed a new surgical technique that could
help Tommy, they pooled together their resources and sent
the boy and his mother to Boston. The only thing that
Tommy insisted on bringing with him was his teddy bear. It
had been his companion from birth. To a boy who could
not see, its presence and touch gave him security and courage.
The bear remained tucked under his arm through every
test and medical procedure. It even went with him into
the operating room wrapped in its own sterile plastic bag.
When the bandages were removed from Tommy's eyes, it became
clear that the operation had been a success. For the
first time in his life Tommy was able to see light, color,
his mother's face, and indeed the teddy bear that he had clutched
to for so many years. After weeks of follow-up in the
hospital it was time for him to return home. When the
doctor came in for the last visit, Tommy spoke up first.
“Doctor,” he said, “I want to pay you for helping me.” He
extended to the physician his teddy bear. The doctor
froze. He did not anticipate such a gift. He
knew that if he accepted it, it would change him. Accepting
this remarkable gift from the child would bring their relationship
to a new level. But sizing up the situation correctly,
he rallied himself and graciously received what was offered.
To this day you can find that bear on the tenth floor of Massachusetts
General Hospital. It is in a glass case in the corridor.
Next to the bear is the business card of the surgeon.
On the card is a note that reads, “This is the highest fee
I ever received in exchange for professional services.”
Receiving something of great value changes us. It binds
us to the giver. It makes us responsible. That
is why when we receive the Eucharist we should understand
what has been given to us and what that gift entails.
Jesus says in today's gospel, “I am the living bread that
has come down from heaven.” The Eucharist is the gift
of Jesus' very self. If the gift of a teddy bear touches
our hearts, how much more should the gift of the Bread of
Life change our lives. When we receive the Eucharist, it makes
us profoundly indebted to God. It also makes us responsible
to build God's kingdom, to see that God's will is done on
earth.
The bread, which is the sign of the Eucharist, is also the
sign of what that responsibility entails. Every piece of bread
is a sign of our connectedness to the rest of humanity.
Every time we eat any peace of bread we enact our connection
to the farmers who grew the wheat and harvested it, to those
who made the wheat into flour and packaged it, to those who
transported it, to those who marketed it, to those who took
the flour and baked it. When any piece of bread becomes
Eucharist, Christ's very self, then the sacrament impels us
to see all of those human connections in light of the gospel.
We are connected to the people who provide us with
bread, to the people who sew our clothes, to the people who
provide the services of life on which we depend. Every
time we receive the Eucharist we are impelled to ask, “Are
those people to whom we are connected receiving a just wage?
Do they have health care? Can they provide education
for their children? Are they free to live life in liberty
and in the pursuit of happiness?”
We cannot receive the Eucharist and at the same time distance
ourselves from those who make the bread. We cannot
receive the Eucharist and separate ourselves from the rest
of humanity. Jesus tells us today, “Take and eat.”
In a few moments we will have the freedom to step forward
and receive this tremendous gift of Jesus himself.
But if we take, we must also know that we become responsible,
responsible to the giver of this immeasurable gift.
If we receive this bread from heaven, we become connected
to the problems of this earth and to God's determination to
resolve them. When we receive what Jesus offers, we
become responsible, responsible to build the Kingdom, responsible
to act for love and justice in our world.
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