Homily for 28 April 2017

April 28, 2017

In the history of the Church, there are instances of what we call Eucharistic Miracles, where the host becomes human flesh and blood.  And that's confirmed by scientists looking under the microscope.  Of course, this can be a big boost for people to have faith in what Jesus says: This is my Body, this is my Blood.

It's like the multiplication of the loaves and fish.  It was a big help for people to see with their own eyes what Jesus could do; they could see that their faith in him wasn't wasted.  And so, these Eucharistic Miracles are a great blessing from God.

At the same time, however, the point of these miracles is to move us toward greater faith, toward believing without necessarily seeing.  When you think about it, every time we come to Mass, we're given a test (and we know that Jesus tests his followers).  We see the Body and Blood of Christ, but it looks and tastes like bread and wine.  And there's the test: Are we going to trust our own senses and say, "That's bread and wine," or are we going to trust the Lord and say, "That's his Body and Blood"?

When we go to a funeral and look in the casket, are we going to trust our senses and say, "This person is dead," or will we trust the Lord and say, "This person is very much alive"?  When bad things happen in life, will we trust our own take on the situation and say, "God has abandoned us," or will we trust that the Lord is always with us, as he said he is? 

It's good to see with our own eyes the wonders of God.  It's a boost to our faith.  The challenge is to let them be just that--a boost to our faith, so that we can say, "I don't see, but I still believe."