Take and eat

Here is the text of the reflection I shared with all those who came to celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord with us this weekend: inspired by my recent visit with the Missionaries of Charity.

Fed with special food

This past week, I travelled to Washington, DC in order to celebrate a very special occasion: the Final Profession of one of the Missionaries of Charity.  Michelle Harney’s family and I were present in the lower crypt of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday afternoon to witness the moment when she spoke her vows.  The entire celebration was very beautiful: truly an expression of the heartfelt joy that is experienced by people of faith who know without a doubt that they are exactly where the Lord wants and needs them to be.

After nine years of formation and preparation, Sister Mary Eucharistica, MC – that’s her religious name - will soon be setting out for her new mission: to be present to the poorest of the poor in the city of Nairobi (Kenya).  While her parents and family members are understandably concerned that she will be so far away, she herself is radiant with the joy of a new bride, one who knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that she is being sent to care for God’s people, especially those who are far too often excluded by society.  There, she will endeavor to respond to the invitation of Jesus: Give them something to eat (Lk 9:13).

At times, she may very well wonder how she will feed all those who will come knocking at her door.  The disciples asked the same question: We have no more than five loaves and two fish and this would never have been enough to feed the crowds.  I’m sure that this same dilemma has been faced by many others before: mothers and fathers who struggle at times to find the right advice and guidance to be offered to their children; grandparents, aunts and uncles who worry about others in their families who face so many challenges and yet who seem to have set aside the faith that they were taught in childhood.  Thankfully, Jesus never abandons his disciples.  He is always close to us, and he will always be ready to help us, to encourage us and to remind us that if we are willing to give of ourselves, even just a little, he will transform our meagre offerings and there will be more than enough to feed the crowds.

Every Missionary of Charity is called to offer his or her life in service to the poorest of the poor, and they are happy to do so, but the only way that they can renounce everything is to remain focused on Jesus and to always strive to repeat within their own hearts the wisdom that was passed on to the believers in Corinth by Saint Paul: the Lord Jesus … took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it and ‘this is my Body that is for you.  Do this in memory of me’ (1 Cor 11:24).

Jesus entrusted us with this memorial of his life-giving sacrifice, and asked us to learn from him so that we in turn can learn each day how to give of ourselves out of love for others.  Having drunk from the chalice that is filled with His blood, we remember and we marvel at the extent to which He was willing to go in order to convince us that we are loved with infinite love.  Strengthened by this special food that is offered on the altar, we too can go – even to the ends of  the earth – to be missionaries of charity, willing to joyfully proclaim the good news that Jesus came to share: God the Father created us out of love.  He loves us with infinite love and he waits with infinite patience for us to realize this truth and to joyfully celebrate it.