Nov. 11th, 2007: 32nd Sunday Ordinary (C)

Last year, one of the movies that did quite well in the Box Office was the movie called, "Da Vinci Code." How many of you have seen the movie? How many of you read the book by Dan Brown on which the movie was based on? The movie did so well that in U.S. it earned $244 million in U.S. alone. Worldwide, the movie earned $700 million. How about Dan Brown's book "Da Vinci Code"? Dan Brown sold more than 60 million copies of the book world wide. Some of us enjoyed reading that book as a fiction, a mystery thriller. However, many have taken it literally and seriously as a factual novel. In fact, the author, Dan Brown said it was factual. On NBC's Today Show Dan Brown was asked by the anchor, "How much of this novel is based on reality in terms of things that actually happened?" Dan Brown answered, "Absolutely all of it." It's no surprise then that many people even large portion of Christians including Catholics were persuaded by Dan Brown's assertions. One of Dan Brown's assertions is related with the Gospel today.

Today's gospel began as follows: "Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus." We can see that denial of resurrection goes far back. This denial has a habit of appearing throughout history, though. One of the central assertions by Dan Brown is that Jesus was merely a human prophet and not God. For Dan Brown, Jesus died at the cross; end of the story. How many of you were aware of this denial of resurrection when you were reading or watching the movie? If Jesus did not resurrect from death, what are we celebrating at mass? If we believed that Jesus did not resurrect, what is the meaning of the communion that we receive? Would it not be just a symbol for the bread at the Last Supper--just a community meal? Would we not treat communion as simply bread just as thousands of other Christian denominations do?

What is one evidence that Jesus has left us that his resurrection is real? The Eucharist--Jesus' resurrected body and blood--truly and really present. The Eucharist is alive; it is not dead. Our Lord revealed to St. Faustina how some of us treated Him in the Eucharist. He said, “When I come to a human heart in Holy Communion, my hands are full of all kinds of graces which I want to give to the souls, but souls do not even pay attention to me. They leave me to myself and busy themselves with other things…They treat me as a dead object.”

When you and I approach the Eucharist, does it look like we are about to take into our bodies the living person, Jesus Christ, true God and true man?

I have been to many protestant churches prior to returning to the Catholic Church ten years ago. I have been to main-line, Evangelical, and Assembly of God churches. And I have to admit there were some amazing churches. Most if not all of the preachers put me to shame; in comparison, I am boring and uninteresting. Some have awesome praise-and-worship bands; their music is heart thumping and makes me want to jump. Despite all these attractive and compelling things that drew me week after week, I still church hopped. I would say, well I like the music but I don't like the preacher. Well, I like the preacher but I don't like how people treated me. Does this sound familiar to us Catholics as well? Yet despite of it all I still returned to the Catholic Church. Why? There was resurrected Jesus in flesh, blood, body, and soul in the Eucharist and I was so privileged to receive Him every day at mass. Everything we do humanly possible at mass pales in comparison to what Fr. Jack will be doing after "Holy Holy Holy." Through his hands, the bread and wine will undergo such a radical transformation that they will literally become the resurrected body and blood of Jesus. You know Mother Teresa used to kiss the hands of priests whenever she met them. For Mother Teresa, every priest was precious because they were the only ones who could bring resurrected Jesus in the Eucharist.

Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code' may have captured our wallets and our imaginations. He may even have persuaded some of us that Jesus did not resurrect. However, remember the Creed that we will recite shortly; "I believe that he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day, he rose again. He ascended to heaven, and seated at the right hand of the father, coming to judge the living and the dead." Remember that resurrected Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.