“I am the vine and you are the branches.”
We have an expression “You are what you eat.”
I was explaining to the kids yesterday
at the First Communion Mass
that if you eat pizza it does not mean that
you literally become a pizza!
I suppose in some ways, whatever you eat, you do become it.
Whatever ingredients that are in that food
become part of your body and it really does become
“We are what we eat!”
We know this to be particularly true
in this time of shelter-in-place
that so many of us have put on a couple of extra pounds
because we have chosen to eat what we would call comfort food;
the pastas; the pizzas
and maybe just a little bit of ice cream as well.
Of course that converts to extra, unneeded energy, which we call fat.
We know that is what happens.
We know in general this is true about everything.
We know we need to eat a balanced diet.
That is why we work so hard with our children
to get them to eat the vegetables and the fruits
because the nutrients that come from that are essential for the body
to have a balanced diet for the benefit of our physical body.
The reason why I bring that up is
because it is also true for our spiritual body.
Yes, we have a physical body that needs different types of foods
and when we do not get those different types of foods,
we have, if you would, physical maladies.
If we take in too much sugar we can get diabetes.
If we take in too much carbs and fat,
we can get coronary problems, etc.
If we see ourselves as both a physical body and a spiritual body
then we need to look for that which nourishes our spiritual body.
For example, we know that authentic prayer
builds up our spiritual strength, our spiritual body.
When we do acts of kindness, gentleness
these are fruits from the spiritual strengths of our body.
Just like if we do not give ourselves spiritual foods,
we have spiritual maladies like for example,
if we do not have regular prayer or spiritual works,
what can creep in is sort of bitterness and anger
that produces all sorts of jealousies, self-righteousness and judgmentalism.
Those are fruits of the wrong spiritual food.
If we think of ourselves as righteous and knowing all things
then that will produce a judgmentalism,
a separation, a division,
a divisiveness in our own spirit.
When we eat good spiritual food, authentic prayer
where we come humbly before the Lord
and ask the Lord to give us strength is our daily food,
which produces kindness, gentleness;
it produces a forgiving spirit, a gentle spirit
and even one that is always peaceful
no matter what happens in between.
The reason why I bring this up particularly this weekend is
because we are celebrating First Communion
for our children at most of the other Masses.
I talk about the superfood of the Eucharist;
that what we do at the table of the Lord
is not just a regular spiritual food
but in fact is a spiritual superfood.
And why do we consider this such a superfood?
Because the Church has always maintained
that what happens at the Eucharist while we do not always,
just like with physical superfoods,
we do not understand all of why it works
but we know the effects of it.
Like much of the science behind superfoods
is that they do not understand it all
but they do know its outcome.
It is the same for us with spiritual food.
We do not necessarily understand
all of what happens in the Eucharistic Transformation
but we know the spiritual benefit that comes from it.
And that is why it is so important
that we come to receive this spiritual superfood.
In fact, so many of the families
that were at last night’s First Eucharist with their children
were parents and grandparents,
who had not received Communion for well over a year
because of the shelter-in-place.
For some of them, there were tears coming into their eyes
as they received Communion for the first time.
Now that is a superfood because they know
that there is something powerful that happens here;
that there is something sacred in this place
and that what we do when we gather around
here is not only do we receive the Body of Christ
but we become the Body of Christ.
In fact that is what St. Augustine said in the 4th century;
he said “When we receive the Eucharist,
we become what we receive.”
That sounds a whole lot like
“We are what we eat.”
When we receive this superfood of Eucharist,
we become the Body of Christ in what we say
but even more so in what we do.
This is what the second reading talks about.
In the letter of John, he emphasizes
that it is good to say it
but it is also so important in deed and in truth
that we live out the Body of Christ.
This is where the mystical component
of the Body of Christ really comes alive;
that when we receive the Body of Christ
and when we go forth from the Eucharist,
we become the Body of Christ in everything that we do.
We become spiritual food for others
by the way we are kind, and gentle, and forgiving;
and as the scripture says today “…becoming loving in all things.”
That is how we become the superfood for each other.
I know many of you cannot yet come back to Church
and I know that is so hard for so many of you;
and it is wonderful that at least we can receive the spiritual food
while not sacramentally but over the internet spiritually.
If you now are vaccinated; if you have gotten double vaccination;
and if you feel comfortable, it is now time to come back.
We have Mass both inside and outside for your comfort.
It is time to come back to receive this spiritual food;
this spiritual superfood from God.
I know many of you are not yet comfortable and that is okay;
still keep coming because this is authentic prayer too.
This is how we become the Body of Christ.
This is what Jesus is trying to say in today’s gospel.
He reminds his disciples and us
that we must remain part of him
because we can do nothing outside of him.
He uses this beautiful metaphor, which is very visual,
the vine and the branches.
If you take a branch off the vine,
clearly it is not going to be able to grow or anything
because it is separated from the source.
But if it remains part of the vine,
it will grow and it will produce much fruit.
This is what the Lord is reminding us to do.
It is to come and to feed off his spiritual superfood;
to come and remain always in him.
And if we do that he will always remain in us.
And that because of that, we become the Body of Christ to others.
We become the superfood for all others, for all others to receive.
So today, as we receive the Body of Christ here
or if you are still online, let us all remember
that we are called to become the Body of Christ.
And if you can, I encourage you to make the return back.
I know it is hard.
I know it is difficult but this is what we ought to be doing,
finding our way back.
If it is safe for you, and if you have been double vaccinated
then you should come and
let us make our Body of Christ real again.
In all things, let us remain in him
because he will remain in us.
And then we will become the superfood
that he is for us for others,
the Body of Christ broken for others,
because we are the Body of Christ.
