Homily 506 | 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time | Year B
In today’s homily, I conclude my series on various aspects of the Mass by looking at the reception of Holy Communion and the concluding rite. St. James tells us in the second reading to be “doers of the word and now hearers only.” Receiving Holy Communion means we are committed to acting a certain way. We recommit ourselves to the promises of our baptism. As Jesus reminds us in the gospel, we are not to be hypocrites. We have to really be committed if we present ourselves for Holy Communion. Some people are even required to be denied Holy Communion. This is serious business.
Finally, the last words of the Mass are where the word “Mass” comes from. It means to be sent. Ite missa est. Go, you have been sent. Having received the gift of Jesus in the Mass, he now sends us out to change the world. In the words of the Second Vatican Council, the Christian life flows to the Eucharist as a summit, the high point. But then it is meant to flow out from the Eucharist as a source, like the source of a river. We are sent out to be, as St. James says, a doer of the word.
1 comment
Excellent