08.01.2020 Homily

I really want to talk to the first communion people tonight, and you adults can also listen in. Yes, you'll probably learn something. When you were preparing for First Communion, you were told the story of what Jesus did the night before he died. Oh, He gathered his disciples together at a supper. We call it the last supper, and he took bread and he broke the bread and he gave it to them and he said, "Take this, eat this, this is my body." And then he said, "Whenever you do this, do this in memory of me."

He asked his disciples to do what he had just done, again and again and again. Because in receiving that bread, the body of the Lord, they draw close to him. They enter into a deep, deep connection with him. That he's really there, and you can talk to him. And he wants to be with you, and it's the great gift of the Eucharist. Now that's one time that Jesus did something with bread. The only other time Jesus does something with bread in the gospel, is in today's gospel. Where 5,000 people are there, and they're hungry. And Jesus said to his disciples, "Well you go find food and feed them. Make it your responsibility to feed them."

And they said, "We don't have enough. There isn't enough food. We can't feed all these people. All we've got is five loaves and two fish." And Jesus says, "Bring them to me. Put them in my hands and there will be enough." What Jesus is asked us to do is to never, ever say, there isn't enough. There isn't enough food. There isn't enough clean water. There isn't enough fresh air. There isn't enough opportunity. Never say there isn't enough, because just like the five loaves and the two fish, they are enough if you and I are willing to share them. And that's what Jesus did. He blessed them, and he broke them, and he gave it to his disciples. And he said, "Now you give it to the people." And they did, and there was enough. In fact, there was more than enough. They collected things at the end, the leftovers, and there were 12 big baskets that were filled. Well, the sacrament of the Eucharist, Holy Communion, has got two parts.

The first part is what we're doing inside church this evening. We come to pray. You remember what Jesus did, and to receive Jesus in the gift of the Eucharist, in the gift of Communion. That's the first part of the Eucharist. But the Eucharist isn't over at that point. The rest of the Eucharist takes place when you leave the church. The rest of the Eucharist takes place when we're willing to share with each other, and we're willing to accept the fact that there is enough. There is enough as long as I am not greedy, is I'm not selfish. There is enough for everyone. And if we place that into the hands of the Lord, and if we're willing to stand back from selfishness and greed, there will be enough. Now those are the two parts about receiving communion. The part in which Jesus comes to each of us individually, and the part by which we go out and we share with others what God has given.