First reading: Exodus 24:3-8
Psalm: Ps 116:12-13,15-18
Epistle: Hebrews 9:11-15
Gospel: Mark 14:12-16,22-26
—This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many.—
The blood:
Moses sprinkled the people and the altar with the blood of the sacrifice. The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that our Lord and Savior’s perfect blood was shed to:
cleanse our consciences from dead works
to worship the living God.
Our Lord and Savior gave us His blood so that from this altar we might partake of It, and in doing so receive the grace that will transform us into the perfection of His body.
Doing:
Everyone seems to remember the Sinatra-esque interlude I offered during a homily some weeks ago; and they remember that I talked about doing. As Christians we are to be active doers, evangelizing, teaching, caring, welcoming, loving, worshiping.
The act of worshiping is centered on the Holy Mass, and the Holy Mass requires that we offer wine and water which is then mystically and miraculously transformed into the blood of Christ. Our doing in the Holy Mass consists of the offering of the gifts we provide for, the bread and wine, and the action, the doing of a certain work by God’s anointed servants, the presbyters and deacons.
Priests and deacons:
It is interesting that the priest, in the person of Jesus Christ present at the altar, re-offers His blood to the Father. The priest’s action is required for the wine will not be changed without him. Nothing will happen without his work, without the words he uses and the actions he takes. The deacons, from ancient times, have been known as ministers of the chalice of the blood.
The deacon is the proper minister of the chalice and an ordinary minister of Holy Communion — primarily, of the Precious Blood. If you were to observe my actions as a deacon at the altar, my primary service surrounds the care of the chalice, preparing it, and cleansing it. This concept is ancient, going back to the early Church where the deacon held at all times, both in East and West, a very special relation to the sacred vessels and to the host and chalice both before and after consecration. The care of the chalice has remained the deacon’s special province down to modern times.
As such, the deacon is closely tied to the precious blood in the liturgy and in his ministry of service, because his service is a ministry of sacrificial love. The Church’s history testifies to the number of priests and deacons martyred for their faith, their sacrifice, and their service.
While you only need a priest to offer Holy Mass, when we look upon our bishop offering the Sacrifice of the Mass, with his priests and deacons gathered around him, as we saw during the Mission and Evangelism workshop, we see the fullness of our historic connection to Jesus Christ and His apostles. That is the fullness of the Church’s doing in the world, the Holy Mass, the work of charity, and the work teaching and evangelizing the world led by our bishop and the clergy who are in union with him.
The roles:
These orders of bishop, priest, and deacon then are central to our ability to do as our Lord has asked of us. All of us share with them the role of charity, teaching, and evangelizing. We share in the Holy Mass because it is by our work, offering, and presence that the Holy Mass takes place. We are all partners, but with distinct roles, ministries, and duties. We are partners, but we sorely need priests and deacons for their role, for their doing.
We stand here today:
We stand here today and there is no priest present. Without the priest we have no chalice to offer. Symbolically, our cup is empty, the fruit of the vine absent. It is sad, and the entire body of Christ looses because of that.
Now at my hands you will receive the Holy Eucharist, and theologically it makes no difference whether you receive the body, the blood, or both. Regardless of what you receive you do indeed receive the body and blood of Christ, the fullness of our Lord and Savior, and thank God for that.
Yet, we are at a loss.
The body of Christ is calling out:
My friends,
The body of Christ, the Holy Church, is crying out. There is great sadness and great loss because the banquet table is empty in many places. The wine is ready and the wheat has been harvested and milled. The bread has been prepared, but we are at a loss because there is no one to minister. The role is unfilled and the deacons and presbyters have gone missing. Arizona, Texas, the Carolinas, Florida, California, Washington, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania… the body of Christ calls out. They desire in their heart of hearts to be partakers in the blood of Christ, to drink from the chalice of salvation for they know the Lord said (John 6:54):
—Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal
life, and I will raise him on the last day—
Doing part 2:
To eat His flesh and drink His blood, to be partakers in eternal life we need those whose doing, whose actions and words bring us Jesus’ body and blood. We need priests and deacons so that no one is at a loss. We need those who will lead us in evangelizing, teaching, caring, welcoming, loving, and worshiping. It really is wonderful work, a magnificent doing, and we, the men of this parish, need to step up to the plate to take on these tasks.
Uh oh, I see doubts. But we shouldn’t. There is no reason that any young man, any one us us who is currently working, or any one of us who is retired would be prevented from being a priest or deacon.
One of the ancient jobs of the deacon is to chant. We’re supposed to sing a lot of stuff, the Gospel, various proclamations, the prayers of the faithful, the special dismissal during the Easter season… You know that I can’t sing to save my life, but here I am, a deacon. If I had let fear, poor singing ability, my sins, my inadequacies, or my doubts get in the way I wouldn’t be here. Thankfully, what we lack the Holy Spirit makes up for by giving us other skills and abilities.
Women, your call is equally important. The Church needs your support, your encouragement, and your prayer for your husbands, sons, and brothers so that they might step forward. We need good, strong wives and mothers who will go out to the field alongside their husbands and sons to support them, because God’s people need your joint effort.
I will not leave your with a sales pitch, and I could, the advantages are many, but I leave you with the words of St. John Chrysostom:
The work of the priesthood is done on earth, but it is ranked among heavenly ordinances. And this is only right, for no man, no angel, no archangel, no other created power, but the Paraclete Himself ordained this succession, and persuaded men, while still remaining in the flesh to represent the ministry of angels.
Holy Spirit come upon the men of this parish and call them to do your work, the ministry of angels. Holy Spirit come upon the women of this parish so that their strength, encouragement, and prayer may foster many vocations. Amen.
