We see the liturgy this Sunday presents before us the two sacraments in the
epistle. We read about the sacrament of baptism. And in the gospel, we read about the Eucharist.
First from the epistle, St. Paul to the Romans talks about baptism as being like buried with
Christ. Now this is more evident when it was the custom to baptize by submersion or immersion,
all right, when the whole body was taken underwater.
All right, that was meant to be an image of being buried with Christ. And when you emerge from the
water, being baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, it was like
rising from death with Christ, rising to new life, coming out of the tomb, so to speak.
Right, and this is what is meant for all of us who have received baptism. Remember the baptismal
promises.
When we profess our faith and we renounce Satan, this is what it means to die with Christ, okay, to
die to sin, right, to have a firm resolve never again to sin and to rise to new life with Christ.
That is, to live as Christ lived in this world according to the commandments of God, according to
the seven virtues, all right.
So this is what is meant for all of us to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
we should all be reminded of, right, and this new life with Christ will be consummated at the end of our life in this world, okay,
when we enter the fullness of life in heaven.
But knowing that we are wayfarers in this wilderness of the world, our Lord established the Eucharist to be our spiritual nourishment.
So the gospel says that there was a great,
a multitude that had nothing to eat, and our Lord calls his disciples together, and he said to them,
I have compassion on the multitude, right.
This is like God surveying the whole world and looking at every single soul who is living his life in this world and having
compassion on us, knowing that we can't do it by ourselves.
We can't do it without his help.
And so God,
looks down upon us and has compassion.
For behold,
they have now been with me three days and have nothing to eat.
All right, before the establishment of the Eucharist,
no spiritual nourishment, no spiritual food, right.
The manna in the desert was just a prefigurement of the Eucharist.
So we have nothing to eat.
And if I send them away fasting to their home,
they will faint on the way for some of them came from afar off, right?
So if our Lord sends us away without providing us with the Eucharist,
we will starve along the way.
That is,
we will die the spiritual death without the help of his grace,
right?
Without the help of the Eucharist,
we would inevitably fall into mortal sin and die in mortal sin.
We will faint along the way.
And his disciples answered him from whence can anyone fill them here with bread in the wilderness?
You see that reference to the world in which we live the wilderness,
right?
Our help can only come from God.
And he asked them,
how many lows do loaves do you have?
And they said,
seven.
Now,
do you see how our Lord is involving his apostles,
right?
His disciples,
he wants to share his ministry,
right?
His disciples,
he wants to share his ministry with them.
So he has the people sit down.
He takes the seven loaves giving thanks.
He broke and gave them to his disciples.
You see how these words are so similar to the words we use in the words of consecration for the blessed sacrament.
He takes,
give thanks,
breaks the bread,
and then he gives them to his disciples to set before the people.
So this is a reference to the priests,
you know,
who provide us,
who provide us with this spiritual food and all the people were filled right again.
This explains to us what spiritually takes place when we received the Eucharist.
That is,
we are filled with God himself with the source of all grace.
If we are disposed,
it is,
we receive the Eucharist worthily in the state of grace.
We believe in the real presence.
We approach with,
with reverence and attention and devotion.
We will be filled with God's grace because the Eucharist contains God himself,
the source of all graces,
infinite graces per se.
If we were properly disposed,
it would take one Holy Communion to make us saints.
See how we need to prepare for Holy Communion to prepare for mass by prayer and recollection,
not by just coming to mass out of habit to fulfill our duty and setting ourselves in
the pews without recognizing our Lord in the tabernacle without saying some prayers or
being in silence,
but instead talking to those who around us being curious on who's wearing what to mass
today.
Oh,
if that's our disposition in coming to the Holy sacrifice of the mass and receiving communion,
well,
we won't be filled with God's grace.
Right?
And we will go away empty and spiritually hungry.
And that's why you hear people say things like,
I don't go to mass because I don't get anything out of it.
Right?
Well,
you should have been filled with God's grace.
And so if you're going and not getting anything out of it,
whose fault is that?
All right.
It's certainly not God's fault,
but it's most likely your fault for your poor preparation.
Your lack of good disposition.
So we need to examine ourselves on these points and notice that this gospel also says,
and they took up and that which was left of the fragments.
Now,
remember what our faith teaches us about the holy Eucharist,
that our Lord is truly present in every single fragment of the Eucharist.
Notice the care that the priest takes in all the details of the Eucharist and what God
did.
Right?
Or ought to take, if he is not taking, to collect the fragments of the Eucharist on the paten.
That he receives the ablution to purify his fingers of touching the sacred host.
Now we know in the extraordinary form that it's not permitted to receive in the hand.
And I confirmed that myself by calling Ecclesia Day when the question came up.
Some time ago, in Ecclesia Day, affirmed me that according to the modiproprio and Universi Ecclesiae,
that it is not permitted to receive on the hand in the extraordinary form.
Now in the ordinary form, it is permitted.
But, let's remember the words of today's gospel.
And they took up that which was left of the fragments.
Pay very good attention.
Those who choose to receive in the hand, not to lose any fragments.
Because if you, of your own choice, prefer to receive in that manner,
well, guess what?
Once that host is placed on your hand, you're now responsible for the fragments.
And no longer the sacred minister.
Okay?
Take that into account.
And so, baptism.
And the Holy Eucharist.
These two fundamental sacraments.
Baptism, through which we enter into the Church as through a door.
And the Holy Eucharist, which keeps us nourished.
And helps us to preserve the gift of sanctifying grace that we received in baptism.
So that we can arrive at eternal life.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Monk.
Monk.
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Monk.
Monk.
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Monk.
Monk.
Monk.
Monk.
Monk.
Monk.
Monk.
Monk.