3/20/2015 – Friday of the fourth week of Lent – John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

        Some inhabitants of Jerusalem judge Jesus today.  Their reasoning: Well, we know where he is from – we know that he is from that backward province, Galilee – so there is no way he can be the Messiah.  In the Gospels, we hear a lot about how people judge him and condemn him and try to harm him.   But, still there are others who make that big leap and believe.  And many of those who believe are not the well-educated and the powerful, but rather the outcast and those on the margins.

        Our modern faith calls us to look back to the faith of the Apostles and the Early Church, from which the faith was passed down to us.  I recently came across a quote from the Early Church Father Cyril of Alexandria, who was the Patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, an important city in the ancient world, in the first half of the fifth century.  Cyril had this to say about the Eucharist: "If the poison of pride swells up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, which is our God humbling himself, will teach you humility. If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread, and you will learn generosity. If the cold wind of coveting withers you, go to the Bread of Angels and charity will blossom in your heart. If you feel the itch of intemperance within you, nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life, and you will become temperate. If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things, strengthen yourself with this heavenly food and you will grow fervent. Lastly, if you feel scorched by impurity, go to the banquet of the Angels and the spotless flesh of Christ will make you pure and chaste."  What a difference in what Cyril of Alexandria sees in Christ compared to what those inhabitants of Jerusalem saw in the Gospel today.

        Some Christians see in the Body in Blood of Christ as mere symbol, a mere remembrance.  To them, it is not a real presence.  Yet, we look to the writings of the Early Church Fathers such as Cyril of Alexandria, writings more than 1,500 years old, and we see the foundation of the love and loyalty we have to the Eucharist, the true Body and Blood of Christ.  Lord, may your true presences continue to accompany us on these last weeks of our Lenten journey as we prepare to celebrate the paschal mysteries.  Lord Jesus, may your Body and Blood nourish us and strengthen us today.