Let me take you to a CCD class of confirmation students today. The teacher asked students in her class which part of the Eucharist or Mass was the most important. One bright student immediately answered, “it is the Consecration.” Another one said, “no, it's the rite of penitential service.” Another said, “it's the rite of communion when we receive Jesus through His body and Blood.” Another one added that it's “the proclamation of the Word.” What would your answer be if I asked you this question?
However, the teacher was in for a surprise when one student offered a unique perspective. The youth confidently stated: "The rite of dismissal is the most important part of the Mass." "Why do you say that?" asked the teacher. The youth said, "The purpose of the Eucharist is to nourish us with the Word of God and the Body and Blood of Jesus so that we can go out and testify for the Lord."
The youth continued, “The Eucharist does not end with the dismissal rite. In a sense, the real Eucharist begins with it. We need to share with the world what the disciples did after experiencing the breaking of the bread with Jesus at Emmaus. We, too, should announce that Jesus has been resurrected from the dead. We are bound to proclaim that Jesus lives on.”
Our Gospel for today concludes a major sermon, the missionary discourse, spoken by Jesus to those who were to continue his work. In this passage, something we hold dear is called into question. We are asked to question what we often consider to be the deepest dimension of our human experience, a given of our social existence: the love that we hold for those close to us—our parents and our children. Jesus tells us that his coming will turn those relations upside down and will sever those bonds as we know them.
The challenge here lies in the call to think beyond what we think we know about love, beyond the comfort of our affections, to discover a deeper foundation for our relations with one another.
By laying a surprising claim to the sword and inverting the order of familial affection, Jesus poses a problem for us to consider. But He does not leave us in a realm of social chaos. Instead, He challenges us to find the true bedrock of love by seeking God in one another—in holy ones, in righteous ones, in little ones, a society founded upon a gesture as simple as giving a cup of cold water to another. This challenge is not easy, but it is one that can transform our relationships and our world.
Let the Eucharist we celebrate here transform our hearts and actions beyond these walls as we leave this holy place. Our true mission begins now, proclaiming the risen Jesus through acts of kindness, justice, and mercy. May we go forth, not just as receivers of God's grace but as bearers of His love, creating a world where every gesture and service reflects the boundless love of Christ we have received in this Eucharist today.
Father Boby John, C.S.C., ordained a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross in 2008, worked as a pastor and as an educator with tribal populations in Northeast India for thirteen years. Originally from Kerala, India, Father Boby grew up with three siblings. He is a dedicated and detailed educationist with experience in educational leadership. He is currently working as an executive assistant at the world headquarters of Holy Cross Family Ministries, North Easton, Massachusetts.
