Come to the Feast

By DEACON ROBERT YERHOT, MSW

Deacons are called to reach out to all those on the edges of the Church. We are to be heralds of the Gospel. We bring them back into the parishes, into the life of faith in community. Reflecting on this, and the Eucharistic Revival in our country, I offer the following reflection.

God only gives the best in southern Minnesota. He always provides the best. His love knows no bounds.

God invites us to the Feast. And he invites everyone throughout our diocese to come to the Eucharist. He wants us to accept his invitation. Every Sunday, he calls out, "Everything is ready! Come to the Feast!" Yes, everything is ready, every Sunday.

All are invited, but as we hear in the Scriptures, the chosen are few. Although God calls all, he chooses those who accept his invitation. Why? Is God limited in some way? No, of course not, but He respects our freedom. It is like a marriage proposal. A man can choose a woman to be his wife - or a woman choose a man - only if the desired one accepts the invitation. He cannot choose her against her will. He can only invite her to marital intimacy. So too, God will not coerce us to accept his invitation to come to the Feast.

Let us not make light of this invitation. Let us not ignore it. For on the altar, God is with us, comforting and forgiving us, removing our shame and destroying death.

Do you believe? Will you accept?

People have asked me, "Deacon Bob, why do you go to Mass every Sunday? Be honest! Because you want to or because you have to?" My response is always, "Both!" I want to be here and I have to be here because God has invited me and I accept. How can I refuse his invitation? How can I not want to come to give thanks for all his blessings and graces? He gives only the best. How can I not be compelled to be here, believing in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist?

Yes, Jesus is truly present at each Mass. He gives only the best; he gives Himself. Each Mass is a miracle. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is made present.... Jesus, his body and blood, his soul and his divinity.... appearing as bread and wine.

But it is more than a banquet. It is the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. Every Mass, in a miraculous way, the priest makes present that one sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross that occurred two thousand years ago.

How can we not want - have - to be here?

More and more, Catholics are not taking seriously the invitation, indeed the obligation, to attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation. We are too attached to worldly affairs. The world seems almost to insist we ignore the Lord's invitation. Too many of us listen to the world and not to God. We who are deacons and priests must become better preachers of the Word, for we have not preached as boldly as we must in today’s world. The people are hungry.

This is my challenge to each of you: in the next month, invite just one person to come with you to the Feast. You come and bring others with you! May God bless your efforts!

Let us pray: Help us Lord to disdain our vain excuses. We want to attend the banquet. Don't allow our pride or sensuality or attachments or idle curiosity to get in the way of our attendance. Make sure that we show up. We have been invited by the wealthy one who became poor for our sake. We will come as sick people, since we need the divine doctor to cure our ills. We will come as lame people, and we will tell him: "Keep steady my steps according to thy promise" (St. Augustine).

Deacon Robert Yerhot serves the parishes of St. Mary in Caledonia and St. Patrick in Brownsville.