Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

One day, a doctor and a priest met at a charity event and discussed their professions. The doctor said, "Father, sometimes I feel like my job is all about keeping people from meeting their Creator too soon." The priest nodded knowingly and replied, "Ah, and my job is about making sure they're ready to meet Him when they do!"

Everyone wants to live a long life, which is why we go to the hospital when we get sick. When we see doctors, we listen attentively, follow their advice, and do almost everything they tell us to do. By the way, I had no health problems until I met my doctor.

Yes, we follow the doctor's orders—taking three pills daily, exercising for 40 minutes a day, and eating healthy food. Why do we do all this? It’s because we want to live long. Some people may live into their 80s or even reach 100 years old, but even 1000 years doesn't seem long enough. We want to live forever.

Here’s the interesting part: when doctors give medications, they tell us, "You will be fine and live properly if you take these medications regularly."So, do doctors have direct power over our bodies? No, the power lies in the medicines we take. Whether they are effective depends on the medication and our bodies' response to it.

Now consider the words of our divine Doctor, Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible, when God speaks, things truly happen. In Genesis, God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. When Jesus said, “Stand up and walk,” the paralyzed stood up and walked; when He said to the dead, “Wake up,” they woke up; and when He said to the storm, “Calm,” the wind and the storm calmed. When Jesus speaks, something happens because He has the power to make it so.

Does God have power over the Eucharist we receive? Absolutely. Our God is faithful and always keeps His word; therefore, if He promises something, He will make it happen. If Jesus says we will live forever by eating His Body and drinking His Blood, He will make it happen.

In a few minutes, we will receive the most powerful and divine medicine at this altar. This medicine truly gives us everlasting life as Jesus promised: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day." When God speaks, it happens. So, what should we do after receiving this divine medicine, Jesus Christ? In today’s reading, St. Paul advises us that “Do not continue in ignorance but understand what the will of the Lord is. And Be filled with the Spirit and give thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.”

Today, I would like to invite you to give thanks to Him after receiving the Eucharist, for giving us His body and blood for eternal life. Let us thank Him for promising that He will raise us on the last day if we eat His Body and drink His Blood. Let us also give thanks to Him because when He speaks, something extraordinary happens.

May God bless us all.