Today’s first reading
presents a meeting between Abram, later to be named Abraham, and someone called
Melchizedek[1].
Let’s
place all this in its biblical context. The setting is the area that we now
call the Fertile Crescent[2],
from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers down through Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine
and into Egypt. Back in the days of Abraham, perhaps eighteen hundred years
before Christ, this was an area of small city-states, often ruled by petty
kings, and migrating bands of people.
Abraham was one of the leaders of a migrating people. Only, he was different. He had been called by God to leave his
homeland of Ur in Chaldea to a place where the Lord would establish his chosen
people. As we know, he is victorious and becomes the father of the chosen people
and the Father of Faith. Abraham is recognized as the Father of Faith to this
day by Jews, Christians and Moslems.
Abraham’s
story enters into the history of the world in chapter 14 with the presentation
of the great battle of Siddim, the battle of the kings, where nine kings met,
five against four. The four prevailed and Abraham’s nephew, Lot, who was allied
with the King of Sodom, was taken prisoner by King Chedorlaomer of Elam and his
three royal allies. That’s when Abraham got involved. One of Lot’s men escaped
and pleaded with Abraham to rescue his nephew. Abraham pursued the four kings and, with God’s help,
defeated them. When Abraham returned from the battle, the five other kings met
him to celebrate his victory over their enemies. At this point a new king is presented. His name is Melchizedek. He is called
the King of Salem, a name in Hebrew derived from Shalom, peace. Melchizedek is presented not just as a
King, but as a priest of God the Most High, the same One God whom Abraham
served. Melchizedek brought out an offering of gratitude,
of thanksgiving, to God for Abraham. The offering is bread and wine. Abraham
recognizes Melchizedek’s holiness. He also realizes that he owed his victory
over the four kings to God. He accepts Melchizedek’s blessing and gives him a
tenth of all his possessions[3].
This
is all that we know about this Melchizedek. It is enough. Melchizedek is a priest and king chosen
by God to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving for his faithful ones. The
sacrifice is in the form of bread and wine.
Christianity
sees in Melchizedek a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. Jesus, priest and king, is
the Eternal Priest and King of Kings who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving for
his faithful ones in the form of bread and wine. At the same time, Jesus is infinitely greater than
Melchizedek in that he is both the sacrifice and the offering, the bread and
wine.
Today
we celebrate the Lord’s gift, the bread and wine, the Eucharist. The incident
with Melchizedek can help us come to a deeper understanding of this mystery. Melchizedek
offered a gift of gratitude to God. Jesus’s gift is called the Eucharist, a
name that means thanksgiving. When we receive communion we join the Lord in
giving thanks to God, the Most High, for his protection of his people.
Melchizedek’s
gift was offered for those who were faithful to God. The Eucharist is the food that Jesus gives to his people,
his faithful ones. It is not meant
for those who do not profess and live his faith. It is not proper for non-believers or part time believers to
take this gift. It is offered only
to the faithful ones.
The
gift of the Lord, the Body and Blood of Christ that we receive is the greatest
gift possible. It is His sacrifice on the Cross made real in the Eucharist for
us to eat and be nourished with. Somehow or other, many of us have lost the
wonder and awe, the respect and reverence, that the Eucharist deserves. Just
consider the number of people who cease attending Church in the summer. Six
weeks ago about 70 children received their First Holy Communion. Where are
their families now? Some will be in Church this weekend. Some are away on
vacation, hopefully attending Mass elsewhere. But many, perhaps over half,
simply do not put enough value on the Eucharist to attend Mass regularly. They
will respond, “We are good people. We believe in God and that is all that
matters.” But the problem with
their argument is that there is no place for God’s greatest gift, the
Eucharist, in their lives. The awe, the respect, the reverence for the
Eucharist is missing from their lives.
But
I do not have to look to others.
There are times that the reverence for the Eucharist is not all it
should be in my life, as perhaps also in yours. Too often I prepare for Mass
focusing on the homily while not remembering that far more important than the
homily is the reception of the Word Made Flesh in Communion. Perhaps, too often you join the line to
receive communion without taking the time to consider what you are doing or
whom you are receiving. Too often people receive communion and then head for
the doors to beat the parking lot traffic.
The
Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord was established in the thirteenth
century to promote respect and reverence for the Eucharist. The celebration has
retained its purpose. We need to stop
today and consider our reception of communion. We need to ask God to
rekindle in us and in all our people the awe, the respect, and the reverence
that is fundamental to understanding the reality of the sacrament of the Body
and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Melchizedek,
the King of Salem and priest of God the Most High offered bread and wine and
blessed Abraham for his faithfulness.
And Abraham gave him a tenth of his possessions. Abraham saw in
Melchizedek the presence of God who had protected him in battle and rewarded
his faith. Psalm 110 promised that a time would come when the people would be
given a Messiah who would be a priest in the order of Melchizedek. Jesus Christ
is this priest and king. His gift to his faithful ones, his gift of thanksgiving,
his Eucharist, is to be celebrated and treasured by us, the descendants of
Abraham, God’s faithful people ■
[1] Solemnity of the Most Holy
Body and Blood of Christ. Readings: Exodus 24:3-8; Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16,
17-18; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:12-16, 22-26.
[2] The Fertile Crescent is a
crescent-shaped region containing the comparatively moist and fertile land of
otherwise arid and semi-arid Western Asia, and the Nile Valley and Nile Delta
of northeast Africa. The term was first used by University of Chicago
archaeologist James Henry Breasted. Having originated in the study of ancient
history, the concept soon developed and today retains meanings in international
geopolitics and diplomatic relations.
[3] By
the way, this is the source of the biblical concept of tithing. Seeing God as
the source of all that we have, we return a tenth back to him.
Ilustration: Abraham
and Melchizedek, Verdun Altar, Bergun 1181 by Nicholas of Verdun.
