As similar to the latter part of Lent, most of the Easter season except for the 7th Sunday of Easter when Churches reopened, Corpus Christi Sunday takes on an element of absence. We’re grateful that we can gather together and celebrate the liturgy where those who are in attendance can approach the altar of the Lord and receive the Body & Blood of Christ. Where spiritual communion, for those who performed one during the time of absence, is now in the rearview mirror. It’s good to have certain things behind us. Our sins fall into that category. But also something that was meant to hold us over until we were able to return to the real thing. The fullness of the Eucharist. So, while there’s joy in Mudville at 353 Grove Street, and the addresses of all Catholic Churches throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, joy emanating from your beautiful presence here in pews that are taped off, there remains a certain level of sadness too. Sadness that not all our folks are ready to bring themselves from the holdover of spiritual communion to reception of our Lord’s Body & Blood. Not to mention those who are ready to be here now, but cannot because of underlying medical conditions, age, or physical or emotional incapacity. Our hearts and prayers are with this entire absent group of believers and saints. We love them; we care about them; we miss them, looking ahead to the day when they return to the Upper Room. But as with all things Christ, the joy always defeats sadness, though both can be present simultaneously. The joy of our Lord’s resurrection and victory over the ultimate virus, death, is our better half. Our companion and friend. Moses in today’s 1st reading reminded the Israelites of how God cared for them as a large group of wanderers when they escaped the clutches of Egyptian slavery. Part of Moses’ reminder was the satisfaction of their stomachs. They complained in the desert of how hungry and thirsty they were. And who wouldn’t be hungry and thirsty in a desert after wandering around for months and years? Makes sense to me! But from the heavens came a food – a bread – never seen by anyone previously, unheard in all Jewish cookbooks, flakes of hoarfrost every morning straight from the ovens and bakers of heaven – even better than Crown Bakery – landing softly on the desert floor while they slept. The delicious flakes came down from heaven in the midst of the night like Santa dropping down a chimney on Christmas Eve. Then, they walked out of their tents after a good night’s rest on the sand, noticed the flakes on the surface, and asked, “What is this? We have never seen this before.” Moses reminded them after 40 years of wandering how God fed them and care for them. God so loved his Chosen People that the only ones who died in those 40 years were the obstinate complainers, which nobody likes, and those of natural old age causes. Everyone else survived 40 years in the desert, crossing over the Jordan, entering the land of promise. The bread from Crown Bakery in heaven gave them strength to carry on each day. The show-bread and stomachs made for a satisfying combination. Jesus, many centuries later, when out doing his desert ministry, stumbled upon one of those breads, picked it up off the desert ground, and said, “You see this bread? This bread is now me.” He said, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man in the desert of this world, and, unless you drink the blood of the Son of Man from the Rock of this world, the Rock being the Church built on Peter, you do not have life within you.” In other words, you will not make it to the Promised Land. When we hear and ponder these explicit words of Christ speaking to the crowds, there’s no need to stretch the imagination too far to figure out why the churches from where Jesus preached on the hills of Galilee, why they began to empty out like he was contagious with some deadly virus. This is what can happen when some itinerant preacher from Nazareth picks up a slice of hoarfrost off the desert floor and says, “You see this? This bread is now me. A Person. And I command you to eat this. Not so that your stomachs will be satisfied for a few moments in this passing world. But that your entire body, soul, and spirit will pass into the joys of the Promised Land that lasts forever.” That’s how much he loves us. He wants us with him forever. But, as the naysayers and non-believers have spoken, only a crazy person can believe that that bread is now a Person. A Divine Person! Only a crazy person can practice cannibalism. I’m humbled and grateful to proclaim from the mountaintops that I’m part of the crazy group of believers. And I pray you are also. We pray too for all our dear brothers and sisters who have not walked away from Jesus because of his challenging, loving words. Those who cannot be here for various reasons related to a virus. We love you; we care about you; we miss you. And we want you back to receive the flesh that is true food, and blood that is true drink.