Corpus Christi

Dear Parishioners,

This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, otherwise known as Corpus Christi.  This is a solemnity that is transferred from Thursday (the day on which the Holy Eucharist was instituted) to Sunday in the United States and other countries.  In Rome, however, it was celebrated this past Thursday.

As Catholics we are called to look at and adore the great gift that we possess in the Holy Eucharist.  We believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.  Let me be very direct and clear:  not all Christian faiths believe the same thing about the Holy Eucharist.  Some believe that the Eucharist is merely a symbol or blessed bread.   Other denominations believe that the bread and wine become Christ while the service is going on but return to bread and wine after the service is ended.  Some hold that the Eucharist is a sacrament, while others do not.  There are many varying points of view.

The Catholic Church believes and teaches that the bread and wine truly become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ.  It is truly Christ present on our altars and in our tabernacles.  We take Christ at His word when the words of consecration are spoken:  “This is my Body . . . This is my Blood.”

That’s why it’s frustrating to me that some people can be so cavalier about this essential belief of the Catholic faith.  For some to say things like:  “It’s all the same” or “One religion is as good as another” or “I’ll just go over to the nearby Protestant church” misses the point about what we have held as a core belief in the Catholic Church:  We possess the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

Yes, it’s good for us to get down on our knees to adore and worship Christ truly present at every Mass and in our tabernacles.  He promised to remain with us always: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt. 28:20)  We believe that he kept this promise in the Holy Eucharist.

We read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 

The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of communion with the Lord's body and blood. But the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice is wholly directed toward the intimate union of the faithful with Christ through communion. To receive communion is to receive Christ himself who has offered himself for us.  (CCC, # 1382)

In two weeks (June 20 to 22) our parish will spend 40 Hours in adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  Please take the time to sign-up with a commitment to spend an hour or more of your time in His divine presence.

May we always realize Who we have before us on our altars and in our tabernacles and Who we are privileged to receive in Holy Communion:  Jesus, the Son of God.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor