Corpus Christi Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Our Blessed Lord stated in the Gospel of Saint John, “I am the living bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

It should be no secret that our world is filled with many storms. Scandal, division, disease, doubt, and more continue to come our way. It is so easy to allow these storms to sweep us away from our faith. Some get so caught up in these storms that they begin to live a life which is exempt from Christ and His Church.

It was Jesus who calmed these storms within the lives of the apostles. He commanded these storms, “Quiet! Be still!” And at His command we were told that “the wind ceased and there was great calm.” He then asked His apostles, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

Thankfully we continue to encounter this same Jesus whom the apostles encountered in the Most Holy Eucharist. We have each received the invitation to place our trust in Him and His presence among us. With faith placed in this Sacrament of Love we would begin to orient our heart and soul towards that which can calm all the storms of our life.

As Saint Teresa of Calcutta had stated, “Jesus has made Himself the Bread of Life to give us life. Night and day, He is there. If you really want to grow in love, come back to the Eucharist, come back to that Adoration.”

This is what the United States Council of Catholic Bishops invites us to do as we move into this time of National Eucharistic Revival. Jesus is truly present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Most Holy Eucharist. What you see with your eyes is bread and wine, but through the words of consecration we truly have the presence of Christ among us.

He is the bread of life that has come down from Heaven. It is He who should be the source and summit of our faith. Jesus is inviting us to enter into relationship with Him in the Most Holy Eucharist. We do precisely that whenever we come to Mass and receive Him with a true sense of reverence, we do precisely that whenever we come before the tabernacle to be present with Him, we do precisely that whenever we go to confession to fix that which has been broken down by sin, and we do precisely that whenever we profess our faith in Christ Jesus who is present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist.

May our encounter with our Eucharistic Lord bring about a true change within our heart. The one who you will receive today in the Eucharist is Christ. Not a symbol, but truly Christ. May our heart desire to dwell with Him always. What can we do to reinkindle our relationship with Christ who is present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist?

Corpus Christi Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi which is the celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharist is central to who we are as a people of faith for in the words of the Second Vatican Council the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”

This past Tuesday we celebrated the Memorial of Saint Justin Martyr who wrote heavily concerning the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Most Holy Eucharist in roughly the year 125. Concerning the Eucharist he wrote: “And this food is called among us the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoyed. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Here Saint Justin points out that the Eucharist is not common bread. This is a truth that is professed by the Church and yet how many do not fathom what it is that they behold and have the opportunity to receive? You see the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ our Lord. I do not state this as if it were some symbol, but rather the Lord is truly present with us. If we were about to behold Christ how would we act and in what desposition would we desire to be? To this Gandhi stated: “I would like to believe what you Catholics believe about Jesus in the Eucharist. But I am unable to do so, because I don’t think you Catholics really believe what you say you believe; because if I really believed that my Lord and my God were truly present in the tabernacle as you say He is, I would crawl on my belly to the church every day to worship and adore Him.”

This is an interesting opinion concerning the Eucharist which should make us reflect on how much we take to heart that what we receive in Holy Communion is not common bread, but is the Body and Blood of Christ.

Seeing that this sacrament is so serious the Church must continue to protect and defend this sacrament. This was reflected in the words of Saint Justin Martyr when he referenced who could receive Holy Communion. Therefore, only those who have been baptized, those who believe what the Church believes, and those who are free from serious sin. Instead of taking the reception of the Blessed Sacrament so seriously we are often found careless when it pertains to sin and what it requires of us as a believer. Through reception of such a wondrous sacrament we ought to dare to take Christ into the world and live the message contained within the Gospels.

On this Solemnity of Corpus Christi it is my hope that we will foster devotion and love for Christ present with us in the Eucharist. Through such devotion and love we allow ourself to enter into relationship with Him. May we always allow this sacrament to be our source of unity. Let us frequent the sacrament of confession which prepares us to commune with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Let us promote Eucharistic devotion including doing what is necessary for us as a parish to reopen our perpetual adoration chapel which has been closed since COVID-19. Truly let us, as a parish community, foster those words of the Second Vatican Council and thus make the Eucharist “the source and the summit of the Christian life.”

1st Communion Homily

Today we celebrate a great joy which should point our heart towards that which is most important in this life. So often we think we know what is important. Maybe that would be watching something on television, playing video games, and engaging in sports to name a few. No matter that which we do with our life we can never forget that it is important for us to love God and to order our life towards Him.

Therefore, Christ is that which is important for us. Thankfully, He loves us so dearly that He left us the gift which is the Most Holy Eucharist. Today, you, my dearest children will come to receive Him for the first time in the gift which is the Eucharist. For the rest of us, may we continue to encounter Him with such vigor. May none of us ever allow anything to be more important than God.

Sadly, there are those who do not make Mass a priority or receive Christ with great haste and then they rush out the door. No, we cannot give into this attitude because in doing so we are saying that there is something which is more important for us than Christ. Remember that before and after Mass you have the opportunity to be in the presence of Jesus. Use this opportunity to be in silence not to talk, but to pray. To prepare to receive Jesus and to give thanks to Jesus for loving us so much.

In a matter of moments, you, my dearest children we receive our Lord for the first time. Never take this gift for granted, but each and every time that you receive our Lord in Holy Communion do so with great devotion, always remember to give Him thanks, and always remember of His love which is abundant and without end.

Corpus Christi Homily

The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is an important day in the life of the church. If we were under normal circumstances churches around the world including this one would hold Eucharist processions bringing Christ into the streets. This year circumstances require us to forgo these processions, but we are still reminded of the same message.

That message being that we must be willing to take Christ with us into the streets of everyday life. As we are instructed at the conclusion of Mass, “Go forth the Mass is ended.” We respond “Thanks be to God” not because we can now go home and do as we wish, but instead we have been invited to do something so much harder. We have been invited to head out the doors of the church and to live what we have received in the midst of the world.

Therefore we should ask what is it that we have received and why is this so important for us? Well the one that we have received under the appearance of bread and wine is Christ our Lord. He is present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. In other words when we receive communion we receive Christ. We do not receive Him as symbol, but instead in all actually.

Now if we stop and fathom that this is truly Christ we will not be concerned about the purification of our hands in hand sanitizer (don’t get me wrong this is important), but to purify our souls in the Sacrament of Confession is much more important. In the optional sequence to this Mass we would of heard in the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas: “Both the wicked and the good eat of this celestial Food: But with ends how opposite! Here is life: and there is death: The same, yet issuing to each in a difference infinite.”

And so if we are to bring Christ into the world by living what we have received we must turn away from sin and turn towards the Lord. As was summed up by Saint Thomas Aquinas we can receive Him in the Eucharist, but the end result is opposite for the wicked and the good. As our faith teaches us mortal sin is real and deprives us of sanctifying grace. To receive communion in such a state is to receive a deadly sin upon our soul and to receive no grace from the Eucharist. On the other hand, to receive our Lord in the state of grace is to receive the full benefit of the sacrament that we dare to receive.

Some are concerned with assisting at the Holy Mass only if they are able to receive communion as if this is a gift that is owed to us. Rather, we should assist at the Holy Mass if we are able to receive or not. We should not base the reception of communion after the fact that we are at Mass, but on the state of our soul.

On this Corpus Christi Sunday it is my hope that we may treat the gift that is the Eucharist with all seriousness. It is my hope that what we receive here is to be brought into the world and lived. It would be a sad state for us to receive such a gift and in return live such a contradiction in the way in which we live and order our life on this earth. 

In conclusion, from the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas in his prayer before communion: “Therefore, I beg of You, through Your infinite mercy and generosity, heal my weakness, wash my uncleanness, give light to my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I thus receive the Bread of Angels, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, with such reverence and humility, contrition and devotion, purity and faith, purpose and intention, as shall aid my soul’s salvation.”

Corpus Christi Procession Homily

Our life takes many twists and turns, but hopefully we dare to follow where Christ now leads. The Israelites were found in slavery and they were willing to follow God towards their freedom. The apostles left behind the assurances of their daily life and were willing to follow after Christ who had called each of them by name. The early Church is made up of martyrs who were willing to lay down their life as they set out to follow after Christ.

Today we will have a Eucharistic Procession which will serve as a reminder of Christ’s invitation for us to to come and follow after Him. We believe and profess Christ to present with us in the Eucharist and thus to receive Him in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar is to be willing to follow where He now leads no matter the struggle or the joy which we might encounter. This day as we come to celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ may we come to grow in our love for the Eucharist and from this devotion be willing to be sent forth as true disciples of the Lord who are willing to bring Christ into the world.

Corpus Christi Homily Year B

Lately there has been a lot of talk at this parish concerning how we can bring about renewal.  Renewal cannot be fostered through our merits alone because if that be the case it will not stand the test of time. True renewal can only be brought about if we are willing to allow the Lord into our life in order that He may be the one who transforms us. From this encounter we are sent forth as true disciples of the Lord who authentically led others to encounter Christ and His Church on this earth.

If we recall it was God who led the Israelites out of their slavery through the use of Moses. Thankfully they were willing to follow where He had led. At times this procession towards the Promised Land proved to be most difficult for them. Unfortunately some even became lost on their way and turned inwardly due to their lack of trust in God. From their grumbles of being hungry, tired, and afraid mana poured down upon them and they were given food for this journey that they had to undertake.

In the Church we have the most beautiful of gifts found within the Eucharist. To fathom that unto the altar of God we are invited to receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ our Lord as is veiled under the appearances of bread and wine. Transformation should be found here because Christ comes into our life in order to sustain and lead us. Despite this great gift, so many take it for granted and in their mind may even lower it to being mere bread and wine.

If there is to be true renewal in this parish community the answer does not lie in some innovation for the sake of innovation, but rather lies in true devotion to the Eucharist. The early Church had it most difficult and yet from this small group of people spread the fullness of faith throughout the earth. People were not willing to lay down their life for an innovation, but rather for Christ. They received their strength from Christ present in the Eucharist and allowed the Lord to be the one who led them out into the world.

This same Jesus continues to prevail Himself to us in the Eucharist in order that He may be the one who leads us out into the world. Despite this great gift we so often look past what we are being given and allow ourself to be focused upon something else. Thus the church ceases to be a place of silence and prayer because we forget that we are in the presence of the Eucharist. Thus despite the disposition of our soul we come forward to receive communion because everyone else is doing it. Thus we fail to take time to pray before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament for our life is too busy with other functions.

Rather let us be led onto the Altar of God and there come to give ourself unto our Lord. Let us be nourished by Christ’s Body and Blood and from this encounter be set aflame with Christ. If we can allow this to be made true within us we will not need any innovations and gimmicks, but instead all will come to encounter Christ through us. We will become welcoming of others because of Christ. We will become evangelists of the Gospel because of Christ. People will be drawn not to us, but to Christ.

Therefore we should strive to become a Eucharistic people who have been transformed by the gift which is Christ present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist.

15th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

Truly God gives to each of us the grace which is necessary to lead good and holy lives, but we so often allow ourself to get up in the ways of the world at the expense of the Gospel. No matter the life that we have lived in the past we must remember that we can become this good soil which is prepared to receive God’s grace.

Therefore let us consider for ourself the ways in which we can prepare the soil of our soul to receive this abundant outpouring of God’s grace. Let us realize that in doing so we must also consider the ways in which we allow the weeds to grow up within our soul and thus choke out this gift of grace which God is pouring upon us. We must remember that it is not God who withholds rather it us who reject this gift by the way in which we live our life.

If we are to clean out the weeds which choke out grace within our life then we must be willing to enter into the silence of prayer. Here making a daily examination of conscience which causes us to be truthful in our reflection of the ways in which we have transgressed against God and thus each other. Such a practice allows us to make a daily act of contrition as we continue to set straight our path towards an encounter with the Lord. Frequent confession also assists the soul in coming to be cleaned for such an infusion with God’s grace.

Yes, we should desire to cultivate within our life and home this attitude which is open to receiving God’s grace. Throughout our life there are so many ways in which we can be strengthened in our relationship with the Lord. We strengthened when we worthily receive the Most Holy Eucharist for what we receive is truly Jesus Christ who loves us dearly.

The world is a busy place therefore we must constantly remind ourself of the Eucharist. Be it a visit to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in the midst of our busy day or a simple recollection of mind to the gift which is Christ present with us in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Truly such visits are beneficial in changing the disposition of our life in order that we may be more patterned after our Lord and thus open to receiving God’s grace.

Other forms of prayer also assist us in cultivating this reality within ourself especially that of the Most Holy Rosary. The Rosary assists us in lifting our minds and hearts to the mysteries of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. The Rosary allows us to walk with our Blessed Mother and thus in return ask that she may assist us in preparing our soul to receive God’s grace. We must remember the exclamation of the angel Gabriel to her: “Hail Mary, full of grace.” Truly she is most perfect in God’s eyes and thus intercedes that we may receive the gift of God’s grace.

This day and always let us keep watch over the soil of life in order that it may be found rich in nature and thus welcoming of God’s grace.