Our Greatest Treasure

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, often referred to as “Corpus Christi.”The Eucharist is our greatest Treasure, and is at the center of our life as Catholics. Jesus tells us clearly, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” (Jn. 6:53-54) We believe that when Jesus said “This is my body….This is my blood” during the Last Supper, he meant what he said. And he gave his Apostles and their successors the power to “do this,” that is, to continue to transform bread and wine into his living Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

We call the transformation of bread and wine into the living presence of Christ transubstantiation. The bread and wine keep their outward appearance in every respect, but the reality—the substance—is changed. After the Consecration of the Mass, they are no longer bread and wine. They are the living presence of Jesus Christ. To be sure, this is beyond our power to understand completely, although we know that with God all things are possible.

In the United States we are beginning a three-year National Eucharistic Revival: a “grassroots revival of devotion and belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.” Our Bishops state that “the National Eucharistic Revival aims to be a movement that renews the Church by enkindling a living relationship with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.” During these three years, let’s do what we can to increase the faith and devotion that the Bishops are encouraging. For more information, please visit https://rcbo.org/revival/ and follow the links. This is a movement we can all get into! Let’s always recognize the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of Christian life!

Gratefully yours,

Trinity and Community

This weekend the Church worships and honors the Blessed Trinity, the Three Persons in One God. These Three Persons are distinct, one from the other, and yet they are equal and perfectly One God. This mystery of Three Persons in One God has been studied, discussed, and explained since the earliest days of the Church. It is beyond our complete understanding, but we know it is true from Jesus’ own reference to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Mt. 28:19)

We human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. This means that we are also something of a mystery. It also means that we are called to form a community: distinct persons who are united as one. We are called to form a community because God is a Community.

In practical terms, this brings to mind two important questions. Do I respect the unique individuality of each person? And do I strive to cultivate the unity of all persons? The main virtue that helps us accomplish these things is the virtue of charity. No wonder the Scriptures tell us “God is Love” (1 Jn. 4:8)! This week let’s give extra effort to the practice of charity in all our thoughts, words, and actions. In this manner we will become a living act of praise of the Blessed Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!

Gratefully yours,

Come, Holy Spirit

Pentecost is often called the birthday of the Church.This is because the coming of the Holy Spirit transformed the Apostles from being a group of of Christ into being the the living presence of Christ in the world. Three symbols help us understand the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Scriptural account of the first Pentecost (in Acts 2:1-11) tells us that the coming of the Holy Spirit was signaled by the sound of a strong driving wind. Wind is invisible, like the Holy Spirit; we do not see the wind, but we see and feel its effects. The same is true of the Holy Spirit. Also, we could say that the wind was like the breath of God himself. (In fact, the Latin word for breath is.)

The Acts of the Apostles tell us that tongues of fire appeared and came to rest on each of the Apostles. Fire shows us the warmth of love and the light of faith; these are two important aspects of the life and work of the Holy Spirit in us.

A third symbol of the Holy Spirit is found in the Gospel accounts of the Baptism of Christ. They tell us that the Holy Spirit appeared over Christ in the form of a dove. The dove is a sign of peace; one of the clearest signs that we are being guided by the Holy Spirit is that we have true inner peace.

Today we rejoice in the many ways that the invisible, yet infinitely powerful, Spirit of God works in us and around us. May all we do be guided by the Holy Spirit, the life-breath of God himself.

Gratefully yours,