From the Pastor's Desk: June 14, 2020

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
 

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you; he who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
- John 6:53, 54




Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Today in our celebration we share in the essence of our faith what Jesus tells us in the Gospel, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” The significance of Jesus’ statement is echoed by St. Paul,  who reminds us that we "participate in the body of Christ" when we break the bread,  and the cup we drink is "a participation in the blood of Christ."  On this Solemnity of Corpus Christi we proclaim the greatest gift of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, "the source and the summit of the Christian life"- the reality from which everything in our life flows (source) and the reality toward which everything in our life is directed (summit), the reality that gives us– the faithful– an energy, vision, and hope to foster a true civilization of love.
 
Our belief in this Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist derives from the literal interpretation of the promise of Christ to give His Body and Blood for our spiritual food and drink, as found in St. John's Gospel, Chapter 6, in the four independent accounts of the fulfillment of this promise at the Last Supper (Mt. 26; Mk. 14; Lk. 22), and the teaching of St. Paul (1 Cor. 10:16 and 11:23). Eucharistic theologians explain the Real Presence by a process called transubstantiation: the entire “substance” of bread and wine is changed into the glorified Body and Blood of Christ, retaining only the “accidents” (taste, color, shape, etc.) of bread and wine by the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, this is not an empty and symbolic ritual but rather truth that brings us face to face with the presence of something truly supernatural. Although the world often denies that truth– including way too many Catholics themselves– let us pray for the grace to believe and not into thinking we are going through the motions of some embarrassing holdover from another era. What Jesus is teaching, what Jesus is offering, what He left us as remembrance of Him, is truly otherworldly. What Jesus offers here is a way into a new life, a life with God- a life of God- that God has literally come to earth to offer the entire world.
 
In this powerful and beautiful context of Jesus’ Eucharistic gift to humanity, we will celebrate First Holy Communion.  This Sunday at a special Mass at 2:00 pm, 46 children from our parish will bear witness to the love of Christ as they will receive the precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ for the first time. I want to congratulate all those who will be receiving their First Communion this Sunday. It is a very special moment in your lives– a moment that will change your lives once and forever. From now on, you will receive the greatest gift of God to us – His creation – the Eucharist. From now on, you will grow ever closer to the One whom you will receive– Jesus Christ. I also want to thank everyone who helped and assisted in any way with the sacramental preparation of our children, and assure you, your families and friends of my prayers on this very special day.
 
This Saturday, June 20 ^th,  at 10:00 am at the Cathedral Basilica in St. Augustine, we will share in the celebration of the Priestly Ordination of 6 deacons. The occasion of Priestly Ordination is a special moment in the life of the newly ordained that invites us to share, support, and to pray that the love and presence of God will forever make them one with Jesus Christ, the High Priest. Please join me in prayers for the newly ordained priests. This occasion is more special for our parish because our parishioner- Mason Wiggins is among the deacons to be ordained. Fr. Mason will celebrate his Mass of Thanksgiving in our parish on Sunday, June 21 ^st at 8:15 am. Please plan to attend and join me in prayers and to congratulate him and his classmates. 
 
I wish you a blessed week and may the encounter with the Eucharistic Jesus make us always a reflection of the One we receive.
 
With prayers,
Fr. Andy