Corpus Christi: Renewal through the Eucharist
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Happy Feast of Corpus Christi! Today we celebrate the Feast of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus. Jesus loved us enough to die for us, but even more, He loved us enough to remain with us. The Cross shows how much He loved us then; the Eucharist shows us how much He loves us now. He awaits our love in the tabernacle, often alone and almost completely forgotten. So often Christians go through their day without considering that within a relatively short distance, Jesus’ Sacred Heart burns with love for them in the tabernacle. He remains there as a prisoner of His own love, thirsting for people to come and pay Him a visit and return some of His love. In the Eucharist, Jesus is meek and humble, content with awaiting our response. He makes Himself available and invites us by His Presence, but does not force us. Let us remember that He yearns for us to return some small token of love by stopping in during adoration hours, to visit Him, to return His love, to satisfy His thirst.
The Eucharist silently and persistently calls us to conversion. Simply going through the motions of Mass on Sunday is far from sufficient for living a Christian life. As we confess at the beginning of Mass, we must repent and hold ourselves accountable for all the good that we have failed to do. All the times that we could have prayed, and didn’t… all the times we could have spread the Gospel, and didn’t… all the service we could have given, and didn’t…
The good news is, that around the world, the Catholic Church is being renewed and growing. That is not happening in our family of parishes, though (yet!!), and St. Paul can help us understand why. He explains that the reason that churches become sickly, and even die, is because of unworthy reception of the Eucharist. St. Paul explains that if a person receives communion after having committed a grave sin, without being renewed by confession, that person becomes guilty of crucifying the Lord (1 Cor. 11:17-34). In that case, St. Paul says, coming to Mass causes more spiritual harm than good. Unworthy communions cause weakness, sickness, and spiritual death in the parish community. There are many people who receive communion unworthily, without seeking reconciliation with their brothers and sisters in the Church through the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Mt. 5:23-24). These poor folks become spiritual zombies when they receive communion; they are the walking spiritual undead. It should be clear why such a situation leads to the decline of parishes over time. Many folks in our pews who don’t go to confession may be in this state, and we should encourage them to take the time to seek reconciliation. We need a spiritual renewal of our parishes, in which we learn to live and love with the life of God in the Eucharist.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Henry
