Given the infinite number of possibilities in which God can manifest Himself to us, God chose the ordinary form of eating and drinking. Through the sharing of a meal Jesus Christ makes Himself present so that we can eat His Body and drink His Blood.
Today we rejoice in the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. The Eucharist is who we are—the Body of Christ. The Eucharist is not a reward for the virtuous, since we are all sinners. We can never consider ourselves to be worthy of so great a privilege. Neither is the Eucharist a punishment for those whom we consider unworthy. Remember that Judas received Holy Communion. We know the story, all the Apostles betrayed Christ, not only Judas. We betray Christ every time that we sin. Obviously, our reception of the Eucharist does not depend on us. Divine mercy sets us free. God’s love for us makes us worthy, despite our sins. Therefore, the Eucharist cannot be used as a political weapon. In our history the Western Church excommunicated the East, and the East excommunicated the West. Think of the consequences if God had paid attention. Hell would be full, and heaven would be empty. Christ came to save us from ourselves, but we are slow learners. Bottom line: the Eucharist is a gift which we cannot merit, just like the folks who got a free lunch of the loaves and the fish. Although they did not receive Holy Communion, they were fed until they could eat no more. Jesus satisfied their physical hunger as He satisfies our spiritual hunger. The crowd of more than five thousand remembered the day and shared the news with everyone. They received only loaves and fish. We receive the Body and Blood of Christ and rarely speak about the miracle of the Eucharist with others.
The National Eucharistic Revival starts today in the Diocese of Brownsville with a procession in Brownsville. There is more information on the website. The intention is to invite people back to Holy Mass. We had a dispensation from the Sunday obligation because of the pandemic. Folks are still confessing that they missed seeing Mass on TV. Seeing Mass on TV can never substitute for coming to Church because we cannot receive Holy Communion from the TV. The dispensation has been withdrawn. Spread the word. People got accustomed to staying at home. Time to come back home. We can receive the Eucharist only within Holy Mass.
Several practices changed due to the restrictions to avoid contamination of the virus. One practice was the insistence that we all receive Holy Communion in the hand. There is no problem with receiving Holy Communion in the hand, if we use both hands. (We are not supposed to reach for the host with one hand.) Left hand over right if we are righthanded, so that we can take the Blessed Sacrament and put Him in our mouth immediately. If we are lefthanded the opposite is done. Since both hands are needed, we cannot be preoccupied with the removal of the face mask. The mask needs to be removed when we are next in line. If holding a child in our arms, we should receive on the tongue. Reception on the tongue continues to be the ordinary way to receive. However, there are no issues either way, if we are respectful and reverent of the wonderful moment of intimacy with the Lord. We cannot come closer to Christ, while on this earth, than through the Blessed Sacrament. Naturally, the best ones to lead their family to Christ are the fathers. We remember our fathers, both living and those who have gone to heaven. Each father of a family has been entrusted with the vocation to lead his family. Each father is the priest of his home. Nothing speaks louder about the importance of prayer than to see fathers kneeling to pray. Personal example is the best way to teach. Our society is in desperate need of masculine spiritual role models. Dads, no one can take your place.
Happy Father’s Day. Forgive the mistakes that your family has made. Your family forgives you for your mistakes. Forgiveness is one of the best ways to love. We congratulate you and we pray for you.
Today we rejoice in the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. The Eucharist is who we are—the Body of Christ. The Eucharist is not a reward for the virtuous, since we are all sinners. We can never consider ourselves to be worthy of so great a privilege. Neither is the Eucharist a punishment for those whom we consider unworthy. Remember that Judas received Holy Communion. We know the story, all the Apostles betrayed Christ, not only Judas. We betray Christ every time that we sin. Obviously, our reception of the Eucharist does not depend on us. Divine mercy sets us free. God’s love for us makes us worthy, despite our sins. Therefore, the Eucharist cannot be used as a political weapon. In our history the Western Church excommunicated the East, and the East excommunicated the West. Think of the consequences if God had paid attention. Hell would be full, and heaven would be empty. Christ came to save us from ourselves, but we are slow learners. Bottom line: the Eucharist is a gift which we cannot merit, just like the folks who got a free lunch of the loaves and the fish. Although they did not receive Holy Communion, they were fed until they could eat no more. Jesus satisfied their physical hunger as He satisfies our spiritual hunger. The crowd of more than five thousand remembered the day and shared the news with everyone. They received only loaves and fish. We receive the Body and Blood of Christ and rarely speak about the miracle of the Eucharist with others.
The National Eucharistic Revival starts today in the Diocese of Brownsville with a procession in Brownsville. There is more information on the website. The intention is to invite people back to Holy Mass. We had a dispensation from the Sunday obligation because of the pandemic. Folks are still confessing that they missed seeing Mass on TV. Seeing Mass on TV can never substitute for coming to Church because we cannot receive Holy Communion from the TV. The dispensation has been withdrawn. Spread the word. People got accustomed to staying at home. Time to come back home. We can receive the Eucharist only within Holy Mass.
Several practices changed due to the restrictions to avoid contamination of the virus. One practice was the insistence that we all receive Holy Communion in the hand. There is no problem with receiving Holy Communion in the hand, if we use both hands. (We are not supposed to reach for the host with one hand.) Left hand over right if we are righthanded, so that we can take the Blessed Sacrament and put Him in our mouth immediately. If we are lefthanded the opposite is done. Since both hands are needed, we cannot be preoccupied with the removal of the face mask. The mask needs to be removed when we are next in line. If holding a child in our arms, we should receive on the tongue. Reception on the tongue continues to be the ordinary way to receive. However, there are no issues either way, if we are respectful and reverent of the wonderful moment of intimacy with the Lord. We cannot come closer to Christ, while on this earth, than through the Blessed Sacrament. Naturally, the best ones to lead their family to Christ are the fathers. We remember our fathers, both living and those who have gone to heaven. Each father of a family has been entrusted with the vocation to lead his family. Each father is the priest of his home. Nothing speaks louder about the importance of prayer than to see fathers kneeling to pray. Personal example is the best way to teach. Our society is in desperate need of masculine spiritual role models. Dads, no one can take your place.
Happy Father’s Day. Forgive the mistakes that your family has made. Your family forgives you for your mistakes. Forgiveness is one of the best ways to love. We congratulate you and we pray for you.
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