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- - - - - - Pastor’s Corner
Today, we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi, the Body (and Blood) of Jesus in the most Holy Eucharist. It also providentially falls on the same week as one of our ‘unofficial’ patronesses, St. Alice the Virgin Leper, who had a great love for Jesus in the Eucharist. I could write pages, but I found this quote from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI that really sums up what today is all about:
“The Church's faith is essentially a eucharistic faith, and it is especially nourished at the table of the Eucharist … Awakened by the preaching of God's word, faith is nourished and grows in the grace-filled encounter with the Risen Lord which takes place in the sacraments: "faith is expressed in the rite, while the rite reinforces and strengthens faith." (14) For this reason, the Sacrament of the Altar is always at the heart of the Church's life: "thanks to the Eucharist, the Church is reborn ever anew!" (15) The more lively the eucharistic faith of the People of God, the deeper is its sharing in ecclesial life in steadfast commitment to the mission entrusted by Christ to his disciples. The Church's very history bears witness to this. Every great reform has in some way been linked to the rediscovery of belief in the Lord's eucharistic presence among his people.” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 6)
Wow. The more we love Jesus in the Eucharist, the more committed we will be to the Church’s mission and the more we will feel that we belong to the Church! It makes perfect sense, since adoration of the blessed sacrament increases our faith in Jesus’ constant love and presence with us. That’s why the Church gave us this feast to proclaim to ourselves and the world (through a Eucharistic procession) that Jesus is still with us! What great news: Jesus hasn’t left us orphans, but is truly with us “until the end of the age” as he promised! Processions are so wonderful—they remind us that our lives are about ‘following Jesus’ on the path to heaven. We will be doing all that we can to ‘fix our eyes on Jesus, who inspires and perfects our faith’.
I want to thank Lori Thompson in a special way for making and decorating the canopy for the Blessed Sacrament procession—it is beautiful and we are so grateful for you sharing your gifts with us! Thank you for the work of both choirs to provide music for today, as well as all those providing food, logistics, and entertainment for the picnic—we couldn’t do it without you!
You also may have noticed the HUGE new monstrance which holds the blessed Sacrament for adoration. It belonged to my grandfather Ron Bentz, who was a deacon for this archdiocese and one of my heroes. All of these beautiful things help us to pray better and recognize the beauty of our faith. For, indeed, “In the Eucharist, Jesus does not give us a “thing,” but himself; he offers his own body and pours out his own blood” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 7). May His gift of self inspire us to give our whole lives for Him and His Church through our celebration today. “O Sacrament most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine.” St. Alice, pray for us!
Blessings,
Fr. Mark
POPE FRANCIS—PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR JUNE - - Sunday 2:00 pm - - - - Middle School & High School - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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– - – – - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Don’t Forget to Join Us This Sunday, June 18th, for the Annual ST. ALICE CELEBRATION Approx. 11:00am - Eucharistic Procession
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Approx. 11:30am – Parish Picnic
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