A word from Pope Francis ~ “May we never yield to the temptation to disregard others…instead, may we strive daily, in concrete and practical ways, to form a community composed of brothers and sisters who accept and care for one another.”
Happy Father’s Day to all of our dads, grandpas, Godfathers, and all those who are like a father to us. We celebrate and thank you for all of the marvelous ways you reveal God’s love to us. We ask God’s blessing upon you today and particularly remember those of our fathers who have gone ahead of us in faith and now live with the Lord.
We also remember those who do not look forward to today’s celebration. For some of us, our fathers are no longer with us and there is still a hole in our hearts. Others have had hurtful or abusive relationships with their fathers. Still others among us struggle with the painful experience of infertility. Couples in these situations spend this day grieving in the shadows. Besides honoring our fathers this day, we prayerfully remember those who are grieving the absence of their father or the opportunity to be a father.
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of “The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.” Now that we have completed the Lent/Easter cycle of our church year, we celebrate a few additional Solemnities of the Lord before we return to the steady cycle of Sundays in Ordinary Time. Last Sunday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. Today we celebrate the second of our two special feasts, “The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ” (traditionally known as “Corpus Christi”). Separated now from the dark themes of Holy Thursday night, we are able to celebrate and appreciate the tremendous gift of Christ’s presence among us through the gift of the Eucharist. As the first Mass celebrated in our original church was on March 27, 1921, that means 101 years of continued Eucharistic presence of the Lord on our parish campus. From the time of that first Mass, the presence of the Lord has remained on our campus through the Eucharist. Our Perpetual Adoration Chapel on the north side of the church is also a great reminder of the Lord’s continued presence among us. Next Sunday we resume our Sunday celebrations in Ordinary Time, returning to the season at the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time. We will be in this “green season” of the Church Year from then until November 27, the First Sunday of Advent.
The Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States has asked that a National Eucharistic Revival be observed in every diocese in the country, beginning with today’s Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ and extending through 2025, with the final year being a year of Mission. The Eucharistic Revival hopes to foster growth into a deeper love for God and the Eucharist. Last January, Bishop Ron Hicks wrote, “Hopefully, this Eucharistic Revival will serve as a spark for Catholics across the United States to help reignite their faith by being healed, converted, formed and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist and to be sent out in mission ‘for the life of the world.’” We join with our bishop in looking forward to this wonderful opportunity ahead.
Next weekend we have the opportunity to participate in the annual “Peter’s Pence” appeal. This collection helps to fund the Holy Father’s personal efforts at caring for the needy and suffering of our world. Envelopes for this appeal were included in the pack received in the mail, or you may use one of the white envelopes in the pew racks. As always, thank you for your generosity.
While Memorial Day traditionally signals the beginning of summer, the official beginning of summer will take place this Tuesday at 4:13 am CDT. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year. Remember back to the winter when it was dark at 4:30 pm? It is time to savor God’s gift of light and the gift of the summer. May God continue to bless us with all that we need, and more.
Father Jim Murphy