Dear Church Family,
The Body and Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi) is one of my favorite feasts because to me Holy Communion is so essential to my faith and probably to yours that the Lord actually, 2000 years after He lived, still shares with us his Body and Blood. This is a foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet where we will be totally in union with the Lord. It is good to celebrate our good attitude toward Holy Communion and how that is essential in our lives.
I remember one of our shut-ins to whom I would take Holy Communion. Always had the attitude that no matter what was going on in the home even if she didn’t feel so good, she wanted her Communion. She would say, “Fr. Bob it’s Holy Communion time, bring it on.” Her basic attitude was, “This is most important and I want to receive the Lord in Holy Communion more than anything else.” Well, there are others I take Communion to and if they are not feeling good or it’s a little inconvenient they will say, “Well can we just pray a little prayer over the phone or you come another time?” That’s ok but in some way it sort of says, “The most important blessing that I get on any day is to receive Communion and I’m not aware of it.” It’s good to examine how important Holy Communion is in our lives. Never pass up an opportunity to receive our Lord and put that first.
I remember going to the hospital and giving Communion to patients and if there were family members of the Catholic Faith I would ask them if they too would like to receive Communion. Some would say, “Oh no, we receive Communion on Sunday.” They just passed up a million dollar miracle. They had no clue that the most important thing is to receive the Lord as often as possible, usually once a day. So many, many people go to Communion as often as they can. What is your attitude towards this sacred gift?
It is also good to give thanks to God for giving you this gift. Think of your first Communion and first Confession Day. Take a trip down memory lane knowing this is such a marvelous blessing. Usually we make a big deal out of this because it is a rite of passage into what adults do and that is have enough knowledge to really believe that you are receiving Jesus when you receive the bread and wine, the Lord’s Body and Blood.
Enjoy the memories you have. I can remember receiving Communion at Christ the Kings Church in University City. I remember the family and the neighbors taking pictures of us and seeing those pictures through the years at home. Little Bobby had on long socks up to his knees and a bow tie, a white suit and I don’t mind saying, “He looked cute!” The main thing is I got dressed up in this little uniform because I was doing something so very, very special. My family affirmed the sacredness of all this by the attention they gave me on that day. How are your memories? If you don’t remember just think about how you are doing right now in your attitude of putting the Lord first.
Lastly, it is just good to know that receiving Communion doesn’t just put you in union with the Lord but it also puts you in union with everybody else in the sense that you are called then to be Jesus to others. Saint Augustine is noted for saying, “You are what you eat.” If you eat the Lord in Holy Communion then you are called to really put yourself at the foot of the cross and help people go through their sufferings and struggles in life, just loving them as we are called to do. As our sign in the back of the church says on the one door “Enter to Worship, Exit to Serve” that’s what Holy Communion leads us to. Enjoy this great feast day the Body and Blood of Christ. Alleluia!
Love, Fr. Bob
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