Dear People of God,

This weekend, the Universal Church celebrates the Feast of The Body and Blood of Christ. This special celebration of the centrality of Christ's "real presence" in the Eucharist finds its root in the thirteenth century. After centuries of questioning the "real presence," many popular devotions developed around the Eucharist. The Church encouraged the populace to understand that we really do believe that Jesus is fully present in the Eucharist under the form of bread and wine.

St. Ambrose wrote about the "true presence" when he said, "Be convinced that this is not what nature has formed, but what the blessing has consecrated. The power of the blessing prevails over that of nature, because by the blessing nature itself is changed...Could not Christ's word, which can make from nothing what did not exist, change existing things into what they were not before? It is no less a feat to give things their original nature than to change their nature." (AmbMyst).

Jesus teaches us that unlike the lamb of old from Passover time, He is the true lamb whose blood not only cleanses but also makes redemption possible. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we are told, "For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God." For on the feast of Passover, Jesus took some bread and blessed it saying, "Take it; this is my body." He did the same with the cup of wine and said, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many."

For believers, we know and experience the love of God whose blood has been shed for us through Jesus Christ. So much does God love us that He would go to such lengths to prove it. As Catholics, we truly believe that Jesus is fully present in the Eucharist. When we receive His Body and Blood, we receive Jesus who is fully human and fully Divine. We receive the Lord who becomes one with us so that we can be about the mission of bringing His Good News of love and salvation to the world at large.

The feast of "Corpus Christi" is but another reminder and opportunity to understand that Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life," as proclaimed in the Second Vatican Council. Understanding and receiving this incredible gift of love at weekly or daily mass is an ongoing source of inspiration and grace for the believer who appreciates the seriousness of what and whom is received.

My friends pray for the grace to never take for granted God's great gift to us in the Eucharist. God gives us His very self. He gives us love itself so that we can also become love itself in all that we say and in all that we do.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. James Tarantino,
Pastor