Since Bishop Taylor has asked that his homily for this weekend of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, be presented at all Masses throughout the diocese as we kick off the 3 year Eucharistic Revival that was adopted by our American Bishops in their November meeting of last year, I would like in my pastor's column to present the song that I believe is most appropriate for this wonderful feast. it is one that most, if not all of you know, "O Sacrament Most Holy." The first verse does indeed capture the essence of this feast and our belief in the "Real Presence" of the Lord that we are given to consume at every Mass. It goes "O Jesus we adore you, who in your love divine, conceal your mighty Godhead in forms of bread and wine." It clearly tells us that though it looks like bread and wine from the start of Mass until we consume it (and afterward in the tabernacle), it becomes, during the consecration of Mass, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, our crucified and risen Lord! This solemnity invites us to reflect on the sacredness of the Holy Eucharist (which hopefully our Eucharistic Adorers do for some or all of their holy hour with Jesus exposed for us to see sacramentally in the monstrance). The opening prayer of Mass this weekend prays that we may "revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourelves the fruits of your redemption." This "reverence" is to happen not only after we receive Jesus in Holy Communion in the prayers we pray individually to the Lord and songs with others who have received him, but also in the ways we conduct ourselves after we leave the Mass or the chapel.
I pray that we will all participate in this "Eucharistic Revival" that starts this weekend in the ways our Church gives us to participate in it, and grow in our witness to the Eucharistic Lord and in our longing for the banquet feast of heaven. I believe the refrain from the hymn I mentioned above is appropriate to use on this solemnity and every day of our lives. "O sacrament most holy, O sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving, be every moment thine."
Among the many people who could and/or have shared with me the blessings of "stepping forward" to serve is our V.I.P for the month of June, Rebecca Huber. Rebecca initially offered herself as a choir member at Sacred Heart Parish way back in 1987. Admittedly, her involvement in the parish was limited to participation in the pews regularly at Sunday Mass for quite a period of time. Then at some point, she joined the St. Anthony Guild (in large part since her mother was a member of that guild) and got involved in preparing and serving food for funeral receptions. She volunteered for the ministry of altar server (something that wasn't available to girls when she was growing up) and loves being on the altar and participating in this special way in the Mass. She has subsequently become a lector and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (as she takes Communion monthly to the residents at Mt. Carmel Senior Residence). She was on the ParishCouncil, representing the Social Justice and Charitable Outreach Commission for two consecutive terms (a total of 4 years), and served for two years as parish council president. She still serves on the Social Justice commission and is currently the chair of that commission. Rebecca has also been involved in efforts to raise funds for cancer research and is a cancer survivor herself.
Rebecca is a wonderful volunteer who has discovered that serving the Lord in various ways as a "volunteer" is really answering the call that she AND ALL OF US received at our Baptism, which means answering the Lord directly (in prayer and reflection) or indirectly (through me or someone like Rebecca who talks the talk AND walks the walk happily in service to the Lord. I know she invites everyone to do the same)!
I'm, sure most of you would not be surprised by the reality that I get more than a few e-mails from parishioners inviting me to read an attached article or video. Sadly, one parishioner sends e-mails with articles that are critical of Pope Francis in some of the decisions he makes. I honestly don't usually read them because the articles come from groups that seem to find fault with everything he does and never seems to speak positively (and respectfully) about him or any of his decisions or his teachings. The heading of one of these e-mails this morning was titled "Pope Francis Declares War on Conservative Catholics." My first thought was: "here we go again," in what I knew would be an "opinion based" and not a "fact based" article. I did choose in this instance to read it and not to my surprise it was critical of his decision to name Bishop Robert McElroy of the Diocese of San Diego a Cardinal, the only one from the United States that is included on a much larger list of bishops and archbishops who were chosen from all over the world. While I won't go into that many details of the article except stating the fact that two archbishops in California were not chosen to be Cardinals, including one, Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco, who recently barred a California Representative in Washington D.C. from receiving Holy Communion in his diocese because of her promotion of abortion, I was pleased to see the writer of the article, who lives in San Diego, spoke kindly about Cardinal-elect McElroy, calling him "warm and engaging" and a good pastor to his flock. After reading this part of the article, I find myself applauding and affirming this attempt (though small) to say something positive about this archbishop, and indirectly the pope for naming him a Cardinal.
Whether it be in politics, religion or other areas, I find it sad indeed that there are way too many people who look for and find only what they see a negative or distasteful about someone and hammer away at that (no matter who they are), and don't look for, find and acknowledge the positive and good things the person does, instead making judgements without knowing any or many of the facts and other things that should be considered. The perspecticve that syas and beliee that some people are all bad or are all good, does not imitate the love, compassion, and fair-mindedness of Jesus Christ. Jesus, in more than a few instances spoke unfavorably about those who would judge and even condemn others. While I would say that I don't agree with every decision that our bishop and Pope (and other bishops) make, I do respect them, recognize and give thanks for all the good they do in their role as Shepherds of their flocks, and pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to work in them and through them and in all believers and bless us all with peace of Christ as the guiding force in our thoughts, words, and deeds!!