On the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood
of Jesus Christ, we are invited to renew our faith in the mystery and the power
of the Holy Eucharist.
I’d like to tell a story from the life of our parish patron
saint, St. Clare of Assisi.
St. Clare was born into a wealthy family in the town of
Assisi around the year 1193. She had an
excellent upbringing, and was really a charming and beautiful girl; she had all
of the social graces and her family wished her to marry a wealthy suitor.
But in the year 1212, she encountered a preacher who changed
her life. This preacher had himself
embraced radical Gospel poverty and chastity for the sake of the kingdom. Of course I’m speaking of St. Francis. Clare, inspired by Francis, desired to
dedicate her life completely to the Lord Jesus.
She put aside all worldliness and took the religious habit and became
dedicated to a life of prayer, fasting, and penance.
She soon attracted many young women to her
way of life, including her own sister, Agnes.
The lives of Clare and her religious sisters revolved around
a rhythm of prayer. They did not go out
on preaching missions like Francis and his brothers, rather, they spent their
day falling in love with Jesus Christ in prayer—particularly, through
contemplation of the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
Europe was flourishing economically through the rise of the
merchant guilds and increased trade, particularly with the middle east. However, many Christians began to make the
pursuit of wealth more important than their faith; and Europe began to weaken
in faith. Francis saw the spiritual
danger of this and went out to rebuild the Church through preaching and through
the witness of Gospel poverty, calling people once again to center their lives
on Christ.
St. Clare and her sisters, although they remained in the
convent, supported this renewal of faith through their prayer and fasting. They were the power source for the
Franciscans preaching mission. Their
Gospel poverty and chastity were countersigns to a culture in danger of losing its faith.
Anyway, about 30 years after her religious consecration, an
enemy army invaded the town of Assisi.
Clare had fallen very sick as the army approached the convent. Yet, in her illness and frailty she asked her sisters
to retrieve from the chapel the blessed Sacrament in the monstrance and carry
her to the roof of the monastery. As the
army approached, she prostrated herself before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
and prayed for the protection of Assisi and the protection of her sisters. As she lay prostrate before the Eucharist,
she heard a voice from the monstrance saying, “I will always have you in my
care”. At that moment, she took the
monstrance in her hands and raised it in front of the approaching army. At its sight, the attacking army was filled
with holy fear and fled the town.
This is why statues and religious art of St. Clare depict
her holding the monstrance, as does our parish statue of St. Clare near my
confessional, and the stained glass window in the choir loft.
Clare believed in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the
Eucharist and that Jesus Christ has the power to turn away armies, to transform
cultures, to transform hearts. Through
our celebration of the Eucharist, souls are saved from hell, hearts hardened in
sin are brought to repentance, unbelieving hearts are softened to receive the
Gospel, timid hearts are emboldened for Christian service, and grieving hearts
receive comfort.
The Eucharist is our
power source. Vatican II even called the
Eucharist the source and summit of our Christian life. Attending Mass for the celebration of the
Eucharist is the most important thing we can do on earth. For Jesus Christ is made present here for the
transformation of hearts, the glory of God and salvation of souls.
That 80% of Catholics in this country are not coming to Mass
is a travesty; that Holy Mass is skipped in order attend sporting events, go on shopping
sprees, to sleep off hangovers , is very sad.
They are failing to participate in a fundamental element of
Christianity. This is why we believe
missing Mass is a mortal sin. Because it
is so essential to being a Christian.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard the founder of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers wrote,
“It is necessary for the salvation of society to propagate the Eucharistic
Reign of Christ.” With so much violence
in the world, with an abandoning of Christian values in our society, it is like
an attacking army is at the gates. And
like St. Clare it is important for us to lift high the Eucharist, to lift high
Jesus Christ as our shelter, our strength, our victor, our hope.
To extend the Eucharistic Reign of Christ, Saint John Paul
II to spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. If you have never visited Jesus in our parish
Adoration Chapel, please, spend time with him; fall in love with Him. John Paull II said, “The Church and the world
have great need of Eucharistic Adoration.
Jesus waits for us in this Sacrament of Love. Let us be generous with our time when we go
to encounter Him in adoration and contemplation, full of faith and willing to
make reparation for the great faults and crimes in this world. Let us never allow our Eucharistic adoration
to end.”
Facing some of the greatest challenges the Church has ever
faced since the ascension of Our Lord, we need ever more to draw strength from
our power source.
Sometimes people complain that they don’t get anything out
of Mass. They feel bored when they come
here, they don’t experience the presence of God. The saints teach us the more you put into the
Mass, the more you get out of the Mass.
The person who spends time in prayer throughout the week, reading the
scriptures, visiting Jesus in the tabernacle, will always get more out of the Mass
than the person who just shows up to fulfill their obligation.
When we fail to come to Mass, we allow the enemy army to
claim territory in our hearts and our world.
But when we actively participate at Mass with hearts well-disposed from
prayer throughout the week and acts of charity, the victorious reign of our
Eucharistic Lord is extended.
In today's busy and superficial culture, it is easy for us
to lose our sense of wonder in the face of this awesome gift, to take the
mystery and miracle of the Eucharist for granted.
In just a few moments, Jesus Christ will once again offer
himself to us in the Eucharist, when he does let us renew our commitment to him
to spread his Gospel, to bring his presence, his light, and his love to a world
grown dark, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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