3rd Week of Easter 2026 - Friday - Eucharist and Supernatural Life

Last week, remember, we read through the Lord’s conversation with Nicodemus in which Jesus speaks of supernatural and spiritual rebirth. Through baptism, we are born again through water and the spirit. What is spiritually dead in us is brought to new life, and not only that, but God’s supernatural grace raises—elevates—our human nature. The intellect is elevated by grace to know God not merely by natural reason, but by faith. The will is elevated enabling us to love God with charity, which is far beyond merely natural love or moral goodwill. 

Through baptismal grace we share in God’s own life and are now capable of acting in a way ordered to the ultimate supernatural end: union with the Trinity. Human nature, left to itself, cannot attain the beatific vision. No amount of natural intelligence, moral discipline, or sheer human effort can reach it. But through baptism, our earthly life can culminate in heavenly life.

But, in the Gospel today, Jesus explains that for the supernatural life to be sustained in us, we must eat supernatural food. “Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you.” The Eucharist sustains the supernatural life begun at baptism. 

When the body is deprived of food it languishes and dies; and it is the same with the soul. The Eucharist does not merely symbolize supernatural life; it actually communicates it, because it is not ordinary bread but the living Christ himself. “I am the bread of life”, says the Lord. 

The Eucharist nurtures the deepening of supernatural life. Every time we receive the Eucharist, we are offered a greater share and participation in the life of God, for the Eucharist strengthens the theological virtues. It nourishes faith, because in Holy Communion we entrust ourselves to Christ’s word and presence even when hidden under sacramental signs. It nourishes hope, because the Eucharist is a pledge of future glory, a foretaste of heaven. It nourishes charity, because the life of God is one of love—self-sacrificial love, and in the Eucharist, we become what we receive, says St. Augustine—the very Christ who gave himself as a ransom for many.

Like medicine that strengthens the body weakened by illness, the Eucharist strengthens the soul against spiritual disease—enabling us to withstand the assaults, temptations, and lies of the enemy.

 St. Cyprian, writing in the early third century, says Christians imprisoned and tortured for the name of Christ received from the hand of the Bishop the sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord, so they would not yield to a Roman prosecutor and deny their faith. Before going on trial, they pleaded, “Give me Communion, so I’ll be able to resist.” From the very beginning of the Church, this was the reason Holy Communion was brought to the Christians in prison, that they could be strengthened in their persecution and temptations.

Whenever you present yourself to receive the Eucharist, do so with openness to be strengthened in the Christian life, fortified against sin, desiring to grow in the life of the spirit, in faith, hope, and charity, in the gifts and fruits of the Spirit, for the mission of the Church, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

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By offering His Body and Blood for us, Jesus reconciles the world to the Father. Therefore, we present our needs to God with confidence.

That the outpouring of charity in Christ’s Eucharistic Self-Sacrifice will become manifest in all of the Church’s activity in the world, in all marriages, in all of our business relations, family relationships and  daily encounters, in our care for the downtrodden and most vulnerable; among friends, strangers, and enemies.  

For Catholics who have fallen away from the Eucharist, that they may know the grace of sincere repentance and return to the table of the Lord.

That all of God's children may have sufficient bread for their physical life and the Bread of Life for their spiritual life. 

That those who have died may share the eternal life that Jesus promised to those who feed on the Bread from Heaven. 

Gracious Father, hear our prayers. Nourish us continually with your Son’s presence in the Eucharist, and grant us the grace to lead others to this divine source of eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

3rd Week of Easter 2026 - Wednesday (School Mass) - We belong to God

 

It seems strange that during this joyous easter season, we have these readings from the Acts of the Apostles about how the Church was being persecuted. Last week, we heard of how the apostles were thrown into jail for their Christian faith. Yesterday, the reading recounted the death of the first martyr, the deacon Stephen. Today’s reading picks up right where yesterday’s left off. With the death of Stephen a severe persecution broke out in Jerusalem, and Christians were scattered to the country side.

Why do we focus on imprisonment, persecution, suffering, and martyrdom during this season of joy?

The Church reads from the Acts of the Apostles during Easter because it contains the testimony of how ordinary, frightened disciples became courageous because they knew that their redeemer lived. We see how the first Christians were able to keep going, keep loving, keep preaching, keep serving, even when life became difficult because Jesus Christ was risen from the dead, and they believed that preaching and serving the Gospel was the most important thing they could do for themselves and others.

These stories are so powerful for us because they help us to be courageous and to serve God when it is difficult as well. I can’t promise you that being a follower of Jesus will help you overcome a fear of heights, or spiders, or other phobias. But I can promise you that as you seek to follow Jesus more and more faithfully, you will become a more courageous, generous, loving, peaceful, wise Christian. As you begin to hand your minds and your hearts over to Jesus more and more, he will help you overcome temptation, he will give you strength of spirit, he will help you carry the burdens of your life—including the burdens that other people do not even know about—troubles at home, grief, loneliness, or social pressure.

In the Gospel, Jesus says, I will not lose anyone who comes to me, but I will raise them up on the last day. Here was another powerful reminder to the early church. Following Jesus means that you belong to God. And God does not lose things, like we do.

The early Christians were scattered by persecution, but wherever they went, Jesus was with them. So too with us. Whenever we experience the pressure and hatred of the world for being Christian, God is with us. In whatever true challenges we face, God is with us, helping us to do his will, to walk in his light, to witness to the goodness and truth of Jesus Christ.

Trust in the Lord, now and always, for Jesus Christ is truly risen from the dead, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in the risen Jesus, who conquered death and continues to guide His Church, let us bring our prayers before our heavenly Father.

For the Church throughout the world:  that, like the Apostles, she may boldly and faithfully preach Jesus Christ risen from the dead, and that Jesus, the Bread of Life, may be her strength in every season, let us pray to the Lord.

For Christians throughout the world, especially those who are mocked, threatened, or persecuted for their faith:  that the Lord may protect them and fill them with the same courage he gave to the Apostles, let us pray to the Lord.

That the grace of Easter may deeply transform our lives, strengthen marriages, renew our families, increase vocations and sanctify the clergy, make us attentive to the poor and helpless, bring peace to the world, and bless us in carrying out the mission of the Gospel.  Let us pray to the Lord.

For Corpus Christi Academy:  that our students, teachers, and families may let the power of Jesus’ resurrection shape the way we think, speak, and live each day, let us pray to the Lord.

For those who are sick, suffering, or discouraged:  that the victory of the risen Lord may give them strength, peace, and hope, let us pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead:  that they may share forever in the glory of Christ’s resurrection, let us pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, you raised your Son from the dead and filled the Apostles with courage and joy. Hear these prayers we place before you and help us to live always in the light of Easter. Through Christ our Lord.

 

3rd Week of Easter 2025 - Friday - The Bread of Life Nourishes, Cleanses, Strengthens, and Sanctifies

 

Last week, remember, we read through the Lord’s conversation with Nicodemus in which Jesus speaks of supernatural birth for his followers, a second birth, in which we are born anew to the supernatural life of the Spirit. 

This week, we’ve read through the Bread of Life discourse in which Jesus teaches us not of supernatural rebirth, but supernatural food—food that will sustain the life of the spirit.

This morning, our newly elected Pope, Leo XIV celebrated the Eucharist with his Cardinals because the Eucharist truly is the bread of life; the Eucharist produces life in us because the Eucharist IS Jesus Christ who is Our Life

The Eucharist sustains the supernatural life begun at baptism. When the body is deprived of food it languishes and dies; and it is the same with the soul, the Eucharist sustains supernatural life in us, as Jesus says, “unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you do not have life within you.”

The Eucharist is our pledge of eternal life and resurrection: He who receives Eucharist, Christ will “raise up on the last day”. St. Ignatius of Antioch said is “the food that makes us live forever in Jesus Christ”, it is the “remedy for our mortality”.

The Eucharist restores the soul which has become weakened by venial sin. St. Ambrose said Holy Communion “is a remedy for our daily infirmities”. The damage we do to our souls through venial sin is restored through Holy Communion.

The Eucharist strengthens us to give witness to Christ and persevere in faith. St. Cyprian, writing in the early third century, describes how Christians imprisoned for their faith, awaiting trial at which they would likely receive a death sentence,  would plead for Holy Communion. “Give me Communion, so I’ll be able to resist.” 

The Eucharist helps us to persevere in faith at the hour of our death. This is why the Eucharist is brought to the dying. “Whoever eats this bread will live forever”, what a powerful promise to recall as one lay dying.

And the Eucharist increases sanctifying grace in our souls: helping us to love with the heart of Christ, making our lives more pleasing to God.

Through the Eucharist, may the life of Christ in us continue to be sustained, nourished, strengthened, and increased for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

By offering His Body and Blood for us, Jesus reconciles the world to the Father. Therefore, we present our needs to God with confidence.

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For newly elected Pope Leo XIV that the Eucharist may sustain, nourish and protect him in his new ministry for which we pray to be filled with many blessings and the unending guidance of the Holy Spirit.

That Christians may always approach the Eucharist worthily, in full communion with the teachings and practices of the Church. 

For Catholics who have fallen away from the Eucharist, that they may know the grace of sincere repentance and return to the table of the Lord.

That all God's children may have sufficient bread for their physical life and the Bread of Life for their spiritual life. 

That those who have died may share the eternal life that Jesus promised to those who feed on the Bread from Heaven. 

Gracious Father, hear our prayers. Nourish us continually with your Son’s presence in the Eucharist, and grant us the grace to lead others to this divine source of eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

3rd Week of Easter 2025 - Wednesday - Hungering for the Bread of Life

 

One of the things that perennially draws people to join the Catholic Church is the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Even amidst scandals and abuses, when the imperfections of the members of the Church are on display, Jesus draws people to the Catholic faith through the Eucharist. 

Why is the Eucharist so powerful in drawing souls to God? St. John Vianney said, “The soul hungers for God, and nothing but God can satiate it.  Therefore He came to dwell on earth and assumed a Body in order that this Body might become the Food of our souls" 

God has placed a deep hunger within our souls, a hunger for himself. And our good God has provided the food to satisfy that hunger. The world offers many artificial alternatives to God, but the Eucharist is the food that truly satisfies.

Isaiah the prophet asked, “Why spend money on that which is not bread, and wages on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods” Little did Isaiah know of the bread which God would give in the Eucharist, the supersubstantial bread that truly satisfies and delights our souls. 

A few years ago, on the feast of Corpus Christi, the late Holy Father Pope Francis said, “Let us choose this food of life! Let us make Mass our priority! Let us rediscover Eucharistic adoration in our communities! Let us implore the grace to hunger for God, with an insatiable desire to receive what he has prepared for us”

In the Gospel today, the Lord makes the invitation to all people: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst”. Again, during the Easter Season, we consider how we are called to extend that invitation to the spiritually starving. If we don’t extend the invitation, they will go from one unsatisfying pursuit to the other until they starve to death.

May we respond generously to the Easter summons to go out to the world, to teach and make disciples, to help souls longing, searching, and hungering for God to find Him here, and to share communion with Him for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in Christ’s true presence among us in the Eucharist, we present our prayers and petitions to our Heavenly Father.

That the Church around the world may be a visible sign of the light of the Risen Lord calling all people to new life and communion with Him, and for the Holy Spirit’s guidance for the college of Cardinals in the conclave for the papal election.

For leaders of nations, that they may be guided by the wisdom and love revealed in Christ’s Eucharistic sacrifice, promoting justice, peace, and dignity for all people.

For priests and those preparing for priestly ministry, that their hearts may be strengthened and their lives continually transformed by the Eucharist, the source of their joy and priestly identity, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

For married couples and families, that the self-giving love of Christ made present in the Eucharist may inspire and sustain their love and fidelity to one another.

For those experiencing spiritual hunger, loneliness, or despair, that they may encounter Christ, finding in him nourishment, peace, and fulfillment for their souls.

For those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, that they may draw comfort and strength from Christ’s presence in the Eucharist and from the charitable giving of the Body of Christ.

For our beloved dead, especially Pope Francis, that they may share in that eternal life promised to those who ate and drank the body and blood of Christ. 

Gracious Father, hear our prayers. Nourish us continually with your Son’s presence in the Eucharist, and grant us the grace to lead others to this divine source of eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

3rd Week of Easter 2025 - Tuesday - "What sign can you do that we might believe?"

 

What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?

In today’s Gospel the people were asking for a sign so they could believe that Jesus was really sent by God.

And Jesus said, I’ll give you a sign: bread. But not just any bread. Bread that is my flesh. Bread that is my body and blood and soul and divinity.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote about the Eucharist that “The Eucharist means God has answered:  The Eucharist is God as an answer, as an answering presence.”

In the Eucharist, God answers our prayers to know that He is with us in our challenges, crosses, temptations, doubts, and disappointments. He is with us in our struggle to love our enemies, forgive those who hurt us, give to those who ask of us. The Eucharist is God’s answer to man’s question “where can I find God, now, and believe in him”. 

In the Eucharist, the Word become flesh has made his dwelling among us, and we can see his glory. In the Eucharist, the Lord’s teaching is fulfilled that, “behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age”. In the Eucharist, we come to understand how Jesus is Emmanuel, God-with-us.

The Church’s use of John Chapter six during this easter season is so fitting, therefore, because it answers how the risen Christ, who appeared to the disciples, can now be glimpsed and approached and adored and received by us, by all people.

So many of our contemporaries are starving for God; they go from one unsatisfying pursuit to another, searching for God—even to the point of self-destruction in some cases. All the while, God is here, present on the altar, present in the tabernacle, able to be received by those who believe in Him. God has given the sign for all those able and willing to see.

During the Easter season we certainly pray for a deeper appreciation and gratitude for God’s answer to humanity’s longing, which is now such a source of strength and joy for the Church. But we also  consider how our Easter mission is to lead souls here—how God’s grace impels us into the world, to help souls find Christ in the Eucharist—so they like us can find the answer to desires and longing for God, for wholeness, and peace, and joy, and the promise of eternal life, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in Christ’s true presence among us in the Eucharist, we present our prayers and petitions to our Heavenly Father.

That the Church around the world may be a visible sign of the light of the Risen Lord calling all people to new life and communion with Him, and for the Holy Spirit’s guidance for the college of Cardinals as they prepare for the conclave and the papal election.

For leaders of nations, that they may be guided by the wisdom and love revealed in Christ’s Eucharistic sacrifice, promoting justice, peace, and dignity for all people.

For priests and those preparing for priestly ministry, that their hearts may be strengthened and their lives continually transformed by the Eucharist, the source of their joy and priestly identity, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

For married couples and families, that the self-giving love of Christ made present in the Eucharist may inspire and sustain their love and fidelity to one another.

For those experiencing spiritual hunger, loneliness, or despair, that they may encounter Christ, finding in him nourishment, peace, and fulfillment for their souls.

For those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, that they may draw comfort and strength from Christ’s presence in the Eucharist and from the charitable giving of the Body of Christ.

For our beloved dead, especially Pope Francis, that they may share in that eternal life promised to those who ate and drank the body and blood of Christ.

Gracious Father, hear our prayers. Nourish us continually with your Son’s presence in the Eucharist, and grant us the grace to lead others to this divine source of eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024 - The bread of supernatural life

 Last week we began a five-week liturgical cycle of reading from chapter 6 of St. John’s Gospel beginning with the account of the miraculous feeding of the 5000. 

This crowd of people must have been tremendously excited after witnessing and benefiting from Jesus’ miracle. They had already followed Jesus out into the wilderness because of his reputation as a great preacher and his ability to cure the sick. But feeding five thousand people with a few loaves was a miracle on a whole other level—levels of magnitude greater than the miracle working prophets of the Old Testament. 

In response to the miraculous feeding, the crowd, as we heard last week, wanted to make Jesus their king. After all, he would be able to satisfy all their material needs—that’s a pretty good quality for a king to possess.  

But Jesus doesn’t stick around for a coronation; he retreats, for his kingdom is not of this world. Nonetheless, the crowd follows him—they want more from him. And to their delight, Jesus explains that he does intend to feed them. As God fed their ancestors in the desert, as we heard in our first reading, Jesus promises that whoever comes to him will never be hungry. He will provide for their hunger, he will provide for their thirst.

What a promise! And yet, six chapters into John’s Gospel, we know that there must be something else coming because a pattern has already emerged in John’s Gospel. While the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke record many miracles, John records only six. The miracle of multiplication in John’s Gospel is the 4th miracle, the first three being the changing of water into wine at the Wedding at Cana, the healing of the Royal Official’s son, also at Cana, and the healing of the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda. And following those miracles, Jesus gives some sort of teaching, a teaching of who He is—and why He is here—and His mission, is about much more than gaining popular adulation in order to claim earthly kingship.

After the Wedding at Cana, Jesus teaches that he’s not just another party goer who enjoys a jug or two of wine. Rather, he is the beloved Son of the Heavenly Father sent by the Father to speak words of everlasting life. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.” He’s on a mission where the stakes are not about temporal pleasures and frivolity—this mission is about life and death—eternal life or death.

After the second and third miracles, Jesus gives another teaching. He teaches again about his relationship with His Father, and that he has been sent to do the work of the Heavenly Father which is a matter of life and death. And then he echoes the teaching he gave after the first miracle, “whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.”

So, following the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, the attentive reader of John’s Gospel will intuit that there is going to be another teaching—and likely one about some very serious eternal realities. In fact, in the original Greek of St. John’s Gospel, this is absolutely clear. 

For the Greek New Testament has two different words for “life”. Bios and Zoe. Bios is natural life, biological life, the physical life of plants, animals, and humans. But Zoe—Zoe is the word for supernatural life—the life of God, the life of the spirit. In today’s passage, when Jesus says, I am the bread of life, which word do you think he uses? Zoe, of course. Εγω ειμι ο αρτος της ζωης. I am the bread of supernatural life. 

Just like he did after the first three miracles, Jesus identifies himself with the life of God. He is sent by the Father to be food for us—and not just food that keeps our bodies alive—food that will keep our souls alive. 

Yes, of course, God is concerned with our physical needs—and if the world were a little more in conformity with the God’s kingdom—there would be a lot less physical hardship on everybody. But in the Bread of Life discourse, Jesus teaches about a reality more vital than even our physical needs. 

Now most people in our modern world say, there IS NOTHING more important than our physical life. Food, drink, shelter, medicine, without these, our frail bodies cannot survive. But Jesus teaches that there IS something more important than even physical life.  For it’s one thing for your body to die, it’s another thing for your souls to be separated from God for eternity. 

Now even a lot of Christians, these days, have fallen into some serious error. They claim that since God is all-loving everybody goes to heaven. So it doesn’t matter if you pray, or if you go to church, or get baptized or confess your sins, or receive the eucharist. But these are grievous errors that keep us from the life God desires for us—the life he sent us Son to be offered up as a sacrifice in order to obtain.

Rather, Christians must witness to the reality of man’s need for the bread of eternal life no matter what our foolish culture posits. This is why St. Paul writes in our second reading, “I declare and testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance, because of their hardness of heart, they have become callous.”

St. Paul is saying that the corruption of a non-Christian society is the result of shallowness in their thinking—futility of mind. One translation puts it, “empty headed thinking”. The depravity, corruption, and disorder in our surrounding culture comes from ignorance—often willful ignorance, hardened hearts and callousness—regarding the things of God. There is a lot of empty-headed thinking about God these days, even among members of the Church.

But our task in the Lord, is to witness by word and deed—through formal teaching and by good example and charitable works—that God calls us to a new way of life in Christ. God feeds us with the Bread of Life that we may have new life in Christ for eternity, and that is to be evident in how we speak and act and how we treat people.  Through the Bread of Life we are brought into Communion with the One who is life, the one who desires the flourishment of humanity and provides the means for that flourishment, in this life and the life to come, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

3rd Week of Easter 2024 - Friday - New Life through Christ's Flesh and Blood

 Early last week, we read of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John chapter 3, in which the Lord speaks about being born again of the Spirit— the new life that comes from being his disciple. The Church fittingly reads of that conversation about spiritual rebirth and spiritual life during the Easter season—in which we celebrate the risen life of Christ and consider how we are to share in that life—through discipleship and the sacraments and through the life of the Church.

That theme of sharing in Christ’s life continues in John chapter 6—the Bread of Life discourse—in which the Lord teaches that in order to share in his life—and in the life of his Father—on earth and in eternity—we must eat his flesh and drink his blood: “unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life”

Discipleship of Jesus Christ is the path, the only true path to eternal life. That discipleship involves a living relationship with Christ—which includes faith that He is God, acceptance and practice of his moral teachings—including the avoidance of sin and the practice of works of charity, and a true sharing in his very life through the Sacraments of the Church.

We read in the Acts of the Apostles how Paul's sight is restored when he is baptized and given food. New life was given to Paul himself through the Sacraments.

Baptism, in which we are born again by water and the Spirit—begins that life. And eating his flesh and drinking his blood in the Eucharist, sustains that life. Receiving his Body and blood devoutly is part of our Easter proclamation that in Christ is found life—sanctified earthly life that leads to the blessedness of eternal life with God—that there is no other way to eternal life with God than through Christ.

It is a horrific tragedy that so many Catholics who should know better, deprive themselves of the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ, choosing to skip Mass, and fill their lives with so much garbage that does not satisfy, that does not give life. 

Part of our Easter mission is to witness to them that the Eucharist is part of the constant spiritual renewal that God wants for his children. 

In one of his last encyclicals, Pope St. John Paul wrote about how the Eucharist is the source of our life. He writes, “In the humble signs of bread and wine, changed into his body and blood, Christ walks beside us as our strength and our food for the journey, and he enables us to become, for everyone, witnesses of hope”

May we witness to our hope in Jesus Christ by receiving the Eucharist devoutly, allowing it to bear so much fruit in our lives—signs that Christ is alive in us and desires life for the world for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

That the Church will deepen in her devotion to the Eucharistic sacrifice which is the source and summit of our Christian life, and that during this time of intentional Eucharistic Revival, our faith may be deepened, grace may increase, and our mission may be furthered. 

That the outpouring of charity in Christ’s Eucharistic Self-Sacrifice will become manifest in all marriages, in all business relations, in all daily encounters, in our concern for the downtrodden and care for the most vulnerable, among friends, strangers, and enemies.  

For those who suffer from physical or mental illness, addiction or grief; and for the consolation of all the afflicted. 

That the Eucharist will be for priests the source of their joy and their deeper configuration to Jesus Christ.  

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

April 28 2023 - St. Louie Marie de Montfort - Help for living incessantly for Jesus

The priest St. Louie Marie de Montfort is one of the great Marian saints of history. He is one of the patron saints of the Legion of Mary; in fact, he is quoted more than any of the saints in the Legion Handbook.

His words "Totus tuus ego sum” became well known in the last few decades, when they were taken by Pope St. John Paul II as his papal motto. The sainted Pope dedicated his papacy entirely to Mary, and encouraged members of the Church to turn to her as well.

The Easter Season feast of Louis Marie de Montfort provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon the need for a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary if we truly wish to experience the fullness of Christian life. 

St. Louie Marie de Montfort wrote: “Mary is the fruitful Virgin, and in all the souls in which she comes to dwell she causes to flourish purity of heart and body, rightness of intention and abundance of good works. Do not imagine that Mary, the most fruitful of creatures who gave birth to a God, remains barren in a faithful soul. It will be she who makes the soul live incessantly for Jesus Christ, and will make Jesus live in the soul”.

I love those words, Mary helps us “to live incessantly for Jesus Christ” and makes “Jesus live in our souls”. That’s certainly what we find the apostles doing in our first readings all throughout Easter so far—living incessantly for Jesus, making Jesus the primary and all encompassing animating force in their lives. 

That was certainly the lesson the Lord was teaching to Nicodemus last week—that to be born again by water and the spirit means to start a new life distanced from sin, a life seeking above all the holy will of God. 

And that’s certainly what the Lord is teaching in the Bread of Life discourse this week. “Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him.” God desires to make his dwelling in us.

And our Lady helps that happen. She is the auxilium Christianorum, the help of Christians. She helps Christians grow in the grace of God, to obtain virtue, to encounter God more deeply in the Sacraments of the Church, especially the Eucharist by which Jesus dwells in us, like the infant Christ dwelled in the womb of the Blessed Virgin.

One of the tasks of the Legion of Mary is to draw people to the Sacraments of the Church; souls who have wandered, souls who have become lukewarm, souls who have never yet responded to the grace of God to accept the faith. And the members of the Legion of Mary and all of us, do well to study the words of today’s saint, St. Louie Marie de Montford, and have a devotion to him. Because if Our Lady will help all those who turn to her find and love her son, St. Louie Marie de Montfort will help all those who turn to him to find and love our Lady.

St. Louie’s feast prepares us well for the upcoming month of May, dedicated to our Lady, in which we are to increase the fervor of our Marian devotion, that the abundant life of Christ might increase in us and willingly be spread by us for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For deeper Marian devotion amongst all Christians, that the Church may more deeply share in Mary’s Easter joy over the Resurrection of her Son.

For all mothers, that they may find in Mary the example and strength to carry out their vocation of love, and that all sorrowful mothers may know the consolation and peace of God.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will cease in the world.  

That from the moment of conception all children will be preserved from bodily harm; for the overturning of unjust laws permitting the destruction of innocent life; and that the minds of all may be enlightened to know the dignity of every human life.  We pray to the Lord.

That the sick may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Mary, who intercedes for us from her place in heaven

 

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 - Food for the journey

 

The Prophet Elijah is certainly one of the tenacious, courageous heroes of the Old Testament. Immediately preceding today’s first reading, Elijah had been led by God to confront the wicked King Ahab and Jezebel his Queen for forsaking the One True God of Israel and worshiping the Canaanite idol, Baal.

To prove the superiority of the one true God, Elijah challenges the priests of Baal to a sort of test. You know the story. Two altars were constructed: one for Baal, and one for the one true God of Israel. The prophet whose God consumed the sacrifices would be proved to be the true God. 

So the 450 prophets of Baal, begin to wail to the skies, crying out to their idol for hours, but to no avail. They then gashed themselves with swords and spears to invoke their God, but nothing happened, the altar remained. “Why don’t you scream louder” Elijah says, mocking them, “maybe Baal can’t hear you. Maybe he’s away on a trip. Maybe he’s asleep and can’t get up.” Sweating, bloody, and exhausted, the prophets of Baal, gave up, doubting that Elijah could do better.

So then it was Elijah’s turn. God’s prophet began by drenching his altar with water. And then he prayed. God wishing that his glory be made known sent fire from heaven and incinerated the sacrifice. The audience cheered and proclaimed the God of Elijah as the True God. 

Queen Jezebel, however, rather than accepting Israel’s God became furious, and vowed to kill Elijah. So Elijah flees into the desert, where we find him at the beginning of today’s first reading. The desert, symbolic of Elijah’s situation. Success had turned to apparent failure—victory into defeat. Alone in the desert, distraught, hunted, abandoned. Elijah feels so forsaken, as we heard, he even prayed for death. In his despair, he cries out to God, and even though he found himself in the middle of this barren desert: God hears his plea and sends an angel, twice, to feed him.

Notice, Elijah is fed, not so that he can stay in the desert and wallow in his misery. Elijah is fed, so that he can begin a new journey. God had more work for him to do. And this journey was not going to be easy. It’s going to take him 40 days and 40 nights. But God would provide him food to strengthen Elijah for this journey. And Elijah walked 40 days and 40 nights to the mountain of God, Mt. Horeb, also called Sinai, where God gave moses the 10 commandments. And there on Horeb, you know this story too, Elijah looks for God in the wind, but God was not in the wind. Elijah looks for God in the earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake. Elijah looks for God in the fire, but God was not in the fire. Finally, Elijah hears a small whispering sound, and it is in that whisper for Elijah finds God.

What a roller coaster of a story. Elijah, is given a task by God in which he is largely successful. But then that task has serious consequences for Elijah and he encounters a real low place in his life. He prays to God, and God hears his prayer, and feeds him for a difficult journey. Finally, Elijah comes to his destination, and encounters God in a way he did not expect.

This story is so powerful because it’s our story. Our lives are filled with successes and failures. Times when we seem to be bringing about great victories for God’s kingdom, times when we are experience real consequences for our faith, and then times when we feel utterly useless. Times when God’s ways are not easy to understand, when he leads us on some mysterious journey,  even climbing uphill, with terrible forces set against us. And times when we are looking for God and he’s not where we expect to find him.

But in the middle of it all, in our Catholic life, is food, food for the journey. Like the angel who feeds Elijah with physical food, to build up his strength, the Lord feeds us with food from heaven, the Eucharist, to help us face all those tasks, all those challenges, all those low moments, all those uphill climbs, with strength that comes from Him.

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

Christians recognize in the Lord’s self-description as bread, God’s desire to feed us with the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist throughout our lives. 

Whatever we are feeling, whatever we are going through, our first reaction should always be to come to the Eucharist to be fed by God. In our great successes, like Elijah against the prophets of Baal, we come to give thanks and share the food of victory.. When we are chased into the desert by God’s enemies like Elijah and God is no where to be found, we must search him out here, where he has made his presence known under the appearance of bread and wine. And when he calls us on the mysterious journey, to enter into the unknown, to climb a steep mount, we must come here to be fed with the food for the journey.

It is an invaluable practice, when you come to Church, before Mass begins, to kneel down in your pews, facing the tabernacle and to make a little examination of conscience. This is important preparation for Mass. And kneeling there to ask yourself: why am I here?? What am I struggling with, at this very moment in my life? What are the blessings for which I’ve returned to this altar to give thanks? 

Am I at a low point in which God cannot be detected in your life? God help me to see you in the strange, mysterious events of my life? 

Kneeling before mass we do well to identify these things? What am I joyful about? What am I sad about? Angry about? Fearful about? It is important to get to mass early, to express these things to God. And to recognize that in the Eucharist we are about to celebrate is the answer to your prayers. The strength we need, the grace we need to remain faithful to God amidst all the challenges of life is given, in the Eucharist.

Also, praying before mass, we do well to identify those people, those closest to us, who have fallen away from God, who do not know, or have forgotten, that Jesus is here waiting for them. Before Mass call them to mind, bring to God their woundedness, their suffering, their confusion, their addictions. Ask God, through this Eucharist, to help you be the instrument of leading them home, here, to the family table, to Jesus who loves them and wants to feed them with the supersubstantial bread that will enable them to survive this earthly journey with our souls intact. 

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

May the Eucharist we celebrate and share today help us to remain faithful to God throughout all of our challenges, to know God’s presence with us throughout those challenges, and be led through them, to eternal life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 - Eucharist or Astrology

 A few years ago, I received a phone call from my dear Aunt. She called to ask for my prayers and to share a story.  She had been renting out a building to a local business, a small gift shop, and the gift shop owner decided it was time to retire.  So my aunt advertised for a new tenant, and got a call from a lady who was very excited about the location and wanted to move in.  

My aunt asked, well, what kind of business do you run.  And the lady said, well, I offer “astrological services”—she does horoscopes, and palm readings, and crystal attunements.  My aunt, said, “I’m going to have to call you back.”  So, my aunt drove to church and made a holy hour and prayed before the blessed Sacrament, and asked the Lord’s help, to give her the words she needed to handle this situation with charity.

The next day, my aunt called the astrologer back, and told her that she was not going to rent the building out to her because astrology and occult practices are against her religion.  The astrologer asked her, “well what religion are you?”  My aunt said, “well, I’m Roman Catholic”.  And all of a sudden, the astrologer explodes about how the Church is filled with hypocrites and bigots and unloads all this hateful stuff about Catholics.  And my aunt says, “I’m sorry you believe but, may God bless you” and she hangs up.

I think she handled the situation quite well.  

So, she calls me up her nephew, the priest, and asks for prayers for the astrologer and also for herself, that she may be protected from any sort of demonic attacks that might be coming her way.  I said of course.  

I told her about how I used to pray to the Blessed Mother every time I passed this other astrologer-psychic medium shop in my hometown, and, after five years it closed. My aunt said, I wasn’t alone: a couple ladies from the parish went in that shop with some blessed salt and holy water, and were also praying, for a number of years. 

Astrology and horoscopes and occultism, are based on the idea that one can find guidance for which to order ones life by harnessing hidden knowledge—what scripture and the catechism call divining or divination. Thomas Aquinas says, “Divination takes its name not from a rightly ordered share of something divine, but from an undue usurpation thereof, as stated above.” Like Adam and Eve in the garden, divining is human grasping of what properly belongs to God.

So, The Catechism says, “All forms of divination are to be rejected: consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, recourse to mediums, recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead, contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.”

Adam and Eve thought the forbidden fruit would satisfy them, just as Everyone who steps inside of an astrologer’s shop is looking for truth—is looking for happiness. In a sense they go to the astrologer’s shop for the same reason enter the Church. GK Chesterton said, “Every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God.” But the big difference, obviously, between the astrologer’s shop and the church is that God is really here! The bread of life that truly satisfies is here. God incarnate, feeds us with the bread of life, his flesh and blood, here.

Our Gospel reading this week continues from the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, continuing Jesus’ teaching on the Bread of Life—the Eucharist. So, what does this story about occultism and astrology have to do with the Eucharist?

The astrology shop, the fortune teller only offer an artificial, demonic substitute to God, as do all of the sin peddlers of our culture.  But the occult and every other sinful pursuit, in the end leaves us emptier, sadder, more damaged. Many people who have fallen into the occult have opened their lives to terrible dark forces and diabolical influence—disordered and damaged psyches and souls that come from cavorting with evil.

 
We do well to pray for young people to be kept safe from these things. For it seems like again occultism is on the rise. There’s a fortune teller on Lorain down the street, a witchcraft store in lakewood, a coven that meets in rocky river. 

But in the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, God has given us the food that truly satisfies. Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

He knows that we long for Him, so he’s gathered us here. We long for God, and it is here, that our holy longing, our holy hunger is satisfied. Here at Mass we receive the true bread of life, not a diabolical substitute, but the real thing. 

The difference between astrology and the Eucharist is the difference between divination and divinization.  By divination man grasps out into the stars for the truth, in the Eucharist, truth has come from heaven to transform man from the inside.  

The Eucharist is not the forbidden fruit, but the food given by God to satisfy our deepest longings.  It is the source of Christian life because whoever shares in the Eucharist receives the strength to live as a true Christian.  

Sometimes, people will say that they don’t like coming to Mass because they don’t get anything out of it.  How can that be, when God feeds us with the Bread from heaven. This disdain for Mass, often comes from earthly attachments, having stuffed oneself throughout the week with those artificial substitutes. It can also come from failing to prepare well for these meal. Quality prayer through the week, meditation on Scripture, prayerfully recognizing one’s dependance on God, creates a hunger for the true God made flesh. We get more out of Mass, when we put more into Mass.  

In the Eucharist, Our Lord has opened his heart for us, he gives us the bread of life at the cost of his life. Pray to recognize and appreciate his suffering, his sacrifice.  For in the Eucharist we share the fruit of Calvary, the fruit of the cross, the new tree of life. “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

At this Holy Mass, may our hunger and love for the Bread of Life be purified, that we may overcome all hardness of hearts or coldness toward the Eucharist, and be strengthened against our tendency to search for Him in all the wrong places, that we may come to the fullness of life through Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

3rd Week of Easter 2021 - Tuesday (School Mass) - Jesus is the bread of life

 All of this week, our Gospel readings are taken from the sixth chapter of Saint John’s Gospel. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus performs the great miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. People had followed him out into the desert, far from their homes, they were starving, and so Jesus performs a miracle to feed them. From just a few loaves of bread, Jesus feeds 5000 people. There was so much bread left over after his miracle, that the leftover filled 12 large baskets.

If Jesus can satisfy 5000 people with just a few loaves, imagine what he can do with all the bread of the world, if we but dedicated it to him. If we took all of our possessions, all of the goods of the world, and consecrated them to Jesus and his purposes. If we were less selfish with our things and gave them to God, how much more peace would we enjoy!

In today’s Gospel the people were asking for a sign so they could believe that Jesus was really sent by God. People aren’t just hungry for physical food, they are hungry for the food of heaven. They are hungry for the things that the world cannot supply: true peace, true joy, eternal life, truth and goodness. Politics and government can’t give us these things. Science and technology cannot grant them. As much as they try, they cannot. But we know we long for these things, so where will they come from?

And Jesus says, the world cannot grant these things, but my Father can.  Peace and truth and eternal life: this is the food my father gives, this is the food I’ve come to give. And the people respond, Jesus, give us this heavenly bread. And what does Jesus say? “I am that bread”.

You want peace, you want joy, you want eternal life, you want your life to be filled with truth, and goodness, and beauty, go to Jesus to be fed. Come to Jesus to be fed. Believe and follow Jesus. Becomes his disciple. Walk in his truth. Follow his teachings. Pray to him. Ask his help. Ask him, like the people in the Gospel, “Sir, give us this heavenly bread. Give us this bread, always.”

In the words of the Psalm “Be my rock of refuge” Jesus. “A stronghold to give me safety.” Jesus. Be my rock and my fortress” Jesus. “For your name’s sake lead me and guide me Jesus” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For Pope Francis, all bishops and priests, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.

That the peoples of the world may turn to God as the source of all true and lasting peace.

That the parish and school of St. Ignatius of Antioch, may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Jesus.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or illness: may they experience the good graces that come from Jesus’ Paschal Victory. Let us pray to the Lord.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.

3rd Week of Easter 2021 - Monday - Working for that which endures

 “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life”  The word used for “work” in this passage is the Greek word, ergon, a word that denotes hard labor and physical exertion.  Here Jesus is saying that belief in him, and following him, is no easy matter; belief requires more than merely emotional or intellectual assent.  Daily we are called to the ergon—the hard work—of turning away from our sins and embracing Jesus' commands.  Daily, we are called to the hard work of bringing our hearts, which so love independence and self-reliance, before the throne of God to submit to his will.

Jesus speaks these words here in chapter 6 of John's Gospel as a sort of prelude to his Bread of Life Discourse, his teaching on the Eucharist.  The newly initiated are taught that it will be hard work to come to the altar week after week, every Sunday, to come to receive the Bread of Life, but it must be done. It will be hard work to preserve the state of grace which allows us to receive the Eucharist worthily. But it must be done: for the sake of our souls. 

Even though Jesus has done the hardest work of all, carrying our sins to the cross for our eternal salvation, we must engage in the hard work of following him in everything.  But of all the things and distractions vying for our attention in our busy secular world—He alone is worthy of our lives.  We often work so hard for things that will not bring us eternal life, let alone real, deep satisfaction in this life.  We settle for so much less than for the greatness for which we've been created. Why? Often fear.  

We often shy away from work—even work for God—because we fear becoming exhausted and unhappy. But I’ve never regretted working for God? Have you? Fear is often a trick of the devil: a mental image of sore muscles, of sadness from missing out on satisfying our earthly appetites. But again, it’s just a trick the enemy uses to tempt us away from working for God. For, working with all of our hearts to serve God does not bring exhaustion and unhappiness, rather it brings new life and joy. Want proof? Look at the saints! In pouring themselves out in God’s service, they do not die of exhaustion, rather they radiate with life. They are more vibrant than a spring garden!

May we work today for that which endures, and come to receive the eternal fruits of laboring for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Church will deepen in her devotion to the Eucharistic sacrifice which is the source and summit of our Christian life.  Let us pray to the Lord.

That the redemptive power of Christ’s Eucharistic sacrifice will extend to the hearts and minds of all those who govern peoples and nations.  Let us pray to the Lord.

That the Eucharist will be for priests the source of their joy and their deeper configuration to Jesus Christ.  Let us pray to the Lord.

That the goodness of the Lord will be experienced in all marriages, in all business relations, in all daily encounters, and in our friendships.  Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who live in want: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians will work for justice and mercy for all those in need.  Let us pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

3rd Week of Easter 2019 - Friday - Eat his Flesh. Drink his Blood.

Our Gospels this week have been from the series of passages from John Chapter 6. And today we hear of Jesus giving what is perhaps the hardest part of the teaching on the Eucharist: that the bread of life is his flesh and his blood.

St. Thomas Aquinas maintained that believing that the Eucharist is Jesus’ flesh and blood is a challenging act of faith.  Thomas writes, “The presence of Christ’s true flesh and blood in this sacrament cannot be detected by sense, nor understanding, but by faith alone which rests upon Divine authority”.  The Eucharist does not look like Christ; thus it tests not our sight, but our faith. 

But we trust that the Eucharist is Jesus’ true flesh and blood, because He Himself has told us so, and there is no truer Word than His.  St. Thomas expresses this sentiment in his short poem Adoro te Devote, where he writes: “Sight, taste, and touch in Thee are deceived; the ear alone most safely is believed: I believe all the Son of God has spoken: Than Truth’s own word there is no truer token.” 

This shocking statement started a quarrel amongst the disciples; and as a result of their inability to accept this teaching, some of those who had begun to follow Jesus, turned away from him and went back to their former way of life.  Nevertheless, Jesus did not recant or even modify His terminology. He was willing to lose even the twelve apostles rather than change or water down his teaching. I think many walked away from this teaching, because they sensed the cross, they sensed the demands, the suffering, that following this man would entail. That if he is willing to give his flesh and blood for God, he might demand that his followers also give their flesh and blood for God.

The Eucharist is the source of our highest calling, to unite our own flesh and blood with our Savior, and also the source of strength to be faithful to that calling. May we know that strength, that we may be faithful to Him in all things for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Church will deepen in her devotion to the Eucharistic sacrifice which is the source and summit of our Christian life.  We pray to the Lord.

That the redemptive power of Christ’s Eucharistic sacrifice will extend to the hearts and minds of all those who govern peoples and nations.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Eucharist will be for priests the source of their joy and their deeper configuration to Jesus Christ.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Christ’s Eucharistic Self-Sacrifice will be experienced in all marriages, in all business relations, in all daily encounters, among friends, strangers, and enemies.  We pray to the Lord.
For those who live in want: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians may bring the justice and mercy of Christ to all those in need.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

3rd Week of Easter 2019 - Wednesday - Hunger for God is Satisfied in the Eucharist

One of the things that perennially draws people to join the Catholic Church is the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Even amidst scandals and abuses, Jesus draws people to the Catholic faith through the Eucharist. And life-long Catholics can attest to the power of the Eucharist in transforming their lives and strengthening them in Christian discipleship.

Why is the Eucharist so powerful? Because the Eucharist is God, in the Eucharist, our desire and longing for God is satisfied.

St. John Vianney said, “The soul hungers for God, and nothing but God can satiate it.  Therefore He came to dwell on earth and assumed a Body in order that this Body might become the Food of our souls" God has placed a deep hunger within our souls, a hunger for himself. And our good God has provided the food to satisfy that hunger.

The world offers many artificial alternatives to God, but the Eucharist is the food that truly satisfies.
John Paul II called the Church the Ecclesia de Eucharistia, the Church of the Eucharist.  For the Church draws her life from the Eucharist.  John Paul writes, “For the most holy Eucharist contains the Church's entire spiritual wealth: Christ himself, our passover and living bread. Through his own flesh, now made living and life-giving by the Holy Spirit, he offers life to men.” John Paul adds, “No Christian community can be built up unless it has its basis and center in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist”

The Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life.”  Our works of charity flow from it, the strength to fulfill God’s Holy Will, the strength to resist worldly and demonic temptation. And we are led back every week, to the altar to worship and adore. We are led to the Eucharist because our hearts long for God, and sent out into the world from the Eucharist we seek to live lives pleasing to Him.


This last year on the feast of Corpus Christi, Holy Father Pope Francis said, “Let us choose this food of life! Let us make Mass our priority! Let us rediscover Eucharistic adoration in our communities! Let us implore the grace to hunger for God, with an insatiable desire to receive what he has prepared for us”

May we respond generously to Jesus who longs to feed us with his body and blood, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the Church will deepen in her devotion to the Eucharistic sacrifice which is the source and summit of our Christian life.  We pray to the Lord.

That the redemptive power of Christ’s Eucharistic sacrifice will extend to the hearts and minds of all those who govern peoples and nations.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Eucharist will be for priests the source of their joy and their deeper configuration to Jesus Christ.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Eucharistic self-giving of Jesus will be found in all marriages, and in all our daily encounters.  We pray to the Lord.

For those who live in want: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians may bring the justice and mercy of Christ to all those in need.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

3rd Week of Easter 2019 - Tuesday - Where can I see Jesus now?

During the first two weeks of the Easter season, our Gospel readings have been accounts of the appearance of the risen Lord to his disciples.  The Risen Jesus appeared in his glorified flesh and blood on the banks of the sea of Galilee, on the road to Emmaus, and in the locked upper room. 

All of this week, our Gospel readings are taken from the sixth chapter of Saint John’s Gospel—known as the “Bread of Life Discourse” because in it, Jesus speaks of Himself as the Bread of Life. For 2000 years, Catholics have understood these passages to contain important lessons on the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

In today’s Gospel the people were asking for a sign so they could believe that Jesus was really sent by God. And Jesus said, I’ll give you a sign: the bread of life, the Eucharist.

Pope Benedict XVI said: In the Eucharist “we no longer stand before an imagined God but before the God who has truly given himself to us.”

The Eucharist is God’s answer to our prayer to truly know that He is with us in this life. Again, to quote Pope Benedict: “The Eucharist means God has answered:  The Eucharist is God as an answer, as an answering presence.” The Eucharist is not simply a symbol of God, we don’t simply imagine God to be present in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, God answers our prayers to know that He is with us in our challenges, crosses, temptations, doubts, and disappointments. He is with us in our struggle to love our enemies, forgive those who hurt us, give to those who ask of us.

The Eucharist is God’s answer to man’s question “where can I see him, now, and believe in him”. 
So many of our contemporaries are starving for truth; they go from one unsatisfying event to another, searching for God. All the while, he is here, present on the altar, present in the tabernacle, present in the eucharist tabernacle.

Jesus, help us to see that you are really present in the Eucharist, help us to deeply honor you with all our hearts, help us to receive you with great reverence, that you may nourish our minds and souls and lead us into everlasting life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -

That the Church will deepen in her devotion to the Eucharistic sacrifice which is the source and summit of our Christian life.  We pray to the Lord.

That the redemptive power of Christ’s Eucharistic sacrifice will extend to the hearts and minds of all those who govern peoples and nations.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Eucharist will be for priests the source of their joy and their deeper configuration to Jesus Christ.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Eucharistic self-give of Jesus will be found in all marriages, and in all our daily encounters.  We pray to the Lord.

For those who live in want: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians may bring the justice and mercy of Christ to all those in need.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

3rd Week of Easter 2018 - Thursday - Pledge of Eternal Life

In his Bread of Life discourse, Jesus promised food that would bring eternal life. Natural bread feeds our bodies, it sustains our physical life. But the super-substantial bread given to us by Jesus Christ, enables our souls to live forever.

The Sacrament of the Altar has many names, and each of those names signify a different dimension of the sacrament.

The Sacrament is called Eucharist: Eucharist, coming from the Greek word, Eucharistia, which means thanksgiving. At the Eucharist the Church gathers first and foremost to give our thanksgiving to God for the gift of our salvation won for us through the self-sacrifice of His Son on the cross for us.

The Sacrament is called Holy Communion: for through it, souls are brought into communion with our Holy God, made sharers in his divine life, and the holy bond between Christians is strengthened.

The Sacrament is called the Body and Blood of Christ: for as Jesus teaches, this bread is His true flesh. And as Thomas Aquinas poetically summarized: Verbum caro, panem verum Verbo carnem éfficit: Fitque sanguis Christi merum,” The word made flesh, makes bread, by his word, flesh, and wine into the blood of Christ.

The Sacrament is called the Most Blessed Sacrament: for though in the other sacraments Christ performs a holy action, baptizing, confirming, absolving, marrying, this Sacrament IS Jesus.

And one of my favorite titles for this Sacrament: it is called The Pledge of Eternal Life. For as Jesus promises in the Gospel today, “whoever eats this bread will live forever.” A divine pledge, a divine promise is given to those who partake of this Sacrament.

There are many reasons to become Catholic, or to return to the active practice of the Catholic faith: but this one ranks pretty high: eternal life promised by God.

Through the Eucharist our mortal natures become incorruptible, as St. Ireneus taught, in the 2nd century.

This truth was echoed for centuries in the Old Rite of Mass. as one knelt down to receive holy communion, the priest would bless the communicant with the host and say the words: Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam: May the Body of Christ preserve your soul unto everlasting life.

May our Easter celebration continue to open us to the joy of the risen Christ, and his presence in the Church particularly in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, the Eucharist, His Body and Blood, and our pledge of eternal life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Church will deepen in her devotion to the Eucharistic sacrifice which is the source and summit of our Christian life.  We pray to the Lord.

That the redemptive power of Christ’s Eucharistic sacrifice will extend to the hearts and minds of all those who govern peoples and nations.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Eucharist will be for priests the source of their joy and their deeper configuration to Jesus Christ.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Real Presence of Jesus will be experienced in all marriages, in all business relations, in all daily encounters, and in our friendships.  We pray to the Lord.

For those who live in want: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians may bring the justice and mercy of Christ to all those in need.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

3rd Week of Easter 2018 - Tuesday - God's answer to human longing

In asking the question, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?” the crowd shows that they are hungry not just for physical food, but for truth. They want answers, they want meaning, they want truth. The crowd represents all of humanity, asking God to give us a sign that we might believe.

So, the Lord begins to teach about God’s answer to this human longing. And he teaches that He is the answer, he is the truth, he is the bread that they long for. Deep down we don’t want a trick, we don’t want some thing, we want God himself. And Catholics believe that God gives Himself to us, in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, the Eucharist.

Pope Benedict wrote, “The Eucharist means God has answered:  The Eucharist is God as an answer, as an answering presence.”

At the Eucharistic table, the Holy Father writes, “we no longer stand before an imagined God but before the God who has truly given himself to us; before the God who has become for us Communion and who thus frees us and draws us from the margin into communion and leads us on to Resurrection.”

The Eucharist is God’s answer to man’s question “where can I see him, now, and believe in him”.
So many of our contemporaries are starving for truth; they go from one unsatisfying event to another, searching for God. All the while, he is here, present on the altar, present in the tabernacle, present in the eucharist chapel.

Each one of us, does well, to ask ourselves, who in my life, is God asking me, to lead here, to this place, to belief in his Eucharistic presence?

Let us ask the Lord to reawaken and deepen in us joy and reverence for his Eucharistic presence, that we may lead those who hunger for the bread of life, to Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Church will deepen in her devotion to the Eucharistic sacrifice which is the source and summit of our Christian life.  We pray to the Lord.

That the redemptive power of Christ’s Eucharistic sacrifice will extend to the hearts and minds of all those who govern peoples and nations.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Eucharist will be for priests the source of their joy and their deeper configuration to Jesus Christ.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Real Presence of Jesus will be experienced in all marriages, in all business relations, in all daily encounters, and in our friendships.  We pray to the Lord.

For those who live in want: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians may bring the justice and mercy of Christ to all those in need.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

3rd Week of Easter 2018 - Monday - Working for Spiritual Food

Last week we read the portion of John chapter 6 in which Jesus feeds five thousand through a miracle of multiplying the loaves and fishes. Today, the Gospel sets the stage for Jesus’ great Bread of Life discourse.

Those that had been fed by Jesus cross the sea are looking for him. Why? They are hungry again and they want more bread and fish! Jesus, the great teacher is going to use their physical hunger to talk about a deeper hunger, a spiritual hunger.

They are coming to Jesus because he gave them bread and fish. Jesus will reveal that He is the source of this spiritual bread that only God can satisfy, and that bread is his flesh: the Eucharist. We’ll hear about that later this week.

But in this little prologue, Jesus talks about work: we spend a lot of time working for the physical food our bodies need, and little time working for the spiritual food our souls need. We feed the body, while neglecting the spirit.

The crowd, like many people today, believe the most important thing in life is to keep alive, to be healthy, strong and economically sufficient. Jesus is speaking of a deeper purpose here.

The purpose of life isn’t simply to satisfy our physical desires. There is a human hunger, a restlessness, for more, a spiritual hunger for doing the will of God. Man does not live on bread alone, but by following the divine vocation, the call to holiness.

In his new, apostolic exhortation, Pope Francis speaks of these dual hungers:  “Hunger and thirst are intense experiences, since they involve basic needs and our instinct for survival.” But there is a deeper hunger, the Holy Father, says, one, which Jesus praises in his beatitudes when he says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”…the deeper hunger, is for true justice and holiness.

This includes seeking to be faithful to God’s will in every aspect of our life and also seeking justice for those who are most vulnerable, as Isaiah teaches: “Seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”

Jesus feeds us with his body and blood, that we, like Him, might become abandoned to the will of the Father, to work for justice, for the glory of God, and the salvation of souls.

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That the Church will deepen in her devotion to the Eucharistic sacrifice which is the source and summit of our Christian life.  We pray to the Lord.

That the redemptive power of Christ’s Eucharistic sacrifice will extend to the hearts and minds of all those who govern peoples and nations.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Eucharist will be for priests the source of their joy and their deeper configuration to Jesus Christ.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Real Presence of Jesus will be experienced in all marriages, in all business relations, in all daily encounters, and in our friendships.  We pray to the Lord.

For those who live in want: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians may bring the justice and mercy of Christ to all those in need.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.