{"id":8302,"date":"2021-06-05T09:00:32","date_gmt":"2021-06-05T13:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/?p=8302"},"modified":"2021-06-05T08:04:27","modified_gmt":"2021-06-05T12:04:27","slug":"from-fr-tom-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/2021\/06\/05\/from-fr-tom-40\/","title":{"rendered":"From Fr. Tom"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ <\/strong><\/p>\n

Corpus Christi is the celebration of the abiding presence of a loving God as Emmanuel \u2013 God with us \u2013 in order to give collective thanks to our Lord for his living with us in the Eucharist. This feast also gives us an occasion to learn more about the importance and value of the \u201cReal Presence\u201d so that we may appreciate the Sacrament better and receive maximum benefit from the Eucharist.<\/p>\n

We believe in the \u201cReal Presence\u201d of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist because:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Jesus promised it after miraculously feeding the 5000.<\/li>\n
  2. Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist during his Last Supper.<\/li>\n
  3. Jesus commanded his disciples to repeat it in his memory.<\/li>\n
  4. \u201cNothing is impossible for God.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    We explain the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist by:<\/strong> \u201ctransubstantiation\u201d which means that the substance of the consecrated bread and wine is changed to the substance of the risen Jesus\u2019 glorified Body and Blood by the action of the Holy Spirit, and its characteristics (like color, shape, taste etc.), remain the same.<\/p>\n

    This<\/strong> year\u2019s readings for the Feast emphasize the theme of Covenant blood because the ancient peoples sealed Covenants with the blood of ritually sacrificed animals, and Jesus sealed his New Covenant with his own Blood shed on Calvary. Today\u2019s first reading describes how Moses, by sprinkling the blood of a sacrificed animal on the altar and on the people, accepted the Covenant Yahweh proposed and made with His People. In the second reading, St. Paul affirms that Jesus sealed the New Covenant with his own Blood, thereby putting an end to animal sacrifices. Today\u2019s Gospel details how Jesus converted this ancient ritual into a Sacrament and sacrifice. Instead of the lamb\u2019s blood, Jesus offered his own Divine\/human Body and Blood, and instead of sprinkling us with blood, Jesus put it into our hands as food and drink: \u201cTake … eat … this IS my Body which will be given up for you\u201d (He did not say \u201cThis represents my body\u201d), and \u201cTake … drink …This is … my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal Covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many….\u201d (nor did He say, \u201cThis represents my blood…\u201d).<\/p>\n

    A Sacrament and a sacrifice:<\/strong> Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist both as a sacramental banquet and a sacrificial offering.<\/p>\n

    As a Sacrament<\/u>,<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The Eucharist is a visible sign that gives us God\u2019s grace and God\u2019s life and,<\/li>\n
    2. As a Meal, The Eucharist nourishes our souls.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      As a sacrifice<\/u><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. The Eucharistic celebration is a re-presentation or re-enactment of Jesus\u2019 sacrifice on Calvary, completed in His Resurrection.<\/li>\n
      2. We offer Jesus\u2019 sacrifice to God the Father for the remission of our sins, using signs and symbols.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        There are three things very important for us on this Feast:<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Let us appreciate the \u201cReal Presence\u201d of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, by receiving him with true repentance for our sins, due preparation and reverence.<\/li>\n
        2. Let us be Christ-bearers and conveyers: By receiving Holy Communion, we become Christ-bearers as Mary was, with the duty of conveying Christ to others at home and in the workplace, through love, mercy, forgiveness, and humble and sacrificial service.<\/li>\n
        3. Let us offer our lives on the altar along with Jesus\u2019 sacrifice, asking pardon for our sins, expressing gratitude for the blessings we have received and presenting our needs and petitions on the altar.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praises and all thanksgivings be every moment Thine.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

          P.S.<\/strong> This week we\u2019ll celebrate two wonderful Solemnities: The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Friday June 11th at 9 am) and The Immaculate Heart of Mary (Saturday June 12th at 9 am). You are all invited to glorify God with us for His unconditional love revealed in these two loving and merciful hearts. May Jesus and Mary teach us how to love and how to let others love us! If you are not yet registered for the Sacred Hearts Home Enthronement, it\u2019s not too late. The simple ceremony will take place in the church after 11 am Mass on Sunday June 13th. Please contact the Parish Office to register. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus or the Immaculate Heart of Mary reign in our hearts and in our lives!<\/p>\n

          Fr. Tom <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Corpus Christi is the celebration of the abiding presence of a loving God as Emmanuel \u2013 God with us \u2013 in order to give collective thanks to our Lord for his living with us in the Eucharist. This feast also gives us an occasion to learn more about the importance and value of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[151],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fr-tom","ctfw-no-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8302"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8304,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8302\/revisions\/8304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}