The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) - June 7, 2015

I’m not much for getting into debates, and so I rarely feel tempted to write letters to the editor. But a few years ago there was a letter in the newspaper that I felt compelled to respond to. The letter was published when we were preparing for the new English translation of the liturgy. Essentially, the letter writer’s point was that with all the social justice issues in the world, the bishops had more important things to worry about than what we said in church. I just had to write my response to the effect that there is nothing more important. What we do at Mass is far and away the most important activity that we do.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, still frequently known by its Latin name of Corpus Christi. This day commemorates the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper and the importance of the Eucharist in our Church. In the words of the Second Vatican Council’s document Lumen gentium, which I quoted in my letter to the editor, the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” By referring to it as the summit, the Council made the point that nothing we do matters more than our celebration and reception of the Eucharist. By also noting that it is the source, the Council reminded us that everything we do has to come from our reliance on Christ. It is important for us to build up the kingdom of God in this world by working for just causes. But unless we remain rooted in Christ, then our human weakness takes over and our good intentions fall short.

That is why it is important for the Church to make sure that we celebrate the Eucharistic liturgy as well as possible. That is also why we have a special day to remind us of the importance of the Blessed Sacrament. The Mass is something we do every Sunday, which means that it may become rather routine to us. One of the traditional features of this feast is time for adoration with a public procession of the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance. We will have Exposition at the end of the 11:00 Mass this Sunday, with the procession to a temporary altar in the gym, beginning at 2:30. Please consider joining us for this public witness to the importance of the Eucharist. And please pray for good weather so that we can indeed be public by having the procession outside.

As the Eucharist is also the source of the Christian life, then the feast of Corpus Christi is also a good time to recognize those who put their faith into action. For the Diocese of Pittsburgh, it is a time to present the Manifesting the Kingdom award. Every couple of years, Bishop Zubik recognizes one person or one couple from each parish for their efforts to build the kingdom of God. This year’s awardees from St. Malachy are Dan and Linda Trocchio. I take this opportunity to thank them for the way they take the gift of the Eucharist and put it into action in their lives, particularly for all they do for our parish and school.

                                                                               Father H