Doubt, fear, uncertainly, boredom, anxiousness, anger, confusion, grief, pain… as human beings it’s natural and often seasonal in our lives so-to-speak to experience negative emotions. There’s a LOT going on the world today that doesn’t help either… well, it offers solutions to negativity… or does it? In the Gospel this Sunday, taken from John (Bread of Life Discourse to be exact), Jesus is basically telling us that life is going to be hard… and the world is going to try and offer us ways, oh so many ways, to “feel better” whether it be through the good things like vacations, relationships, food, shopping, entertainment (I love all those things!) or other not so great things. But “guess what,” he says, “that stuff will never satisfy. The only thing… the ONLY THING that will is ME— my flesh, my blood, for you.” I went to confession last week and for my penance, Fr. Andrew told me to sit in front of the Tabernacle for 10 minutes and “see what happens… see if there isn’t something Jesus needs to bring to light.” I did… and because I was expecting something to happen, I thought “shoot, now I’m going to get nothing.” And just like that, a memory that I didn’t realize I was carrying with me came to light like a beacon. And then so many things going on in my life today made sense… it was a total God moment… and I’m grateful to have given God “a moment” of my time both in the sacrament of confession and prayer. So where is this going? Sunday is the Feast of Corpus Christi— the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, a day solely focused on Christ’s real and true presence in the Eucharist. Because Holy Thursday, the institution of the Eucharist, has so much going on— washing of the feet, Last Supper, Triduum, agony in the garden, etc., the emphasis on “Christ’s Body and Blood” loses it’s place of prominence…so the church created another feast for our focus and appreciation. Sunday is all about the Eucharist. Since the 1200s, Catholics have processed the Eucharist throughout the neighborhoods as a sign of faith, a beacon of light for those under the weight of all that makes life hard… for us. That piece of bread, that sip of wine isn’t just a symbol, but our God who doesn’t want to be a memory or only Words in a book, but an actual part of us, the “Source and Summit” as the church calls it for our everyday existence in a world that’s often cruel, in a life that’s often hard. I’m grateful for the “revelation” I had in prayer before Jesus that day. Not every prayer is like that for me, and while I take the faith very seriously, there's always going to be things I need to learn and ways to grow in holiness… to be the person He made me to be. But I’m grateful, SO GRATEFUL for the sacrament of Eucharist and for a God who knows me so well and loves me anyway. I hope as the Eucharist is processed this weekend at Mass it’s a beacon of light for you too!
On days like this one to come I can’t help but recall much of my learning from Fr. Krizner. And I’m grateful we’re able to honor him this weekend as a parish family on a day that meant to so much to him… because he understood how much it means to US in the scheme of our relationship with Jesus. I hope you’ll join us this Sunday June 11th for our Eucharistic Procession after 11:45 Mass and the Hot Dog Sunday Fr. Celebration to follow! Have a great week!~Sara