Celebrating the Holy Eucharist & the Sacred Priesthood on Corpus Christi

Dear Parishioners:                               

We celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi this weekend.  It is also known as the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. It is a feast that honors Jesus Christ, really, truly, and substantially present in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine.                     

From the earliest days of the Church, Christians have believed that Christ was present in the Eucharist. This ancient feast dates back to the 13th century, an era in the history of the Church marked by widespread disbelief or misperception about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Pope Urban IV verifies the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena

It was the experience of a priest, Peter of Prague, that would make this a universal feast for the Church. In 1263, Fr. Peter was on a pilgrimage to Rome. He was a good, pious priest who strived for holiness but struggled with doubts about the Holy Eucharist. He agonized over whether, at the words of consecration, the bread and wine truly became the Body and Blood of Jesus.

During this time, he was celebrating Mass at the tomb of St. Christina, and as soon as he said the words of consecration – “This is my Body” – the host in his hands began to bleed down his arms and onto the altar cloth below. He was awestruck and began to cry. Pope Urban IV was in the nearby town of Orvieto, and he went to him. After investigating, the Pope declared a miracle and had the corporal brought to the cathedral in Orvieto. You can still go and see that blood-stained corporal in Orvieto’s Cathedral – almost 800 years later. One year after this miracle, the Pope extended the Solemnity to the Universal Church.

The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist happens through the change which the Church calls transubstantiation (“change of substance”) when at the Consecration of the Mass, the priest says the words which Christ Himself pronounced over bread and wine, “This is My Body,” “This is the chalice of My Blood,” “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

His Presence is real because it has a “real being.” This philosophical term conveys that it has actual existence and not just mental existence.  His Presence is true.  The Blessed Sacrament is called Christ because it is Christ. It is not simply a symbol, as a flag is the symbol of a nation, or as a photograph is a representation of the individual shown.

Finally, His Presence is substantial. Even though our senses detect the appearances or properties of bread and wine, the substance is Christ, who is wholly present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, under each element and any parts of them. In the Eucharist, Jesus Himself re-presents for our benefit His Sacrifice on Calvary, gives Himself to us in Holy Communion, and remains among us until the end of the age. He comes to us in this humble form, making Himself vulnerable out of love for each one of us. Yet, as God Himself, the Body and Blood of Christ deserve our utmost respect and love, as well as our adoration.

And so today, we celebrate the great gift of the Holy Eucharist with First Communions at the 10:30am Mass.  Also, a Eucharistic Procession to Mercy Park with Benediction will follow the 10:30am Mass.  In addition, the 10:30am Mass is offered as a Mass of Thanksgiving for the Thirtieth Anniversary of my Ordination as a Priest on June 24, 2025. As I mark this anniversary, I do so with a profound spirit of thanksgiving and as a genuinely happy and grateful priest.   

 I am indeed grateful for God’s gift of love, which called me to this beautiful life as a priest of  Jesus Christ. I am thankful to my late parents, all my family, and many friends. I wish to thank my brother priests who served alongside me, as well as the bishops under whom I have served over the past thirty years.  And for the many people I have served as a parish priest, I am profoundly grateful for their witness to the faith.

On Corpus Christi, as we celebrate the Most Holy Eucharist, I am reminded of the words of St. Pope John Paul II: “There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist.’ So today we celebrate both the great gifts of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacred Priesthood with great joy and thanksgiving. Pray for me and my priestly ministry as I pledge my continued prayers for you. Be well. Do Good. God Bless.