Solemnity of Corpus Christi- The Body And Blood of Christ

Corpus Christi is one of God's  most beautiful and precious gifts.  It is beautiful because it encompasses the reality of the Trinity being present , and precious because it is a gift which we do not deserve and yet was given to us freely and unconditionally.  Many Saints and spiritual writers spent many long hours of contemplation before our Eucharistic Lord, and put down in writing what they have experienced during those hours of prayer and contemplation.  And yet, all of them would tell us that there is no word to describe the gift of this Presence of Jesus in this simple piece of bread.  The Holy Eucharist is both a unifying doctrine for those who accept in faith the words of Jesus, "This IS My Body!" in the passage of the Last Supper, and a stumbling block  for those who do not yet believe.  For us, Catholics, the Holy Eucharist is not just a representation of Jesus, it IS Jesus Himself, the  Real Presence.  It is not just the product of a collective imagination of pious people but a mystery presented to us which can only be apprehended by faith alone.  The Holy Eucharist is one of those mysteries of  " believe to understand" , as opposed to "understand to believe." (paraphrasing St. Augustine).

Catholic Apologists (a curious description since they are not "apologizing for anything!) are excellent guides in this debate since they point to us the Scriptural passages supporting the Real Presence.  The Holy Eucharist is inseparable from the gift and mystery of Holy Priesthood.  There is no Eucharist without the Ordained Priesthood.  They are like hand to glove, if I may be permitted to use this expression.  The Old Testament is full of prefigurations of the Eucharist: the Israelites journey in the desert for forty days and forty nights fed only by manna; the raven feeding the prophet Elijah with bread to strengthen him on his journey to Horeb, and many others.  The New Testament continues this in the many parables told by Jesus: the feeding of the five thousand, the five loaves and two fish, and most of all , Chapter 6 of St. John's Gospel.  It is most of all the events of the Last Supper which form the foundation of what we now accept as Catholics: the Institution of the Holy Priesthood and the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday night.
Jesus left us His Body and Blood for one reason alone: that we may have eternal life.  "he who eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the Last Day."  The Eucharist is a remedy for sin and a source of strength for living the life of virtues.  If we do not eat His Body, we do not have life in us.  We may be walking and talking, and may be living a "full life" but if we do not have the life of Jesus in us given to us in the Eucharist, we are dead men and women walking.  It is not enough to receive the Eucharist.  We must receive it worthily.  St. Paul says that we have to be mindful that when receiving we may not be bringing our own condemnation because we are receiving in sin.  To receive worthily does not mean we have to be "perfectly good."  It means that at the time of reception we are not conscious of being in the state of mortal sin.  Being in mortal sin means committing an act that is grave or serious, committing it with full knowledge, and committing it with our full consent.  In other words, we know something is seriously against God's commandments, we know it, and still we do it.  Grace is restored to us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Confession of our sins  to an ordained priest (Sacramental Confession) makes us worthy once again to receive our Lord.  Being worthy  sacramentally-  for who of us is really worthy to receive such  infinitely good and gracious God?
As we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, let us be mindful of the love which made this possible.  St. Therese once said that God made Himself a "Divine Prisoner" for love of us.  He allows Himself to remain in the tabernacle so that we can approach Him with confidence in times of sorrows and temptations.  He hides Himself under the appearance of a tiny piece of  bread, so that we can contemplate Him in faith.  St. Therese also reminds us that "Jesus did not come to earth to remain in the ciborium but  so that after entering our souls in holy communion we can in turn go out to bring Him to others in charity.
Let us celebrate this day of devotion with much love.  Let us return Love for love.

Saying "Yes" to God

Solemnity of the Annunciation

The Solemnity of the Annunciation is one of those beautiful feasts I love.   There are two events we are celebrating in this one Gospel passage: the Mystery of the Incarnation, the Word made Flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and the maternity of Mary.  The Pro-life movement chose this feast for its Patronal feast day and the reason is I think pretty obvious.  I like this feast not because of the vision of angel or supernatural light.  In fact, there is nothing in the Gospel which explicitly tells us how the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary.  For all we know it may not have been a visual encounter but an internal locution or apprehension.  All we can be sure of is that "God had sent his angel to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph of the House of David, and the virgin's name was Mary."  I like to imagine Mary exactly as she is portrayed in the photo above- in the midst of the ordinary.  God comes to us in the ordinary events and circumstances of life.  Without fanfare and fireworks.  Just in the ordinary, right in the familiar and everyday.  It is in this cloak of the ordinary which makes us sometimes miss Him.  But Mary, who ponders all things in her heart, and in silence waits lovingly for the promise of the Messiah like all the women of Israel in her days, recognized the moment.   And when she recognized the presence of something special, she was afraid.  But only for a short moment because the one who is full of grace was open to all possibilities.  Her doubt was not the expression of unbelief but a sign of openness to what was being spoken by the angel.  What was announced to her was still an invitation, and she was free to choose.  

The lesson of the Annunciation is the "fiat" which Mary uttered.  "I am the handmaid of the Lord.  Let it be done to me as you have said."  These are the words we try to live by everyday of our lives.  This "Fiat" is the word we not only say once in the big moments of our life, but in the everyday, ordinary events of life.  It needs to be renewed at every moment because God makes His Will known to us at every moment and we are asked to respond.  According to Caryll Houselander in her book "The Reed of God" saying "yes" does not so much mean that we agree to do something for God.  It is more that we agree to have God do something in us.  Transform us, make us more like His Son, live His life again in us so that He can continue His mercy and works in the world.  It is complete abandon to the merciful designs of a loving God who knows what is best for us.  When I am faced with a choice, I think of the Annunciation, and try to work my way from fear, to doubts, to resignation.

Feast of the Presentation

 

We celebrate February 2nd  as the Feast of the Presentation of the the Lord or traditionally called "Candlemas."This is an ancient feast in the Roman Catholic Church dating back to as far back as 312 with some historical homilies by bishops.  This feast falls 40 days after Christmas and commemorates the Purification of Mary in the temple in Jerusalem following the mandate of the Law of Moses in the Book of Leviticus (Leviticus 12:2-8).  According to this Mosaic Law, any woman who had given birth to her first-born son is considered impure, and would have to go through a process of ritual purification.  Consequently, the Child Jesus was also presented to the temple to be consecrated to God according to the same Law.  Candlemas was originally a celebration of the blessing of candles.  These candles were blessed and were reserved for the use of the Church in its different liturgical celebrations throughout the year.  In the liturgy, we still have the part of Simple or Solemn procession and blessing of the candles.  After Vatican II, the emphasis was refocused on the feast of the Presentation itself.  It traditionally became the day when Religious renew their vows as a symbol of renewing their religious consecration. 

This feast presents to us many points for personal reflection.  There are many things which come to my mind and among these are the following:

A lesson on poverty:  This feast recalls to mind how Mary and Joseph were really poor.  They offered to God what was prescribed in the Law as the offering of poor people: turtle doves.  Sometimes we may be tempted to think that the Holy Family's poverty was a pious tradition to exalt the virtue of poverty to those who were born poor in this world. Or to pacify the restless hearts of peasants during the middle ages by the backing of religion.  But this Gospel event proves to us that they were materially poor in the true sense of the word.  It is so consoling to think that material possessions are not always a badge of God's favor and the lack of them is not a sign of God's disfavor.

We are all consecrated:    By virtue of our baptism, we are consecrated to God.  We are set apart to do a particular mission in life to bring about the Kingdom.  Consecration is lived out in many ways.  Religious are consecrated by a certain ritual in the Church which sets them aside for a particular ministry following a particular charism, within a particular Religious Order.  Ordained Priests are consecrated to be God's ministers of Word and Sacraments for the life of one's soul.  A baptized Christian in the world is consecrated to be a leaven, a salt of the earth, to make present the presence of God in the market-places of the world.  No one is exempted.  We just do not exist, we live for a purpose.  The Presentation of the Child Jesus was a statement of this truth.

God lives in His temple and because of that we ought to give the House of God the respect it deserves.  The drama of Mary's purification, Jesus' consecration, the prophecy made by Simeon and the love of the prophetess Anna, all demonstrate to us how holy the temple or Church is.  In our Catholic Churches is present, day and night, the Son of God, Lord of Heaven and earth, who chose to remain in that little piece of bread we call the Eucharist so that He can be with us always.  And yet, for one reason or other, we take it for granted.  We need to recapture the reverence and awe we once had for the House of God.  Everyone of us can cite examples of how people can be so disrespectful of God's temple.

Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and as such should be treated with respect and reverence.  Our body is the instrument to render homage to God by acts of good deeds and virtues or to be used as an instrument to offend Him.  This feast reminds us to be conscious of this reality.

The sword piercing Mary's heart was a prophecy of the Cross.  Along with the joy of having given birth to God, the joy was lined with sorrow because the prophecy foretells  rejection, hate and death.  Isn't this a consequence of following Jesus, of discipleship?  The Cross is never far away from those who truly follow God.  That is one reason why people are afraid to follow Christ, "it is difficult, too complicated" many would say.  It entails dying: to self, selfish desires, life of sin.

As we celebrate this feast of the Presentation, let us again be mindful of these truths and ponder the insights which God reveals to those who seek Him.  "And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek (Malachi 3:1-4).  "Are you not aware that you are God's temple?"  Let us enter in, into the temple of our soul.  Let us remain in silence before the Lord our God.  Nothing is needed for this journey except the desire to be united with Him. As St. John of the Cross would say, the language God hears best is the silent language of love.