In this e-weekly:
- Link to Worldwide Eucharistic Miracles (Catholic Website of the week-by the laptop computer)
- St. Louis Seminarian Stronghold: Bonds of Brotherhood Bear Vocational Fruit and More (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- Read the totality of John 6 ("eat my flesh and drink my blood...") of the Holy Bible (Praying Hands)
- Link to Worldwide Eucharistic Miracles (Catholic Website of the week-by the laptop computer)
- St. Louis Seminarian Stronghold: Bonds of Brotherhood Bear Vocational Fruit and More (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- Read the totality of John 6 ("eat my flesh and drink my blood...") of the Holy Bible (Praying Hands)
Catholic Good News
Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
MARIAN CONSECRATION
[FINAL MATERIAL is at the end]
Mother of the Eucharist
Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
MARIAN CONSECRATION
[FINAL MATERIAL is at the end]
Mother of the Eucharist
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Every person whether they would admit it or not, or recognize it or not, has as their deepest need and desire to be truly loved. This is not as the world loves, but as God is Love.
The Son, Jesus, left His Father in heaven so that He could come to earth to die for your sins and mine. And then He left His Mother on earth so that He could give us Himself fully Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, HIS BODY, HIS BLOOD, HIS SOUL, AND HIS DIVINITY, His whole self in the Holy Eucharist.
And the love at the Holy Mass should not only be coming from one place, namely Jesus. He, Who is only Love and Mercy, must be able to dwell in us fully as He does in the tabernacle. He must do this so that you and I are not rushing from the Holy Mass cutting each other off in the parking lot, but that you and I are most desiring to lay down our lives for one another in our families (to our kids and parents, brothers and sisters), in our friendships (those old and those new friends), in our work place (the one we don’t like) and in our schools (to all our classmates).
Love starts in God’s House with you and me. So let it begin in our immediate families and our parish families. Talk to and invite over that family you do not know well in the parish, especially if they sit by you at every Mass. Visit the sick and home-bound of the parish. Ask how you can help some family in the parish that is in need or suffering in any way.
Go now to MARY, Mother of the Eucharist, MARY, who gave us Jesus in the BODY, go to Mary and THANK (Eucharist means “thanksgiving”) God for the gift of the Holy Eucharist and starting living that gift of selfless love in the here and now!!!
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
P.S. This coming Sunday is the Corpus Christi-Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The readings can be found at: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062225.cfm
Every person whether they would admit it or not, or recognize it or not, has as their deepest need and desire to be truly loved. This is not as the world loves, but as God is Love.
The Son, Jesus, left His Father in heaven so that He could come to earth to die for your sins and mine. And then He left His Mother on earth so that He could give us Himself fully Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, HIS BODY, HIS BLOOD, HIS SOUL, AND HIS DIVINITY, His whole self in the Holy Eucharist.
And the love at the Holy Mass should not only be coming from one place, namely Jesus. He, Who is only Love and Mercy, must be able to dwell in us fully as He does in the tabernacle. He must do this so that you and I are not rushing from the Holy Mass cutting each other off in the parking lot, but that you and I are most desiring to lay down our lives for one another in our families (to our kids and parents, brothers and sisters), in our friendships (those old and those new friends), in our work place (the one we don’t like) and in our schools (to all our classmates).
Love starts in God’s House with you and me. So let it begin in our immediate families and our parish families. Talk to and invite over that family you do not know well in the parish, especially if they sit by you at every Mass. Visit the sick and home-bound of the parish. Ask how you can help some family in the parish that is in need or suffering in any way.
Go now to MARY, Mother of the Eucharist, MARY, who gave us Jesus in the BODY, go to Mary and THANK (Eucharist means “thanksgiving”) God for the gift of the Holy Eucharist and starting living that gift of selfless love in the here and now!!!
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
P.S. This coming Sunday is the Corpus Christi-Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The readings can be found at: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062225.cfm
P.S.S. A past Sunday’s homily can be found in written form below.
Holy Eucharist (from Old English halig “whole” + from Latin eucharistia from the Greek eucharístia “gratefulness, thanksgiving”= “whole thanksgiving”)
-the ritual, sacramental action of thanksgiving to God which constitutes the principal Christian liturgical celebration of and communion in the paschal mystery of Christ [His Passion, Death, and Resurrection].
[The liturgical action called the Eucharist is also traditionally known as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is the heart of the seven sacraments of the Church; the Holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. The Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life.]
The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church."
"Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints." Catechism of the Catholic Church #2177
-the ritual, sacramental action of thanksgiving to God which constitutes the principal Christian liturgical celebration of and communion in the paschal mystery of Christ [His Passion, Death, and Resurrection].
[The liturgical action called the Eucharist is also traditionally known as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is the heart of the seven sacraments of the Church; the Holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. The Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life.]
The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church."
"Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints." Catechism of the Catholic Church #2177
CONSECRATION
Recognize Jesus, fully Present in the Holy Eucharist by being Consecrated to Jesus through Mary!
Recognize Jesus, fully Present in the Holy Eucharist by being Consecrated to Jesus through Mary!
Eucharistic Miracles
http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/a3.html
Having trouble believing that Jesus is fully Present: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist? You are not alone. When someone has doubted, often a Priest, God has often sent a miracle where the Consecrated Host turns into human Flesh or Blood. Check out this site for more!
Left to right: Quinton Durer, Joseph Inserra, Jack Nowak and Thomas Hashbarger meet with Archbishop Rozanski after Mass in high school. (photo: Courtesy of subjects / Courtesy of subjects)
Jack Figge Features
May 26
In sixth grade, Jack Nowak was volunteering at a summer camp at St. Clare of Assisi grade school in Ellisville, Missouri. He was paired to work with Quinton Durer, a freshman in high school. They quickly moved past small talk, and Jack asked Quinton what he wanted to be when he grew up.
Quinton said that he had no idea.
Jack blurted, “I want to be a priest!”
Fast-forward seven years, and both are seminarians at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis.
But they are not alone. Four other men from St. Clare of Assisi parish are also in seminary, each with their own discernment story.
But their collective story has a common theme: They relied on one another throughout high school as they prayed about their individual vocations.
Nowak, the youngest seminarian, will be a college sophomore in the fall. Joseph Inserra, Thomas Hashbarger and Joseph Corrigan will all begin their junior year. Ben Borgemyer just concluded his propaedeutic year after graduating from the University of Missouri in 2023. And Durer will begin the next phase of his formation as he enters “Theology I” in the fall.
“It was huge to have older brothers that entered seminary before me,” Nowak said. “We could talk about it pretty openly. It was just amazing to be able to go up and ask all the questions that I had, especially my senior year, when everyone else was in seminary.”
In high school, they each began regularly attending the parish youth group. Even though they were friends in grade school, the youth group made them brothers.
Jack Figge Features
May 26
In sixth grade, Jack Nowak was volunteering at a summer camp at St. Clare of Assisi grade school in Ellisville, Missouri. He was paired to work with Quinton Durer, a freshman in high school. They quickly moved past small talk, and Jack asked Quinton what he wanted to be when he grew up.
Quinton said that he had no idea.
Jack blurted, “I want to be a priest!”
Fast-forward seven years, and both are seminarians at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis.
But they are not alone. Four other men from St. Clare of Assisi parish are also in seminary, each with their own discernment story.
But their collective story has a common theme: They relied on one another throughout high school as they prayed about their individual vocations.
Nowak, the youngest seminarian, will be a college sophomore in the fall. Joseph Inserra, Thomas Hashbarger and Joseph Corrigan will all begin their junior year. Ben Borgemyer just concluded his propaedeutic year after graduating from the University of Missouri in 2023. And Durer will begin the next phase of his formation as he enters “Theology I” in the fall.
“It was huge to have older brothers that entered seminary before me,” Nowak said. “We could talk about it pretty openly. It was just amazing to be able to go up and ask all the questions that I had, especially my senior year, when everyone else was in seminary.”
In high school, they each began regularly attending the parish youth group. Even though they were friends in grade school, the youth group made them brothers.
“Not only did the youth group have a strong Catholic foundation, but we were all always together,” Hashbarger said. “We would always hang out outside of the youth group, such as every Saturday, when we would have fun and talk about our faith and what’s going on within us. Having these friends made it a lot easier for me to process and talk about discernment.”
Soon, the young men began opening up about their own struggles with discernment, a struggle they soon discovered that many young men encounter.
“Discernment in high school is often stigmatized, with misconceptions such as being too young to make serious decisions like attending seminary or fearing the celibate priesthood,” Corrigan said. “There is this notion that you're missing out on so much if you don’t go to college.”
The guys would share these fears with each other. But they also frequently turned to the parish’s then associate pastor, Father Andrew Auer, to express their worries and concerns about discernment. Father Auer, who now serves as associate pastor at St. Thomas More Newman Center parish at the University of Missouri at Columbia, shared that these fears are commonplace among young people discerning a call.
“Young people struggle to talk about discernment because of fear,” Father Auer told the Register, “fear of others thinking it’s weird; fear of being the ‘Jesus freak.’”
But with prayer, Father Auer told the young men, God will help them sort through the anxiety and help them listen for his voice.
“So often I have to tell the guys, ‘Hey, you’re 17. If God wants you to be a priest, he’ll make it happen. Let’s just take the next step and keep praying.’ If I’m praying, the Lord takes care of the rest: He convicts; he helps fight sin; he opens doors; he puts away fear. Anxiety and fear will suffocate vocations,” Father Auer said.
When they entered seminary, the men found a new appreciation for the community they had in high school, as they heard stories of other seminarians struggling to find groups that were open to talking about discernment.
“You hear a lot of stories about the guy who, in high school, has to work up a lot of courage to tell people that he’s discerning the priesthood because he feels very alone in this process,” Inserra said. “That was most certainly not the case with us. It was really helpful to be able to know that there are other people that are going through the same thing and have a lot of the same questions, fears and hesitancies.”
What sparked these conversations, however, was the culture of the youth group. Under the guidance of Father Auer and the then youth minister, Alyssa Norberg, a vibrant community was formed centered around fun, formation and prayer.
“Young people love to be challenged,” Norberg, who serves as a communications specialist at Kenrick-Glennon, told the Register. “It really took a culture of praying for vocations at the parish. But we were also intentional in creating an actual space for young men and women to ask the question about vocation. But, really, we just placed a high call before the students to be saints, and they responded.”
To form the students as future saints, the ministry focused on two things: creating a culture of love and teaching the teenagers how to pray.
“The most important thing in the youth group was to give them the language and tools for prayer as well as authentic experiences of love,” Father Auer said. “The core team, youth minister, and I all loved them. We accepted the teens in all of their goofiness and didn’t run from it. But once you get them into a routine of prayer, I’m really not worried. If the Lord is calling, they’re prepared to listen and obey.”
Even with this intentional framework, both Norberg and Father Auer know that God’s hand was at work in bringing so many young men who were discerning their futures to St. Clare.
Soon, the young men began opening up about their own struggles with discernment, a struggle they soon discovered that many young men encounter.
“Discernment in high school is often stigmatized, with misconceptions such as being too young to make serious decisions like attending seminary or fearing the celibate priesthood,” Corrigan said. “There is this notion that you're missing out on so much if you don’t go to college.”
The guys would share these fears with each other. But they also frequently turned to the parish’s then associate pastor, Father Andrew Auer, to express their worries and concerns about discernment. Father Auer, who now serves as associate pastor at St. Thomas More Newman Center parish at the University of Missouri at Columbia, shared that these fears are commonplace among young people discerning a call.
“Young people struggle to talk about discernment because of fear,” Father Auer told the Register, “fear of others thinking it’s weird; fear of being the ‘Jesus freak.’”
But with prayer, Father Auer told the young men, God will help them sort through the anxiety and help them listen for his voice.
“So often I have to tell the guys, ‘Hey, you’re 17. If God wants you to be a priest, he’ll make it happen. Let’s just take the next step and keep praying.’ If I’m praying, the Lord takes care of the rest: He convicts; he helps fight sin; he opens doors; he puts away fear. Anxiety and fear will suffocate vocations,” Father Auer said.
When they entered seminary, the men found a new appreciation for the community they had in high school, as they heard stories of other seminarians struggling to find groups that were open to talking about discernment.
“You hear a lot of stories about the guy who, in high school, has to work up a lot of courage to tell people that he’s discerning the priesthood because he feels very alone in this process,” Inserra said. “That was most certainly not the case with us. It was really helpful to be able to know that there are other people that are going through the same thing and have a lot of the same questions, fears and hesitancies.”
What sparked these conversations, however, was the culture of the youth group. Under the guidance of Father Auer and the then youth minister, Alyssa Norberg, a vibrant community was formed centered around fun, formation and prayer.
“Young people love to be challenged,” Norberg, who serves as a communications specialist at Kenrick-Glennon, told the Register. “It really took a culture of praying for vocations at the parish. But we were also intentional in creating an actual space for young men and women to ask the question about vocation. But, really, we just placed a high call before the students to be saints, and they responded.”
To form the students as future saints, the ministry focused on two things: creating a culture of love and teaching the teenagers how to pray.
“The most important thing in the youth group was to give them the language and tools for prayer as well as authentic experiences of love,” Father Auer said. “The core team, youth minister, and I all loved them. We accepted the teens in all of their goofiness and didn’t run from it. But once you get them into a routine of prayer, I’m really not worried. If the Lord is calling, they’re prepared to listen and obey.”
Even with this intentional framework, both Norberg and Father Auer know that God’s hand was at work in bringing so many young men who were discerning their futures to St. Clare.
“There’s something just supernatural about that time that we all had together at St. Clare; the parish was truly anointed during those years,” Norberg said. “Part of that, just like the Lord’s preference, and bringing people together for that time, and those are things that are all out of the youth ministers’ control; it’s all out of, yeah, the men, even their own discerning hearts.”
Soon after the young men joined the youth group, it became more than simply a group of young Catholics who would meet twice a week; it became their friend group. They would frequently hang out on Friday and Saturday nights with each other; and after youth group, they would hang out together, too.
Soon after the young men joined the youth group, it became more than simply a group of young Catholics who would meet twice a week; it became their friend group. They would frequently hang out on Friday and Saturday nights with each other; and after youth group, they would hang out together, too.
But they did not keep this joyous community to themselves; they began inviting younger students to join them.
“The youth group started out as my friend group. I was going to these events to have fun,” Hasbarger said. “But then, as we transitioned from sophomore to junior year, I asked Quinton for advice on how to be a good upperclassman, and he said that the youth group is not about me anymore; it’s about giving yourself to others. So we all had to learn how to serve the underclassmen and actually go outside of ourselves and form a community.”
The youth group gave the now seminarians more experience than just how to be a leader and help form dynamic communities. It taught them how to live amongst one another, and it also exposed the guys to another reality: women.
“In high school, I had a girlfriend that I met at a youth group,” explained Inserra. “Dating somebody helped me to come to know others as well as myself on a deeper level, so that when I finally started to recognize that call to seminary, I had the capacity to discern and understand what was going on in my heart.”
Even as the guys navigated relationships and friendships, the biweekly Wednesday and Sunday youth group gatherings served as a constant foundation for their faith life, a foundation that helped support the deep community they formed.
“The steady, simple stuff at St. Clare, like the ‘Sunday Life Nights’ and ‘Wednesday Gatherings,’ served as a foundation for my faith life,” said Durer. “It just kept my faith life going.”
This brotherhood the men formed not only inspired the younger students but even some of the older volunteers. In the summer going into his senior year at Mizzou, Borgmeyer decided to serve on the youth group core team, a group of adults that assists the youth minister in leading the community. During that summer, seeing the younger guys discern their own call to seminary more seriously left an impression on the then college student.
“It was just nice to be around guys who were discerning and wanting to pursue a relationship with the Lord in a deeper way and possibly give their lives over to him and through the priesthood,” Borgmeyer said. “Being at St. Clare made discernment more normal for me and allowed me to start considering my own vocation more seriously.”
For Norberg and Father Auer, watching the six seminarians grow in their friendship and faith left a deep impression, reminding both of them that friendship is critical to the spiritual journey.
“The St. Clare men are great evidence that we need holy friendships in our walk with the Lord,” Father Auer said. “I would see how they encouraged each other. They went to pray because they knew the other guys were doing it. They weren’t alone in their journey, so discernment never became this very fearful or wild thought.”
L to R: Jack Figge, Joseph Corrigan, Jack Nowak, Joseph Inserra and Thomas Hashbarger serve Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception after the 2022 March for Life.(Photo: Courtesy of Jack Figge)
Now that these six men are in seminary, they continue to be grateful for the brotherhood and friendship they formed in high school, a brotherhood that continues to bear fruit as they all pursue Christ and discern where he is calling each of them.
“Having these men here in seminary is like bringing a little piece of home with me,” Inserra said. “Especially coming into seminary, where it is a different and challenging environment, with a lot of pressures and struggles, these guys are the people who I can feel at home with and who help me remember past times. But in the present moment, they provide me a space with a lot of support and familiarity and a community that I know I will not be judged in.”
“The youth group started out as my friend group. I was going to these events to have fun,” Hasbarger said. “But then, as we transitioned from sophomore to junior year, I asked Quinton for advice on how to be a good upperclassman, and he said that the youth group is not about me anymore; it’s about giving yourself to others. So we all had to learn how to serve the underclassmen and actually go outside of ourselves and form a community.”
The youth group gave the now seminarians more experience than just how to be a leader and help form dynamic communities. It taught them how to live amongst one another, and it also exposed the guys to another reality: women.
“In high school, I had a girlfriend that I met at a youth group,” explained Inserra. “Dating somebody helped me to come to know others as well as myself on a deeper level, so that when I finally started to recognize that call to seminary, I had the capacity to discern and understand what was going on in my heart.”
Even as the guys navigated relationships and friendships, the biweekly Wednesday and Sunday youth group gatherings served as a constant foundation for their faith life, a foundation that helped support the deep community they formed.
“The steady, simple stuff at St. Clare, like the ‘Sunday Life Nights’ and ‘Wednesday Gatherings,’ served as a foundation for my faith life,” said Durer. “It just kept my faith life going.”
This brotherhood the men formed not only inspired the younger students but even some of the older volunteers. In the summer going into his senior year at Mizzou, Borgmeyer decided to serve on the youth group core team, a group of adults that assists the youth minister in leading the community. During that summer, seeing the younger guys discern their own call to seminary more seriously left an impression on the then college student.
“It was just nice to be around guys who were discerning and wanting to pursue a relationship with the Lord in a deeper way and possibly give their lives over to him and through the priesthood,” Borgmeyer said. “Being at St. Clare made discernment more normal for me and allowed me to start considering my own vocation more seriously.”
For Norberg and Father Auer, watching the six seminarians grow in their friendship and faith left a deep impression, reminding both of them that friendship is critical to the spiritual journey.
“The St. Clare men are great evidence that we need holy friendships in our walk with the Lord,” Father Auer said. “I would see how they encouraged each other. They went to pray because they knew the other guys were doing it. They weren’t alone in their journey, so discernment never became this very fearful or wild thought.”
L to R: Jack Figge, Joseph Corrigan, Jack Nowak, Joseph Inserra and Thomas Hashbarger serve Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception after the 2022 March for Life.(Photo: Courtesy of Jack Figge)
Now that these six men are in seminary, they continue to be grateful for the brotherhood and friendship they formed in high school, a brotherhood that continues to bear fruit as they all pursue Christ and discern where he is calling each of them.
“Having these men here in seminary is like bringing a little piece of home with me,” Inserra said. “Especially coming into seminary, where it is a different and challenging environment, with a lot of pressures and struggles, these guys are the people who I can feel at home with and who help me remember past times. But in the present moment, they provide me a space with a lot of support and familiarity and a community that I know I will not be judged in.”
Pope Francis: The Virgin Mary Teaches Us ‘To Live Eucharistically’
The Blessed Virgin Mary never allowed herself to be “paralyzed by pride or fear,” but she arose and went with haste to humbly offer a helping hand, the pope told young Catholics on Saturday.
“Mary teaches us also to live eucharistically. In other words, to give thanks, to cultivate praise, and to not be fixated only on problems and difficulties,” Pope Francis said on June 18.
Pope Francis underlined that the Mother of God did not stay home and think about the great privilege she had received after her encounter with the angel at the Annunciation, nor did she fixate on the many problems it could bring.
“She was not one of those people for whom all it takes to be comfortable and secure is a good sofa: ‘couch potatoes.’ If her elderly relative needed a helping hand, she was ready to set out immediately to be there for her,” he added.
The pope spoke in an audience with young Catholics who are part of the Syro-Malabar Church, the second-biggest Eastern Catholic Church with more than four million members worldwide.Based in India, the Syro-Malabar Church is one of the 23 autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome. It is the largest of the churches that trace their origin to St. Thomas the Apostle, who is believed to have traveled as far as southern India during his missionary journeys after his life-changing encounter with the risen Jesus.
Pope Francis told the participants in the Syro-Malabar Youth Leaders Conference that they are called to bear witness to the truth that “our lives find substance and meaning whenever we say ‘yes’ to Jesus.”
He said: “You are the young people of the Syro-Malabar diaspora. The Apostle Thomas came to the west coast of India to sow the seeds of the Gospel and the first Christian communities grew up there. According to tradition, this year marks the 1,950th anniversary of Thomas's martyrdom, which sealed his friendship with Jesus, whom he had called: ‘My Lord and my God!’”
“The Church is apostolic because she is founded on the testimony of the Apostles, and continues to grow not by proselytism, but by witness. Every baptized person shares in building up the Church to the extent that he or she is a witness. You too are called to bear witness, primarily among your peers in the Syro-Malabar diaspora, but also among those who do not belong to your communities, and even those who do not know the Lord Jesus.”
Pope Francis encouraged the young Catholics to be like Mary, who visited her older cousin Elizabeth, by visiting their elderly relatives and receiving their wisdom.
“The young mother of Jesus was very familiar with the prayers of her people, which she had learned from her parents and grandparents. There is a hidden treasure in the prayers of our elders. In the Magnificat, Mary takes up the legacy of faith passed down by her people and makes it a song of her own; at the same time, the whole Church sings that song with her,” he said.
“If you, young people, want to make your own lives a canticle of praise, a gift for all humanity, it is essential to be grounded in the tradition and prayer of past generations. This is particularly true for you; it means discovering that treasure ever anew, with the help of your bishops and priests, in the history of your Church and in its spiritual and liturgical riches.”
“Above all, I encourage you to be familiar with the word of God, to read it each day and to apply it to your life. Jesus, the risen Lord, will warm your hearts and shed light on your journey, even in life's most difficult and dark moments,” Pope Francis said.
“Mary teaches us also to live eucharistically. In other words, to give thanks, to cultivate praise, and to not be fixated only on problems and difficulties,” Pope Francis said on June 18.
Pope Francis underlined that the Mother of God did not stay home and think about the great privilege she had received after her encounter with the angel at the Annunciation, nor did she fixate on the many problems it could bring.
“She was not one of those people for whom all it takes to be comfortable and secure is a good sofa: ‘couch potatoes.’ If her elderly relative needed a helping hand, she was ready to set out immediately to be there for her,” he added.
The pope spoke in an audience with young Catholics who are part of the Syro-Malabar Church, the second-biggest Eastern Catholic Church with more than four million members worldwide.Based in India, the Syro-Malabar Church is one of the 23 autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome. It is the largest of the churches that trace their origin to St. Thomas the Apostle, who is believed to have traveled as far as southern India during his missionary journeys after his life-changing encounter with the risen Jesus.
Pope Francis told the participants in the Syro-Malabar Youth Leaders Conference that they are called to bear witness to the truth that “our lives find substance and meaning whenever we say ‘yes’ to Jesus.”
He said: “You are the young people of the Syro-Malabar diaspora. The Apostle Thomas came to the west coast of India to sow the seeds of the Gospel and the first Christian communities grew up there. According to tradition, this year marks the 1,950th anniversary of Thomas's martyrdom, which sealed his friendship with Jesus, whom he had called: ‘My Lord and my God!’”
“The Church is apostolic because she is founded on the testimony of the Apostles, and continues to grow not by proselytism, but by witness. Every baptized person shares in building up the Church to the extent that he or she is a witness. You too are called to bear witness, primarily among your peers in the Syro-Malabar diaspora, but also among those who do not belong to your communities, and even those who do not know the Lord Jesus.”
Pope Francis encouraged the young Catholics to be like Mary, who visited her older cousin Elizabeth, by visiting their elderly relatives and receiving their wisdom.
“The young mother of Jesus was very familiar with the prayers of her people, which she had learned from her parents and grandparents. There is a hidden treasure in the prayers of our elders. In the Magnificat, Mary takes up the legacy of faith passed down by her people and makes it a song of her own; at the same time, the whole Church sings that song with her,” he said.
“If you, young people, want to make your own lives a canticle of praise, a gift for all humanity, it is essential to be grounded in the tradition and prayer of past generations. This is particularly true for you; it means discovering that treasure ever anew, with the help of your bishops and priests, in the history of your Church and in its spiritual and liturgical riches.”
“Above all, I encourage you to be familiar with the word of God, to read it each day and to apply it to your life. Jesus, the risen Lord, will warm your hearts and shed light on your journey, even in life's most difficult and dark moments,” Pope Francis said.
Perpetual Adoration Chapel will be a 'spiritual gamechanger' for New York City, Priest Says
A perpetual adoration chapel slated to open next spring will bring spiritual healing and revitalization to Manhattan, according to a Dominican priest overseeing the project.
"This is really a project of the Holy Spirit. There's so many times when it's seemed like we're running into snags and they just work themselves out," Fr. Boniface Endorf, a Dominican friar and pastor of St. Joseph's parish in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, told CNA.
"It's clear the Holy Spirit is a driving force, and I think this will be a spiritual gamechanger for Greenwich Village and the city of New York, to have a place where you can encounter Jesus Christ."
Manhattan, one of the most densely populated and influential areas of the entire U.S., currently lacks a perpetual adoration chapel. Last year, Timothy Cardinal Dolan of New York asked Fr. Endorf if his parish would be willing to take on the challenge of opening one.
The new chapel will be constructed in a basement space that the parish is currently using for storage. At present the project is in its last stage of fundraising, with construction set to begin in early fall. The goal is to have the chapel open by Easter 2022.
Fr. Endorf's catchphrase for the project is "The city that never sleeps deserves a chapel that never closes."
The location is ideal, Fr. Endorf said, because the area is well-served by public transit. He said St. Joseph parishioners and students from the nearby universities are very excited about the project.
The neighborhood needs the graces that will come from the chapel, Fr. Endorf said. Greenwich Village is a quieter, more residential neighborhood of Manhattan, but also is known for being artistic and bohemian, and also as a haven for LGBT culture.
Fr. Endorf said he fully expects the adoration chapel to be a source of grace for vocations among those to visit; to help ordinary Catholics to grow in holiness; to aid in the strengthening of marriages in the neighborhood; and to provide spiritual healing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit New York City early, and especially hard.
In terms of aesthetics, the parish church itself is neoclassical, and the design of the chapel is somewhat romanesque. The theme for the chapel is Divine Mercy, and it will feature a mosaic of the Divine Mercy image above the monstrance.
The main design element is a large wooden rood screen, a feature born partly out of necessity— the screen protects the monstrance from theft— but which will also serve as a large, visible surface on which to place additional artistry and symbolism.
The chapel will also have choir stalls to allow the faithful to join in with the Dominicans as they pray the liturgy of the hours throughout the day. To keep worshippers safe, the chapel will be secured through a PIN-based or biometric security system, according to the project website.
Fr. Endorf said that when the chapel opens they plan to pursue locals who can sign up for an adoration slot. But he also hopes that people from across New York, as well as tourists, will take advantage of the chapel as well.
"This is really a project of the Holy Spirit. There's so many times when it's seemed like we're running into snags and they just work themselves out," Fr. Boniface Endorf, a Dominican friar and pastor of St. Joseph's parish in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, told CNA.
"It's clear the Holy Spirit is a driving force, and I think this will be a spiritual gamechanger for Greenwich Village and the city of New York, to have a place where you can encounter Jesus Christ."
Manhattan, one of the most densely populated and influential areas of the entire U.S., currently lacks a perpetual adoration chapel. Last year, Timothy Cardinal Dolan of New York asked Fr. Endorf if his parish would be willing to take on the challenge of opening one.
The new chapel will be constructed in a basement space that the parish is currently using for storage. At present the project is in its last stage of fundraising, with construction set to begin in early fall. The goal is to have the chapel open by Easter 2022.
Fr. Endorf's catchphrase for the project is "The city that never sleeps deserves a chapel that never closes."
The location is ideal, Fr. Endorf said, because the area is well-served by public transit. He said St. Joseph parishioners and students from the nearby universities are very excited about the project.
The neighborhood needs the graces that will come from the chapel, Fr. Endorf said. Greenwich Village is a quieter, more residential neighborhood of Manhattan, but also is known for being artistic and bohemian, and also as a haven for LGBT culture.
Fr. Endorf said he fully expects the adoration chapel to be a source of grace for vocations among those to visit; to help ordinary Catholics to grow in holiness; to aid in the strengthening of marriages in the neighborhood; and to provide spiritual healing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit New York City early, and especially hard.
In terms of aesthetics, the parish church itself is neoclassical, and the design of the chapel is somewhat romanesque. The theme for the chapel is Divine Mercy, and it will feature a mosaic of the Divine Mercy image above the monstrance.
The main design element is a large wooden rood screen, a feature born partly out of necessity— the screen protects the monstrance from theft— but which will also serve as a large, visible surface on which to place additional artistry and symbolism.
The chapel will also have choir stalls to allow the faithful to join in with the Dominicans as they pray the liturgy of the hours throughout the day. To keep worshippers safe, the chapel will be secured through a PIN-based or biometric security system, according to the project website.
Fr. Endorf said that when the chapel opens they plan to pursue locals who can sign up for an adoration slot. But he also hopes that people from across New York, as well as tourists, will take advantage of the chapel as well.
BOOKS | JUN. 27
The Dead Sea Scrolls Cast Light on Baptism, the Eucharist, the Priesthood and More
BOOK PICK: Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity
Thomas L. McDonald
Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity
By John Bergsma
Image, 2019
272 pages, $25
To order: amazon.com
The mystique of the Dead Sea Scrolls — from their discovery in the Judean desert in the 1940s to the long delay in publishing — has led to outlandish theories that can obscure the genuine reasons for their fascination. They provide the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Old Testament, proving the continuity and stability of the texts, as well as containing some manuscripts created during the lifetime of Jesus. They also illustrate the beliefs and practices of a community of Jews that developed shortly before the birth of Christ, casting new light on Judaism and the early Church. Most intriguingly, particularly for author and Scripture scholar John Bergsma, are the parallels between the Qumran community of Essenes and the ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus and the Church, and the tantalizing suggestions of contact among them.
Bergsma, a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, lays out all of these issues carefully and cautiously in Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity. He doesn’t make any outrageous or extraordinary claims, nor engage in the flights of fancy that characterize a certain kind of writing on the Scrolls. Instead, he explores the evidence by focusing on five areas where the world of the Essenes can cast light on the roots of Christianity: baptism, the Eucharist, marriage and celibacy, the priesthood, and the Church.
Who exactly were the Essenes? Josephus counts them among the Pharisees and Sadducees as one of the sects of Judaism, known for their more rigorous lifestyles and interpretation of the Law. Like the Pharisees, they believed in the resurrection of the dead, heaven, hell, angels, demons and other aspects of first-century Judaism that would become part of the Jesus movement. To the Essenes, however, the Pharisees were slackers. They objected to the way the Temple was run, practiced demanding ascetics, engaged in more frequent ritual washings, and lived in communities with common goods.
The movement had two levels of followers: those who married and lived according to the Law in various places, and those who remained celibate and followed a proto-monastic lifestyle of work, prayer, study and copying of Scriptures. In a small settlement at Qumran on the Dead Sea, a group of Essenes awaited the coming of two messiahs — one priestly, one kingly — while they collected and produced a diverse library of documents, including copies of Hebrew scripture (both canonical and non-canonical), community rules, prophecy, apocalyptic writings, law, prayers and interpretations. This library, discovered over a span of 10 years, is what comprises the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The value to Christians of these discoveries should be obvious, since they add greatly to our understanding of religion in the period immediately before and after the Incarnation. They show that certain beliefs about the messiah, celibacy, ritual washing, communal memorial meals, and the kingdom of God were not as alien to first-century Judaism as some have suggested.
Bergsma begins with John the Baptist, who seems as though he could spring out of some of the texts found among the scrolls. Writers less cautious than Bergsma have suggested that, in fact, he is directly referenced in the Scrolls. Like the Essenes, his ministry was prophetic, ascetic and celibate, which made it distinct in the milieu of first-century Judaism. John’s ministry in the Judean wilderness was a half-day’s walk from Qumran, and his use of ritual washing done with repentance and humility echoes particular practices of the community. John’s language of repentance finds parallels in scrolls such as the Damascus Documents, where the Essenes are called the “repentant ones of Israel.”
John identifies himself with Isaiah as a “voice crying out in the wilderness,” which is similarly cited in the Community Rule of Qumran. The passage, in fact, drew both John and the Essenes to choose the wild areas as the locus of their work. Both were preparing for the coming of messiahs. Part of joining the Qumran community was a pledge not to take food prepared outside of the community, except for things found in the wild, which may explain John’s peculiar diet of locusts and honey. The scrolls even detail how to prepare locusts for eating. None of this proves that John was an Essene, but it’s certainly suggestive.
Bergsma also explores a kind of sacred meal of bread and wine practiced by the Essenes. We already knew of these second hand from Josephus, but now the scrolls provide primary evidence that men in priestly garments (white linen) performed ritual immersions and then took a meal in which bread and wine was blessed, prayers were said, and lessons read from scripture or community documents. Interestingly, the Scrolls state that the men are to take their seats according to rank, which evokes Luke 22:24, in which the apostles argue over rank.
These points are just a sample of the connections Bergsma outlines as he views the New Testament through the lens of the Scrolls, casting light on issues such as the Eucharist, the date and location of the Last Supper, celibacy and marriage, the organization of the Church, and the priesthood. These are not all new observations, but they’ve never be synthesized this well for a general readership in such a clear and engaging way.
The subtitle is the key to understanding Bergsma’s project: Christianity grew in Jewish soil and has Jewish roots. By illuminating the beliefs and practices found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, we understand that soil and those roots far better. Even if there were no direct connections between Qumran and early Christianity, we can still learn an immense amount about how Christianity took shape, its concerns and forms, from analyzing the scrolls. And while Bergsma doesn’t prove the link between Qumran and Christianity, he amply and convincingly illustrates its plausibility.
Thomas L. McDonald writes from New Jersey.
The Dead Sea Scrolls Cast Light on Baptism, the Eucharist, the Priesthood and More
BOOK PICK: Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity
Thomas L. McDonald
Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity
By John Bergsma
Image, 2019
272 pages, $25
To order: amazon.com
The mystique of the Dead Sea Scrolls — from their discovery in the Judean desert in the 1940s to the long delay in publishing — has led to outlandish theories that can obscure the genuine reasons for their fascination. They provide the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Old Testament, proving the continuity and stability of the texts, as well as containing some manuscripts created during the lifetime of Jesus. They also illustrate the beliefs and practices of a community of Jews that developed shortly before the birth of Christ, casting new light on Judaism and the early Church. Most intriguingly, particularly for author and Scripture scholar John Bergsma, are the parallels between the Qumran community of Essenes and the ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus and the Church, and the tantalizing suggestions of contact among them.
Bergsma, a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, lays out all of these issues carefully and cautiously in Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity. He doesn’t make any outrageous or extraordinary claims, nor engage in the flights of fancy that characterize a certain kind of writing on the Scrolls. Instead, he explores the evidence by focusing on five areas where the world of the Essenes can cast light on the roots of Christianity: baptism, the Eucharist, marriage and celibacy, the priesthood, and the Church.
Who exactly were the Essenes? Josephus counts them among the Pharisees and Sadducees as one of the sects of Judaism, known for their more rigorous lifestyles and interpretation of the Law. Like the Pharisees, they believed in the resurrection of the dead, heaven, hell, angels, demons and other aspects of first-century Judaism that would become part of the Jesus movement. To the Essenes, however, the Pharisees were slackers. They objected to the way the Temple was run, practiced demanding ascetics, engaged in more frequent ritual washings, and lived in communities with common goods.
The movement had two levels of followers: those who married and lived according to the Law in various places, and those who remained celibate and followed a proto-monastic lifestyle of work, prayer, study and copying of Scriptures. In a small settlement at Qumran on the Dead Sea, a group of Essenes awaited the coming of two messiahs — one priestly, one kingly — while they collected and produced a diverse library of documents, including copies of Hebrew scripture (both canonical and non-canonical), community rules, prophecy, apocalyptic writings, law, prayers and interpretations. This library, discovered over a span of 10 years, is what comprises the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The value to Christians of these discoveries should be obvious, since they add greatly to our understanding of religion in the period immediately before and after the Incarnation. They show that certain beliefs about the messiah, celibacy, ritual washing, communal memorial meals, and the kingdom of God were not as alien to first-century Judaism as some have suggested.
Bergsma begins with John the Baptist, who seems as though he could spring out of some of the texts found among the scrolls. Writers less cautious than Bergsma have suggested that, in fact, he is directly referenced in the Scrolls. Like the Essenes, his ministry was prophetic, ascetic and celibate, which made it distinct in the milieu of first-century Judaism. John’s ministry in the Judean wilderness was a half-day’s walk from Qumran, and his use of ritual washing done with repentance and humility echoes particular practices of the community. John’s language of repentance finds parallels in scrolls such as the Damascus Documents, where the Essenes are called the “repentant ones of Israel.”
John identifies himself with Isaiah as a “voice crying out in the wilderness,” which is similarly cited in the Community Rule of Qumran. The passage, in fact, drew both John and the Essenes to choose the wild areas as the locus of their work. Both were preparing for the coming of messiahs. Part of joining the Qumran community was a pledge not to take food prepared outside of the community, except for things found in the wild, which may explain John’s peculiar diet of locusts and honey. The scrolls even detail how to prepare locusts for eating. None of this proves that John was an Essene, but it’s certainly suggestive.
Bergsma also explores a kind of sacred meal of bread and wine practiced by the Essenes. We already knew of these second hand from Josephus, but now the scrolls provide primary evidence that men in priestly garments (white linen) performed ritual immersions and then took a meal in which bread and wine was blessed, prayers were said, and lessons read from scripture or community documents. Interestingly, the Scrolls state that the men are to take their seats according to rank, which evokes Luke 22:24, in which the apostles argue over rank.
These points are just a sample of the connections Bergsma outlines as he views the New Testament through the lens of the Scrolls, casting light on issues such as the Eucharist, the date and location of the Last Supper, celibacy and marriage, the organization of the Church, and the priesthood. These are not all new observations, but they’ve never be synthesized this well for a general readership in such a clear and engaging way.
The subtitle is the key to understanding Bergsma’s project: Christianity grew in Jewish soil and has Jewish roots. By illuminating the beliefs and practices found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, we understand that soil and those roots far better. Even if there were no direct connections between Qumran and early Christianity, we can still learn an immense amount about how Christianity took shape, its concerns and forms, from analyzing the scrolls. And while Bergsma doesn’t prove the link between Qumran and Christianity, he amply and convincingly illustrates its plausibility.
Thomas L. McDonald writes from New Jersey.
Here is What Early Christians Believed About the Eucharist Philip Kosloski | Jun 02
Their beliefs were rooted in Jesus' words and the traditions passed down to them from the Apostles.After almost 2,000 years of Catholic teaching, the Church boldly proclaims in the Catechism, “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ ‘The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it'” (CCC 1324).
It is a striking statement, one that shows how much the Church values the Eucharist in the present age. Yet, is this belief something new, introduced during the last few centuries? Or has it been part of the Church’s teachings since the very beginning?
As with all essential teachings of the Catholic Church, it is simply a reechoing of the Church’s beliefs throughout the centuries. This is clearly revealed when delving into the writings of the early Christians who lived in the first few centuries after Christ’s death and resurrection.
To help illustrate that point, here is a small selection of quotes from these Christians that detail their beliefs about the Holy Eucharist. After reading these, it becomes clear how the Church has passed on this teaching over the years virtually unchanged.
On the Lord’s own day, assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks; but first confess your sins, so that your sacrifice may be pure. However, no one quarreling with his brother may join your meeting until they are reconciled; your sacrifice must not be defiled. For here we have the saying of the Lord: “In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice; for I am a mighty King, says the Lord; and my name spreads terror among the nations.” (Didache, c. 90)
For we do not receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being incarnate by God’s Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus. (St. Justin Martyr, c. 100)
They [Gnostics] abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His graciousness, raised from the dead. (St. Ignatius of Antioch, c. 110)
[Christ] has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own Blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own Body, from which he gives increase to our bodies. (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, c. 140)
The Word is everything to a child: both Father and Mother, both Instructor and Nurse. “Eat My Flesh,” He says, “and drink My Blood.” The Lord supplies us with these intimate nutrients. He delivers over His Flesh, and pours out His Blood; and nothing is lacking for the growth of His children. O incredible mystery! (St. Clement of Alexandria, c. 150)
When You Care for a Sick Family Member, You are a 'hidden hero,' Pope SaysBy Ann SchneibleVatican City, Jun 10 / 11:13 am (EWTN News/CNA) - During his weekly general audience, Pope Francis lauded families for the “hidden heroism” of caring for a sick loved one.
“These are the heroes. This is heroism of the family!” the pontiff said during his Jun. 6 catechesis.
The Pope spoke of men and women who come to work, sleep-deprived after having cared for a sick family member.
“This hidden heroism is done with tenderness and with courage when someone is sick at home,” he said.
The Pope's address, delivered Wednesday to pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square, was the latest in a series of catechesis dedicated to the family. Since late year, the pontiff has been centering his Wednesday addresses on this theme as part of the lead-up to the World Day of Families in September, as well as October’s Synod of Bishops on the Family.
Pope Francis focused his latest address on the particular sufferings experienced when a family member falls ill.
“It is an experience of our fragility which we live mostly in the family, from children, and above all the elderly,” he said.
He added that because of the love we feel for family members and loved ones, we feel their sufferings even more.
This is particularly the case when parents suffer from the illness of a son or daughter, he said.
In many parts of the world, families do not have ready access to hospitals, the pontiff noted. In these cases, the family becomes the “closest hospital,” in that caring for the sick person falls to the parents, grandparents, and siblings.
Pope Francis observed how, in general, families grow in times of sickness. For this reason, he stressed the importance of teaching children from a young age with a sense of solidarity during such times.
“We must educate children to solidarity with the sick so that they are not anesthetized to the sufferings of others, but rather are capable of helping the ill and of living fully each human experience,” the Pope said.
Throughout his catechesis, the Holy Father recounted several scenes from the Gospel in which Jesus heals the sick.
“(Jesus) publicly demonstrates himself as one who fights against illness, and who has come to heal man of every evil: The evil of the spirit and the evil of the body,” he said.
Pope Francis recalled a scene from the Gospel of Mark in which the people brought sick and possessed people to Jesus.
Recalling how the doctors of the law reproved Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, the Pope said: “But the love of Jesus was to give health, and do good.”
The pontiff cited particularly the scene of the man born blind, and the debate over whether he had been deprived of sight because of his sins or his parents' sins. “The Lord clearly said: neither him nor his parents; and thus he manifested in him the work of God, and healed him.”
This is God's glory, and the Church's task, the Pope said: “to always help, console, to lift up, and be close to the sick.”
Pope Francis also emphasized the Church's invitation to continuously pray for those “struck by disease.”
“And we must pray more, be it personally or in community.”
Pope Francis said that the Christian community knows that the family, in times of sickness, is never alone.
“We must thank the Lord for the beautiful experiences of fraternity in the Church which help families through difficult moments of pain and suffering,” he said.
“This Christian closeness, from family to family, is a real treasure for the parish: a treasure of wisdom, which helps families during difficult times and makes them better understand the Kingdom of God.”
“These are God's caresses,” he said.
Holy Communion augments our union with Christ. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet: "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me."
On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they proclaim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been given, as when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, "Christ is risen!" Now too are life and resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ. -Catechism of the Catholic Church #1391
Their beliefs were rooted in Jesus' words and the traditions passed down to them from the Apostles.After almost 2,000 years of Catholic teaching, the Church boldly proclaims in the Catechism, “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ ‘The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it'” (CCC 1324).
It is a striking statement, one that shows how much the Church values the Eucharist in the present age. Yet, is this belief something new, introduced during the last few centuries? Or has it been part of the Church’s teachings since the very beginning?
As with all essential teachings of the Catholic Church, it is simply a reechoing of the Church’s beliefs throughout the centuries. This is clearly revealed when delving into the writings of the early Christians who lived in the first few centuries after Christ’s death and resurrection.
To help illustrate that point, here is a small selection of quotes from these Christians that detail their beliefs about the Holy Eucharist. After reading these, it becomes clear how the Church has passed on this teaching over the years virtually unchanged.
On the Lord’s own day, assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks; but first confess your sins, so that your sacrifice may be pure. However, no one quarreling with his brother may join your meeting until they are reconciled; your sacrifice must not be defiled. For here we have the saying of the Lord: “In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice; for I am a mighty King, says the Lord; and my name spreads terror among the nations.” (Didache, c. 90)
For we do not receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being incarnate by God’s Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus. (St. Justin Martyr, c. 100)
They [Gnostics] abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His graciousness, raised from the dead. (St. Ignatius of Antioch, c. 110)
[Christ] has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own Blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own Body, from which he gives increase to our bodies. (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, c. 140)
The Word is everything to a child: both Father and Mother, both Instructor and Nurse. “Eat My Flesh,” He says, “and drink My Blood.” The Lord supplies us with these intimate nutrients. He delivers over His Flesh, and pours out His Blood; and nothing is lacking for the growth of His children. O incredible mystery! (St. Clement of Alexandria, c. 150)
When You Care for a Sick Family Member, You are a 'hidden hero,' Pope SaysBy Ann SchneibleVatican City, Jun 10 / 11:13 am (EWTN News/CNA) - During his weekly general audience, Pope Francis lauded families for the “hidden heroism” of caring for a sick loved one.
“These are the heroes. This is heroism of the family!” the pontiff said during his Jun. 6 catechesis.
The Pope spoke of men and women who come to work, sleep-deprived after having cared for a sick family member.
“This hidden heroism is done with tenderness and with courage when someone is sick at home,” he said.
The Pope's address, delivered Wednesday to pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square, was the latest in a series of catechesis dedicated to the family. Since late year, the pontiff has been centering his Wednesday addresses on this theme as part of the lead-up to the World Day of Families in September, as well as October’s Synod of Bishops on the Family.
Pope Francis focused his latest address on the particular sufferings experienced when a family member falls ill.
“It is an experience of our fragility which we live mostly in the family, from children, and above all the elderly,” he said.
He added that because of the love we feel for family members and loved ones, we feel their sufferings even more.
This is particularly the case when parents suffer from the illness of a son or daughter, he said.
In many parts of the world, families do not have ready access to hospitals, the pontiff noted. In these cases, the family becomes the “closest hospital,” in that caring for the sick person falls to the parents, grandparents, and siblings.
Pope Francis observed how, in general, families grow in times of sickness. For this reason, he stressed the importance of teaching children from a young age with a sense of solidarity during such times.
“We must educate children to solidarity with the sick so that they are not anesthetized to the sufferings of others, but rather are capable of helping the ill and of living fully each human experience,” the Pope said.
Throughout his catechesis, the Holy Father recounted several scenes from the Gospel in which Jesus heals the sick.
“(Jesus) publicly demonstrates himself as one who fights against illness, and who has come to heal man of every evil: The evil of the spirit and the evil of the body,” he said.
Pope Francis recalled a scene from the Gospel of Mark in which the people brought sick and possessed people to Jesus.
Recalling how the doctors of the law reproved Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, the Pope said: “But the love of Jesus was to give health, and do good.”
The pontiff cited particularly the scene of the man born blind, and the debate over whether he had been deprived of sight because of his sins or his parents' sins. “The Lord clearly said: neither him nor his parents; and thus he manifested in him the work of God, and healed him.”
This is God's glory, and the Church's task, the Pope said: “to always help, console, to lift up, and be close to the sick.”
Pope Francis also emphasized the Church's invitation to continuously pray for those “struck by disease.”
“And we must pray more, be it personally or in community.”
Pope Francis said that the Christian community knows that the family, in times of sickness, is never alone.
“We must thank the Lord for the beautiful experiences of fraternity in the Church which help families through difficult moments of pain and suffering,” he said.
“This Christian closeness, from family to family, is a real treasure for the parish: a treasure of wisdom, which helps families during difficult times and makes them better understand the Kingdom of God.”
“These are God's caresses,” he said.
Holy Communion augments our union with Christ. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet: "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me."
On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they proclaim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been given, as when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, "Christ is risen!" Now too are life and resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ. -Catechism of the Catholic Church #1391
A bit of humor…
The Point of A Conference Call
A conference call is the best way for a dozen people to say “bye” 300 times.
Liz Hackett On What The ’80s Taught Her
If growing up in the ’80s taught me one thing, it’s that my friends and I should have found a treasure map by now.
Some Thoughts
When there's a will, I want to be in it.
When you don't know what you are doing, do it neatly.
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard drive on my computer?
Who stopped payment on my reality check?
Why is abbreviation such a long word?
Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted then used against you.
You're just jealous because the voices are talking to me and not you!
The Point of A Conference Call
A conference call is the best way for a dozen people to say “bye” 300 times.
Liz Hackett On What The ’80s Taught Her
If growing up in the ’80s taught me one thing, it’s that my friends and I should have found a treasure map by now.
Some Thoughts
When there's a will, I want to be in it.
When you don't know what you are doing, do it neatly.
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard drive on my computer?
Who stopped payment on my reality check?
Why is abbreviation such a long word?
Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted then used against you.
You're just jealous because the voices are talking to me and not you!
(Remember it is JESUS who speaks here)
1
After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (of Tiberias).
2
A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
3
Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.
4
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
5
When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"
6
He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do.
7
Philip answered him, "Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little (bit)."
8
One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
9
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?"
10
Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
11
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
12
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted."
13
So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.
14
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."
15
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
16
When it was evening, his disciples went down to the sea,
17
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
18
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
19
When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid.
20
But he said to them, "It is I. Do not be afraid."
21
They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.
22
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left.
23
Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks.
24
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25
And when they found him across the sea they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
26
Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
27
Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal."
28
So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?"
29
Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."
30
So they said to him, "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?
31
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
32
So Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
33
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34
So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."
35
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
36
But I told you that although you have seen (me), you do not believe.
37
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
38
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
39
And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last day.
40
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him (on) the last day."
41
The Jews murmured about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven,"
42
and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
43
Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves.
44
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.
45
It is written in the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
46
Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
48
I am the bread of life.
49
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
50
this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.
51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
52
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?"
53
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
54
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
55
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
57
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
58
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."
59
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
60
Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?"
61
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you?
62
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
63
It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
64
But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.
65
And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father."
66
As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. [perhaps the saddest line in Sacred Scripture]
67
Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"
68
Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69
We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."
70
Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you twelve? Yet is not one of you a devil?"
71
He was referring to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot; it was he who would betray him, one of the Twelve.
[This is a weekly electronic newsletter from Father Robert. This will be sent out weekly. Please recommend this to individuals you think might be interested. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed, or if you wish to no longer receive this please e-mail: [email protected]]
+JMJ+
SUNDAY BIBLICAL MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
Corpus Christi-Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ – June 7th, 2026
The First Reading - Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14B-16A
Moses said to the people: "Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments. He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD. "Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your fathers."
Reflection
Today’s First Reading describes God testing Israel in the desert. The heavenly manna was not given to satisfy the Israelites’ hunger, as Moses explains. It was given to show them that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. There is a connection here to a well known but often confusing verse in the New Testament - “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them..” (Matthew 5:1-2) It seems apparent to us that to talk to someone you have to open you mouth, but the Gospel writer is, in fact, harkening back to this verse in Deuteronomy “by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” The writer is making an implicit reference to the divinity of Christ.
Adults - The book of Wisdom tells us that the manna tasted like the favorite food of whoever ate it. What does this say to you about the mercy and love of the Lord?
Teens - Read the Beatitudes this week and reflect on how you are applying them to your life.
Kids - Where do you learn about the teachings of Jesus?
Responsorial- Daniel 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
R.Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Reflection
In today’s Psalm we see a connection between God’s Word and the bread of life. We sing of God filling us with “finest wheat” and proclaiming his Word to the world. Have you been/are you still unable to receive the Eucharist due to the pandemic? Be sure to make a prayer of Spiritual Communion.
The Second Reading- 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
Reflection - The language Saint Paul uses here is filled with both liturgical and marital imagery. In particular the Greek word koinonia that is translated as “participation,” means an intimate relationship with another person and sharing in things like faith, sufferings, and service. This is a great example to us of how we are to live as the Body of Christ.
-Do you think of the whole Body of Christ as your family? They are!
Sequence Lauda Sion
Laud, O Zion, your salvation,
Laud with hymns of exultation,
Christ, your king and shepherd true:
Bring him all the praise you know,
He is more than you bestow.
Never can you reach his due.
Special theme for glad thanksgiving
Is the quick'ning and the living
Bread today before you set:
From his hands of old partaken,
As we know, by faith unshaken,
Where the Twelve at supper met.
Full and clear ring out your chanting,
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,
From your heart let praises burst:
For today the feast is holden,
When the institution olden
Of that supper was rehearsed.
Here the new law's new oblation,
By the new king's revelation,
Ends the form of ancient rite:
Now the new the old effaces,
Truth away the shadow chases,
Light dispels the gloom of night.
What he did at supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
His memorial ne'er to cease:
And his rule for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
Thus our sacrifice of peace.
This the truth each Christian learns,
Bread into his flesh he turns,
To his precious blood the wine:
Sight has fail'd, nor thought conceives,
But a dauntless faith believes,
Resting on a pow'r divine.
Here beneath these signs are hidden
Priceless things to sense forbidden;
Signs, not things are all we see:
Blood is poured and flesh is broken,
Yet in either wondrous token
Christ entire we know to be.
Whoso of this food partakes,
Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;
Christ is whole to all that taste:
Thousands are, as one, receivers,
One, as thousands of believers,
Eats of him who cannot waste.
Bad and good the feast are sharing,
Of what divers dooms preparing,
Endless death, or endless life.
Life to these, to those damnation,
See how like participation
Is with unlike issues rife.
When the sacrament is broken,
Doubt not, but believe 'tis spoken,
That each sever'd outward token
doth the very whole contain.
Nought the precious gift divides,
Breaking but the sign betides
Jesus still the same abides,
still unbroken does remain.
The Holy Gospel according to John 6:51-58
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."
Reflection The Eucharist is given to us as a challenge and a promise. That’s how Jesus presents it in today’s Gospel. He doesn’t make it easy for those who hear Him. They are repulsed and offended at His words. Even when they begin to quarrel, He insists on describing the eating and drinking of His flesh and blood in starkly literal terms. Four times in today’s reading, Jesus uses a Greek word—trogein—that refers to a crude kind of eating, almost a gnawing or chewing (see John 6:54, 56, 57, 58). He is testing their faith in His Word. Yet as the Israelites grumbled in the desert, many in today’s Gospel cannot accept that Word. Even many of Jesus’ own followers abandon Him after this discourse (see John 6:66). But His words are Spirit and life, the words of eternal life (see John 6:63, 67). In the Eucharist we are made one flesh with Christ. We have His life in us and have our life because of Him. This is what Paul means in today’s Epistle when He calls the Eucharist a “participation” in Christ’s body and blood. We become in this sacrament partakers of the divine nature (see 1 Peter 2:4). This is the mystery of the faith that Jesus asks us to believe. And He gives us His promise: that sharing in His flesh and blood that was raised from the dead, we too will be raised up on the last day.
Adults - Take some time this week to really study the Real Presence in the Eucharist and meditate on the face that you are truly receiving the whole Person of Christ.
Teens - Research Eucharistic Miracles this week, and read about the great miracles Christ has worked for those who sometimes struggle to believe in the Real Presence.
Kids - How do you know that it’s Jesus you receive instead of bread and wine?
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! - “He was about to leave the world and return to the Father. (The Most Holy Eucharist) was to serve as an unending remembrance of His passion, as the fulfillment of ancient types — this the greatest of His miracles. To those who sorrow over His departure He has given a unique solace." Let us receive His lasting consolation and share it with one another as often as we can!
1
After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (of Tiberias).
2
A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
3
Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.
4
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
5
When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"
6
He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do.
7
Philip answered him, "Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little (bit)."
8
One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
9
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?"
10
Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
11
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
12
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted."
13
So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.
14
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."
15
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
16
When it was evening, his disciples went down to the sea,
17
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
18
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
19
When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid.
20
But he said to them, "It is I. Do not be afraid."
21
They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.
22
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left.
23
Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks.
24
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25
And when they found him across the sea they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
26
Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
27
Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal."
28
So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?"
29
Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."
30
So they said to him, "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?
31
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
32
So Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
33
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34
So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."
35
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
36
But I told you that although you have seen (me), you do not believe.
37
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
38
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
39
And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last day.
40
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him (on) the last day."
41
The Jews murmured about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven,"
42
and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
43
Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves.
44
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.
45
It is written in the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
46
Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
48
I am the bread of life.
49
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
50
this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.
51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
52
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?"
53
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
54
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
55
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
57
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
58
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."
59
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
60
Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?"
61
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you?
62
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
63
It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
64
But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.
65
And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father."
66
As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. [perhaps the saddest line in Sacred Scripture]
67
Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"
68
Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69
We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."
70
Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you twelve? Yet is not one of you a devil?"
71
He was referring to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot; it was he who would betray him, one of the Twelve.
[This is a weekly electronic newsletter from Father Robert. This will be sent out weekly. Please recommend this to individuals you think might be interested. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed, or if you wish to no longer receive this please e-mail: [email protected]]
+JMJ+
SUNDAY BIBLICAL MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
Corpus Christi-Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ – June 7th, 2026
The First Reading - Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14B-16A
Moses said to the people: "Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments. He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD. "Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your fathers."
Reflection
Today’s First Reading describes God testing Israel in the desert. The heavenly manna was not given to satisfy the Israelites’ hunger, as Moses explains. It was given to show them that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. There is a connection here to a well known but often confusing verse in the New Testament - “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them..” (Matthew 5:1-2) It seems apparent to us that to talk to someone you have to open you mouth, but the Gospel writer is, in fact, harkening back to this verse in Deuteronomy “by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” The writer is making an implicit reference to the divinity of Christ.
Adults - The book of Wisdom tells us that the manna tasted like the favorite food of whoever ate it. What does this say to you about the mercy and love of the Lord?
Teens - Read the Beatitudes this week and reflect on how you are applying them to your life.
Kids - Where do you learn about the teachings of Jesus?
Responsorial- Daniel 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
R.Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Reflection
In today’s Psalm we see a connection between God’s Word and the bread of life. We sing of God filling us with “finest wheat” and proclaiming his Word to the world. Have you been/are you still unable to receive the Eucharist due to the pandemic? Be sure to make a prayer of Spiritual Communion.
The Second Reading- 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
Reflection - The language Saint Paul uses here is filled with both liturgical and marital imagery. In particular the Greek word koinonia that is translated as “participation,” means an intimate relationship with another person and sharing in things like faith, sufferings, and service. This is a great example to us of how we are to live as the Body of Christ.
-Do you think of the whole Body of Christ as your family? They are!
Sequence Lauda Sion
Laud, O Zion, your salvation,
Laud with hymns of exultation,
Christ, your king and shepherd true:
Bring him all the praise you know,
He is more than you bestow.
Never can you reach his due.
Special theme for glad thanksgiving
Is the quick'ning and the living
Bread today before you set:
From his hands of old partaken,
As we know, by faith unshaken,
Where the Twelve at supper met.
Full and clear ring out your chanting,
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,
From your heart let praises burst:
For today the feast is holden,
When the institution olden
Of that supper was rehearsed.
Here the new law's new oblation,
By the new king's revelation,
Ends the form of ancient rite:
Now the new the old effaces,
Truth away the shadow chases,
Light dispels the gloom of night.
What he did at supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
His memorial ne'er to cease:
And his rule for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
Thus our sacrifice of peace.
This the truth each Christian learns,
Bread into his flesh he turns,
To his precious blood the wine:
Sight has fail'd, nor thought conceives,
But a dauntless faith believes,
Resting on a pow'r divine.
Here beneath these signs are hidden
Priceless things to sense forbidden;
Signs, not things are all we see:
Blood is poured and flesh is broken,
Yet in either wondrous token
Christ entire we know to be.
Whoso of this food partakes,
Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;
Christ is whole to all that taste:
Thousands are, as one, receivers,
One, as thousands of believers,
Eats of him who cannot waste.
Bad and good the feast are sharing,
Of what divers dooms preparing,
Endless death, or endless life.
Life to these, to those damnation,
See how like participation
Is with unlike issues rife.
When the sacrament is broken,
Doubt not, but believe 'tis spoken,
That each sever'd outward token
doth the very whole contain.
Nought the precious gift divides,
Breaking but the sign betides
Jesus still the same abides,
still unbroken does remain.
The Holy Gospel according to John 6:51-58
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."
Reflection The Eucharist is given to us as a challenge and a promise. That’s how Jesus presents it in today’s Gospel. He doesn’t make it easy for those who hear Him. They are repulsed and offended at His words. Even when they begin to quarrel, He insists on describing the eating and drinking of His flesh and blood in starkly literal terms. Four times in today’s reading, Jesus uses a Greek word—trogein—that refers to a crude kind of eating, almost a gnawing or chewing (see John 6:54, 56, 57, 58). He is testing their faith in His Word. Yet as the Israelites grumbled in the desert, many in today’s Gospel cannot accept that Word. Even many of Jesus’ own followers abandon Him after this discourse (see John 6:66). But His words are Spirit and life, the words of eternal life (see John 6:63, 67). In the Eucharist we are made one flesh with Christ. We have His life in us and have our life because of Him. This is what Paul means in today’s Epistle when He calls the Eucharist a “participation” in Christ’s body and blood. We become in this sacrament partakers of the divine nature (see 1 Peter 2:4). This is the mystery of the faith that Jesus asks us to believe. And He gives us His promise: that sharing in His flesh and blood that was raised from the dead, we too will be raised up on the last day.
Adults - Take some time this week to really study the Real Presence in the Eucharist and meditate on the face that you are truly receiving the whole Person of Christ.
Teens - Research Eucharistic Miracles this week, and read about the great miracles Christ has worked for those who sometimes struggle to believe in the Real Presence.
Kids - How do you know that it’s Jesus you receive instead of bread and wine?
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! - “He was about to leave the world and return to the Father. (The Most Holy Eucharist) was to serve as an unending remembrance of His passion, as the fulfillment of ancient types — this the greatest of His miracles. To those who sorrow over His departure He has given a unique solace." Let us receive His lasting consolation and share it with one another as often as we can!
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