The Feast of Corpus Christi

Yesterday, we celebrated a beautiful feast day in the liturgical calendar of the Church. Corpus Christi, literally, the "Body of Christ", is primarily concerned with the Eucharist. However, it seems that it was not so, at least according to what I heard during the homily at my parish the other day.

I've given up to the fact that my current diocese where I live, as opposed to my former one, needs some catechetical help and that it is far from unflinching orthodoxy. It's sloppy. It's not purposefully blatant, it's just the same, old, watered down Catholicism that has become a hallmark in this country; a sort of banal protestant-y type of Catholicism. After 40+ years in the feel-good, spirit of Vatican II culture, I have come to expect this from some corners of the country. It makes me sad.

I love our priests and I want the best for these men called by God. Pray for them. We have a good man as pastor, but he lost the opportunity yesterday to highlight the main point of the feast day. Instead of what makes us distinct as Catholics in our belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, it was "how can we be servants to others in the model of Jesus?" He started strong with how at one Mass when he was a kid, his friend, the priest, and himself were the only ones to receive communion that day. There were hundreds in the pews, yet only 3 received. I was hoping he would say that we need to reclaim our reverence for the Eucharist and how grave our sins are and how we shouldn't receive the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin. Nope. He mentioned something that the thought at that time was as if the Eucharist was a reward for being good, etc. etc. etc. and also the fact that now it seems to have gone the other way and everyone receives now. He mentioned something about the readings and the feeding of the 5,000 and then how we should be serving others like Christ. Not a bad thing, to serve others like Christ, but save that homily for a different day.

We, as Catholics, are the only ones who take Christ at His words in John 6. Our priests, rather Christ's priests, are the only ones with the power to confect the Eucharist and change simple bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior!...and we talked about serving others in the example of Christ. Am I the only one to think that there was something missed here?

My current parish, while I love them, are in current need of some sound catechesis and real doctrinal truths to bite into. People want something to believe in, something true and real. Our pastor has good days and not so good days and this day could have been better. I was surprised that there was not even a participation in the Eucharistic holy hour that the pope called the world to. We found it on EWTN before Mass, but when we actually got to the church, there was nothing going on. People were filling the pews, but there were whispers and talking. It was really disheartening for me. For 10 minutes, I was on my knees staring at the tabernacle, which is in a dark corner, and saying "sorry". Sorry for my personal sins and for the unintended disrespect for his Presence in our midst.

In adoration, we are stripped bare of our worldly concerns and are merely in the presence of the creator. We stare at him and he stares directly at us, as we are. How beautiful. We could change the world if more people made adoration a priority.

St. Charles Lwanga and companions, pray for us!