Corpus Christi ~ June 19, 2022

Corpus Christi: the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. In some parishes this feast was celebrated this past Thursday as a Holy Day, and there may have been processions with the Blessed Sacrament through neighborhoods and even down Main St. USA.

Most parishes celebrating the Feast this weekend include after at least one Mass a procession through the Church or on pathways outside. And though it’s rare, it’s certainly not unheard of to have a more public procession. At our Motherhouse we walk for some distance through and around the buildings on our property, but also for a block along Main Street in the afternoon. Some cars slow down, amazed by the processional cross, the candles, the beautiful Golden Monstrance displaying the large Consecrated Host, and the long line of Sisters and friends singing and praying aloud. I try to see it all through the eyes of the passersby for whom this is a first, and implore Jesus to touch their hearts with a sense of the sacred in the midst of our increasingly worldly, confused, wounded society. God has not forgotten us. He still reaches out to us in our abject poverty and existential need. He longs to be part of whatever our human experience encounters to give it meaning, no matter how exhilarating or painful it may be, and to share our humanity with us through His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist.

Many parishes have Adoration Chapels—places set apart where Jesus is available for part of a day or 24/7, with believers keeping regular vigil with Him by the hour. In these places, including college campuses, Catholic bookstores, nursing home chapels, monasteries and more, the presence of Jesus is seen, felt and experienced by young mothers, bankers, day laborers, police officers, off-duty bus drivers, and every other member of society imaginable.  If there is an adoration chapel near you and you haven’t taken advantage of even an occasional visit, now is a good time to give yourself a priceless gift. Drop in. Experience the silence and peace of a few moments with the One who knows all your secrets and secret sins—and your goodness—as well as all your needs.

Some visits will be full of intimacy with the Lord; others will be just the silence of mutual presence. But expect this: such visits are habit-forming. You will find yourself wanting, then needing, then eager, to return. Your wounds will gradually be healed, your struggles eased, your doubts answered, wavering relationship set on firmer footing, your self-awareness heightened and above all, your love for God set ablaze.

Eucharistic adoration, a precious but too-little known Treasure of Catholic Life, is available to you. It’s incredible. And it’s free!

Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, show me the way to Your dwelling place.

I need You.

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“With Mary, our lives continually proclaim the greatness of the Lord and the joy experienced in rendering service to Him.”

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