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Feast of Corpus Christi My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Today we celebrate a major feast in the Catholic Church. This is the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus. As Catholic people, we believe in a good and gracious God, a God Who loves us so much that He came into our world for our salvation. He lived here among us. He suffered and died for us on the Cross of Calvary. Jesus is the eternal Son of God Who redeems us. During the time Jesus lived on this earth, He established the Church and promised to be with us forever. He fulfills that promise in many ways but especially in the Holy Eucharist. In the Eucharist, the ordained priest acts in the Name of Jesus. He consecrates the bread and wine, changing them into the Body and Blood of Jesus. This sacrament which we call Holy Communion is then given to us for our salvation. The Church celebrates this feast day of Corpus Christi then to focus our attention on this fundamental teaching of our Catholic faith. Too often we simply take this gift for granted. We need a reminder. We need to reflect on God’s special gift of His Body and Blood. We need to rededicate ourselves to Jesus. We do this by practicing and living the fullness of our Catholic faith. Today, as your archbishop, I come here with great joy to celebrate this Holy Mass on the Feast of Corpus Christi. I want to remind you that Jesus, Who instituted this sacrament said: “Take My Flesh and eat it. Take My Blood and drink it.” He completed the promise saying: “And you shall have life everlasting.” It is precisely because the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus that the Church requires us to come and participate in Mass every weekend. We need Jesus to help us to become good people. Whether we are husband or wife, parent or child, young or old, each of us, by our very nature, requires Communion with God. The Eucharist is the Holy Communion we need. It is the real food for our journey of life. The Eucharist is God’s special gift of Himself to us. Whether we have come here from Mexico or Guatemala, from Texas or Oklahoma City, we are all seeking to find meaning and happiness in our lives. The truth is that Jesus alone can satisfy our hopes and desires. Jesus told us that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Through prayer we can communicate with Jesus at anytime and anywhere. However, the most effective prayer is the Holy Mass. It is the sacrament that Jesus instituted for us. By empowering the ordained priest to change bread and wine into His Body and Blood, Jesus remains among us. We are able to receive His Body and Blood in Holy Communion. Through Holy Communion, God lives in us. He blesses us, nourishes us and leads us on our daily journey. I urge you, therefore, to develop a deep devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist. Come to know Him and love Him by your regular participation in the Holy Mass. Study the teachings of our Catholic faith so that you can better appreciate the Eucharist. Put into practice these teachings and be assured: 1. God loves you. He created you. He sent Jesus to save you. 2. Jesus lived and suffered and died to redeem you. 3. Jesus remains with you and invites you to take His Flesh and eat it. Take His Blood and drink it. Therefore, let us thank God profusely in this Mass on this Feast of Corpus Christi because God is truly with us. Most
Reverend Eusebius J. Beltran |