This Sunday we celebrate the solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, and we focus on our devotion to the Eucharist. This devotion was certainly shared by Saint Pope John Paul II. Shortly before his death, as he celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Pope John Paul stated that a love for the Eucharist helps to create saints and an awareness of vocations.
Our late Holy Father, Pope Francis has also called on us to focus on the Eucharist. Shortly before his death, as reported in the media publication, “Vatican News”, he stated, “Celebrating the Eucharist and feeding on this Bread, as we do especially on Sundays, is not an act of worship detached from life or a simple moment of personal consolation.” The publication reported that the Pope rather said that “Communion makes each of us capable of offering our own lives for others, since it teaches us to share what we are and what we have.”
As we reflect on these thoughts of Pope Francis, we are reminded that, as Catholics, we are blessed to have a high regard for the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. We are invited to bond with each other by nourishing together on the Bread of Life in the Eucharist, and then by going forth in loving service of our brothers and sisters, especially our brothers and sisters in need.
Archbishop Hartmayer has encouraged the faithful to participate in various Eucharistic devotions. He expressed his hope that Eucharistic devotions at the parish and national levels will inspire, “…a renewed encounter with the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist and an experience of the Gospel (kerygma), …and a revival of faithful celebration (the ars celebrandi) and participation in the liturgy.”
The following “Prayer for Deeping Our Faith in the Eucharist”, from media contributor Benjamin Reike, encourages us to truly appreciate the gift of the Eucharist:
Dear Lord Jesus,
On this sacred Corpus Christi day,
we gather in Your presence with hearts open wide.
In the humble bread and wine, You offer us Yourself –
body, blood, soul, and divinity.
Grant us the grace to deepen our faith
in this profound mystery of the Eucharist.
Strengthen our belief in Your real presence,
that we may receive You with unwavering trust and boundless love.
We thank You, dear Jesus, for the immeasurable gift of Yourself.
Amen.
As we reflect on this prayer, we are reminded that the word “Eucharist” means “giving thanks.” And today we can once again thank the Lord for the great gift of the Eucharist and for our faith community of Saint Brigid.