A Message from Deacon E on Corpus Christi

Brothers and sisters in Christ, peace be with you.

This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi. To help understand why this feast matters so much, we have to remember the story we are living in.

That, first, we were created by a God that loves us. We are not accidents. You and I were intentionally made by a loving Father who desired us to exist. He made us to live in His presence, to know His love, and to share His divine life forever.

That's the beginning of the story. Unfortunately, the world is not as God intended it to be. Through sin, death entered creation. We are captured, by that sin, by the enemy who seeks to steal, distract and destroy. The evidence of this is in our families, our communities, and comes out through our fears, our addictions, our wounds, and even in our own hearts. We know what it feels like to be trapped, discouraged, and burdened by all that ails us.

And, if that were the end of the story, we would have no hope. But it isn't. We have been rescued. The Father did not abandon us. He sent His Son into this world for battle to bring us home. Jesus took on our flesh, carried our sins to the Cross, and, in love clung to it, then he rose from the dead to destroy the power of sin and death forever. The astonishing thing we celebrate on Corpus Christi is that the rescue is not merely something Jesus accomplished two thousand years ago. He is still with us.

The Gospel proclaims. "I am the living bread that came down from heaven." Jesus, who died and rose for us, gives Himself to us in the Eucharist. Not symbolically. Not merely spiritually. But truly, really, and substantially. It is ,100%, His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

The same Jesus who walked the roads of Galilee. The same Jesus who hung upon the Cross. The same Jesus who walked out of the tomb comes to feed us. But, why? Because He knows we cannot do it, this life, alone. He knows the battles that you fight every day. In every Holy Communion, heaven touches earth, and He gives himself to us for true food and true life. The Risen Christ strengthens us, heals us, forms us, and unites us to Himself. Which brings us to the final question. How do we respond? Not with passive admiration, or routinely sitting in the same pew. Not with a faith that remains comfortable and private. You are his beloved. He loves you. That kind of love demands a response.

If Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, then He is worthy of our desire to be in intimate relationship. If He has rescued us from sin and death, then He deserves our trust. If He gives Himself completely to us, then we cannot help but give ourselves more completely to Him.

One simple and powerful way to respond is to show up, not just when it's convenient. Show up to adore and worship Him. Show up to witness publicly that He lives, that He is present, and He is worthy to be loved just as he loves us.

On Sunday, June 7, our parish family will celebrate a Eucharistic Procession at Saint John the Baptist Church. Following Mass and Adoration, we will process the Lord across campus, proclaiming with our feet what we profess with our lips: Jesus Christ is King, He is present, and He is our hope.

Whether you have walked in a procession many times or this would be your first, I invite you to come. Bring your family. Bring your friends. Bring your gratitude. Bring your needs. Bring your wounds. Come walk with Jesus.

The God who created you, the God who rescued you, and the God who feeds you with His very Body and Blood is inviting you to draw nearer to Him. Let's answer that invitation together.

In Christ's peace, – Deacon E