Dear Parishioners,
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
This Sunday on the feast of Corpus Christi, we celebrate the great and mysterious reality at the heart of our CatholicChristian faith; the presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. From the time of the Apostles the Church has taughtthat, as the priest prays the words of consecration in the Holy Mass, the bread and wine on the altar are transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Our eyes do not usually see this happen but our souls can sense the immense importance and tremendous love in what is occurring among us. To believe this requires the gift of faith in the words and authority of Jesus, who established this Sacrament at the last supper. Faith means knowing and believing without perceiving the reality before us through our senses. We may ask about the significance of this belief in a world so much in need of unity, of peace, of guidance, of compassion and God’s help. The Eucharist is the gift at the centre of the Church’s belief in the possibility of the human family being united in love. The entire mystery of our redemption is made present in the gift of the Eucharist. The Paschal mystery of the death and Resurrection of Jesus, is celebrated and made present through the presence of our Saviour in this treasured Sacrament. Do we realise that as we attend Mass that all the mysteries of our redemption are made present before us, helping us to know God’s merciful love and helping the world to receive divine help in all its needs? Do we understand that Jesus descends to dwell within us in Holy Communion to live in our hearts and minds, helping us to live his commandments of love of God and our neighbour? Let us reflect, today, upon the hidden mystery of faith we celebrate in this feast. Let us allow ourselves to be drawn into wonder and awe at what we are privileged to participate in. Let us behold this great gift of the Eucharist with eyes of faith so we can be drawn into all the blessings God wants to bestow upon us and the gift of his unity and peace given to the world.
God bless You, Fr Martin