DO NOT FORGET THE LORD YOUR GOD

                This weekend our Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). This feast celebrates God’s presence with us in the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ.

                The celebration began in a small quiet Belgian convent in the 13th century, with the vision of a holy nun, St. Juliana. In her vision, she saw the moon, full and bright. It was glorious, except one part of its disk was in a shadow. The meaning of the vision was revealed to her: the moon represented the liturgical year; the shadow, a missing feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. Juliana spoke to her confessor about what she had seen. Amazingly, within thirty-five years, Pope, Urban IV had established the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ. Hundreds of years later, in 1849, Pope Pius IX added the feast of the Precious Blood on July 1st. Following the second Vatican Council, the two liturgical feasts became one solemnity in honor of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

                Corpus Christi is an expression of our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament for by it we receive Christ himself.

                This weekend we also honor our fathers and those who have been a father figure to us. Father’s Day gives us the opportunity to express our thanks to our fathers for all of their unconditional love and affection. The observance of Father’s Day makes our fathers feel that their contribution to individual families and society are acknowledged and appreciated. It provides us an opportunity to express our respect for fatherhood.