Dear Parish Family,

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy and Blood of Christ. I found a reflection that I feel is worthy of our time not only to read today, but to truly reflect on from our hearts. Today’s Feast, this reflection, and the cover art on the front of the bulletin, are at the very core of my Priesthood. As we begin our summer season, let us remember what is really important in our lives, most especially making time for Jesus in the Eucharist. I found this reflection on a Site named “A Catholic Moment,” by Laura Kazlas.

“Jesus said to them, Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me and I in him.”

If we believe the words of the bible that Jesus spoke, telling us that He would die for the forgiveness of our sins, then how can we disregard the words that Jesus spoke that His “flesh is true food and His blood is true drink”?

Why is it important that we believe that the Eucharist we receive at Mass really is the body of Jesus Christ? Christ gave us the answer in the Gospel of John: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me and I in him. ”He said this for a multitude of reasons, but one of them is because He wanted us to know that we are never alone. We think we are going about our daily lives and dealing with all of our problems and concerns all by ourselves, but that really isn’t the case. The Lord is too. We carry Jesus inside of us, as a part of us, wherever we go and in every situation we find ourselves in. The challenge is to remember this. The world is distracting and so many things demand our attention and it’s easy to lose our awareness of Christ within us. We can feel lost, alone, afraid or depressed when we forget that Jesus is with us, in this most intimate of ways. He is profoundly within us as the very best friend we could ever have, the lover of our souls. For no one loves us more than the Lord Jesus Christ. We are more precious in His eyes than all of the world, because we belong to Him. We are His. Love and Prayers, ~~Fr. Steve