The Eucharist: Radical, Awesome, C.o.o.l.
Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. All who wish to adore Jesus in the Eucharist are invited! It's a great way to prepare for this Sunday's feast of Corpus Christi.
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This Sunday is the solemnity of Corpus Christi (the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ). What a glorious feast!! This year's feast is especially efficacious because Sunday's Gospel is taken from John 6:51-58 in which Jesus emphatically teaches about the Eucharist. This is my favorite passage from all of Scripture.
As I've mentioned here before, I have a written a brochure on the Eucharist with a heavy concentration on John 6. The brochure can be read in full by clicking on today's title. It is in pdf format; you will need to zoom in (to 100%) because the print is small. You have my permission to reproduce and distribute the brochure, especially to youth.
May we all grow in our love and reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist, the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
posted by Fr Greg @ 9:58 AM
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"We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations that used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Are these extravagant Promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us…sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them."
These are the Promises of AA. I think one of the things that has drawn me close to St. Andrews is how much talk about the Eucharist and spending time in Adoration, prayer and meditation help make these Promises seem plausible. For a long tiime, they really didn't seem attainable.
I hadn’t ever read that pamphlet before and I’m glad it was posted.
During a trip not long ago, I went to Mass at another parish. I saw in their bulletin that there was a Holy half Hour of Adoration for kids age pre-school-1st grade (I think) listed. After that Mass, there was a little reception for their Community Sunday and I asked someone what it was about. The woman told me the way they did it was really great, they do it several times each year and it’s always well attended. Here’s what she told me they do-
She told me she went to the last one with her daughter (5 yrs old). The kids are invited to sit up by the altar and the priest explains what the monstrance is. He tells the story of the Angel Gabriel coming to Mary and how she adored Jesus and that Mary helps us pray to him. The children are all asked if they see Jesus (and she said most point to the cross in the church or a statue. She said the priest asks the kids to all hold hands and then gently squeeze each others hands. He explains that, just like they are all really sitting there and they can touch and see each other, Jesus is there too and explains how. The priest explains how they can talk to Jesus when they come to Adoration, say prayers and prompts them on the kinds of things they can say to Jesus. He then asks the children if any of them have something they want to say to Him. They raise their hands, and one by one, say all kind of things (I can imagine!). The priest explains the rosary and each child is given one. They go back to sit with their parents, and everyone prays a decade of the rosary together with the parents guiding the hands of the little ones as they pray it. They sing a song and then have a procession with the monstrance. The kids get punch and cookies afterwards too.
It seemed so sweet, and I think parents want their children to have that kind of connection from a young age. I know when a small child points to a statue or the cross and says, “Look Mommy, there’s Jesus,” every parent smiles and feels as if they’ve done something right.
Since attendance at Adoration was addressed at Adoration last night (and I am aware that this isn’t the target group you are attempting to attract), I thought I share this. It’s just a thought (a sweet one, I think).
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