Martin's Old Blog

Sunday was the feast of Corpus Christi, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Our Holy Father wrote in Ecclesia in America that Christ is present in the Scriptures and in the Liturgy. 

Concerning the Liturgy, John Paul wrote: "Christ is present in the celebrant who renews at the altar the one and only Sacrifice of the Cross; he is present in the Sacraments through which he exercises his efficacious power. When his word is proclaimed, it is he himself who speaks to us. He is also present in the community, by virtue of his promise that “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). He is present “especially under the Eucharistic species”. My Predecessor Paul VI deemed it necessary to explain the uniqueness of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist, which “is called 'real' not to exclude the idea that the others are 'real' too, but rather to indicate presence par excellence, because it is substantial”. Under the species of bread and wine, “Christ is present, whole and entire in his physical 'reality', corporally present”. The Scriptures and the Eucharist, places of encounter with Christ, are evoked in the story of the apparition of the Risen Jesus to the disciples of Emmaus. The Gospel text concerning the final judgment (cf. Mt 25:31-46), which states that we will be judged on our love towards the needy in whom the Lord Jesus is mysteriously present, indicates that we must not neglect a third place of encounter with Christ: “the persons, especially the poor, with whom Christ identifies himself”. At the closing of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI recalled that “on the face of every human being, especially when marked by tears and sufferings, we can and must see the face of Christ (cf. Mt 25:40), the Son of Man”."

Let us not forget that the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations depend on how we treat the poor - the marginalized.

 

My wife and I attended a gala for a local seminary. It was part of a capital campaign to build a new seminary campus.  This was the same seminary that I attended about 15 years ago - it has not changed much.  It was already in need of upgrades when I was there, so it is great that they are hoping to remodel it.  I have a deep concern for seminarians. We often get seminarians to attend the Mini Pastoral here at MACC.  I think the biggest challenge is that some are very much about holding the party line (Republican or Democrat). In other words, they allow politics to form their faith, as opposed to their faith forming their politics.  They hold positions that are consistent with a particular political party even if it is contrary to the position of the Catholic Church - which they claim loyalty to.  For example, some claim knowledge about multiculturalism because they have read Dinesh D'sousa, yet they have not read Welcoming the Stranger among us:Unity in Diversity which was written by our bishops.  They hold positions regarding immigration that sound more like Bill O'Reilly than Pope John Paul II. This is not true for all seminarians, but if it is found in one it is too many because they are called to be our spiritual helpers and guides.  I am proud to be an American, but as St. Paul reminds us, our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).  Let us be patriotic about this, and challenge our church to be the leaven it is called to be. Pray for our seminarians!