Corpus Christi Blog

Purification of Spirit through Fasting and Almsgiving

03-26-2017Weekly Reflection

From a sermon by Pope Saint Leo the Great

Dear friends, at every moment the earth is full of the mercy of God, and nature itself is a lesson for all the faithful in the worship of God. The heavens, the sea and all that is in them bear witness to the goodness and omnipotence of their Creator, and the marvelous beauty of the elements as they obey him, demands from the intelligent creation a fitting expression of its gratitude.

But with the return of that season marked out in a special way by the mystery of our redemption, and of the days that lead up to the paschal feast, we are summoned more urgently to prepare ourselves by a purification of spirit.

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Relational Prayer:

03-19-2017Weekly Reflection

Based on the teachings of The Institute for Priestly Formation

Acknowledge: become aware of, pay attention to, notice, and name my thoughts, feelings, and desires

  • It is impossible to grow in relationship with another without first coming to some self-possession. Try to grow in friendship with someone who cannot name their preferences, their likes and dislikes, their opinions, their values or their beliefs. It simply does not work.
  • We are invited to encounter God as we are, and acknowledging our thoughts, feelings, and desires is the first necessary dynamic of growing intimacy with the Blessed Trinity.
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A Bridegroom and a woman meet at a well

03-19-2017HomiliesFr. Chad King

Welcome to the greatest love story ever told, this drama (and I use that word on purpose) between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is so full, and rich, and deep, let me jump right into it.  I am sure you have heard this story many times in the past like I have, however, there is a book by Dr. Brant Pitre, a Catholic theologian who has a PhD in Jewish Studies, the same theologian who I’ve learned the Jewish roots of Christ’s death and resurrection that I am currently presenting to the parish over 3 more Monday evenings.  Anyways, he wrote a book called “Jesus the Bridegroom- the Greatest Love Story Ever Told” that devotes a whole chapter to this story about the Samaritan Woman at the Well.  Let me give you some of the profound insights so that we can have a much deeper understanding and appreciation about just what Jesus says and does.  And I cannot make all the connections from the chapter in this 1 homily, so I encourage you to buy and read it for yourself. 

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Excerpts from: Prayer: A Personal Response to God’s Presence

03-12-2017Weekly ReflectionArmand M. Nigro, S.J.

The single most important conviction I want to share with you is that Prayer is a Personal Response to God's Presence.

May I try to explain this?

Either you and I are more important than God, or God is more important than we are. The answer is obvious, isn't it? He is more important than we are. Further if what God wants and does is more important than what we want or do, then more of our attention should be focused on what God is and does. Again, what God wants to say to us is more important for us than anything we may have to say to Him. And God does want tospeak and communicate Himself to us.

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All Our Love Must be for God

03-05-2017Weekly ReflectionDiadochus of Photice

Excerpt from the treatise On Spiritual Perfection by Diadochus of Photice

No one who is in love with himself is capable of loving God. The man who loves God is the one who mortifies his self-love for the sake of the immeasurable blessings of divine love. Such a man never seeks his own glory but only the glory of God. If a person loves himself he seeks his own glory, but the man who loves God loves the glory of his Creator. Anyone alive to the love of God can be recognized from the way he constantly strives to glorify him by fulfilling all his commandments and by delighting in his own abasement. Because of his great majesty it is fitting that God should receive glory, but if he hopes to win God's favor it becomes man to be humble. If we possess this love for God, we too will rejoice in his glory as Saint John the Baptist did, and we shall never stop repeating: His fame must increase, but mine must diminish.

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