Corpus Christi Blog

Today we are going to spend our time unpacking our 1st reading where we gain a deeper understanding of God calling shepherds to guide his people, Jeremiah is prophesying at a time when Jerusalem was about to be taken over by the Babylonians- this would be last time the great Temple city would belong to the Jews.  Jeremiah was lamenting over the kings of Israel who have not protected or cared for God’s people and have thus let the capital city be overrun and God’s people to be scattered.  And he warns them that God will hold them accountable for not being a good shepherd or king.  God was saddened that the kings did not rule His people the way He had appointed them to, and God was saddened that His people are going to be scattered once again.

In our 1st reading from the Prophet Amos, Amos is being persecuted for warning the king about the troubles that will come to him if he continues to live for himself and not obey the Lord.  Amos humbly admits that he is not like the other great prophets, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel whom God called from an early age to speak His words.  Instead, Amos says that that He was a common man, who like many other people- was a shepherd and did other kinds of jobs to make a living, but the Lord called him to prophesy to the Lord’s people Israel.  So to Amos, the Lord called an ordinary man to do a special task- to be a voice for God.  Being called to be a Prophet was a great and honoring calling, even though it came with great responsibility, and often times- persecution.

We celebrate the 4th of July, the day we as a United States of America gained our independence.  And so on this Independence Day weekend, we give thanks to those who have served in the military and everyone, especially God, who has made it possible for us to have the freedoms and liberties which we enjoy.   We should be proud and thankful to be an American, we enjoy many opportunities that others  living in other countries do not experience.   However at the same time we need to be very much concerned.  Truly our founding fathers established this great country on Christian faith, and desired there to be religious liberty as a right of every American.  However, that right is being taken away from us, and we no longer live in a Christian nation. 

My brothers and sisters in Christ, on this 13th Sun of Ordinary time our 1st reading tells us a truth which is necessary that each one of us comes to believe and know deep down in our hearts.  It says, "God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.  For he fashioned all things, that they might have being and all the creatures of the world are wholesome".  God is the author of life, God delights in the living. 

Most Catholics know that they should go to Mass every Sunday, and some know that it is a mortal sin if a Catholic does not (which by the way it still is); however, few Catholics really understand why. And so it is not knowing why going to Mass is so necessary, or not understanding what happens at Mass, which makes it easier and easier to think that it is OK to not go as long as one believes in God. Our readings today explain what happens at Mass and therefore why going to Mass is essential. For some these readings might appear to be hard too lofty or mystical understand, but they are vital to our understanding of the Eucharist, so let me do my best to explain.

Good morning.  Happy Trinity Sunday!  Many of you know me, but for those who do not, my name is Steve Mandarino and I have been serving as the Parish Manager of Corpus Christi for almost four years.

If you were here either of the past two weeks, you heard Father Chad discuss a book called Forming Intentional Disciples.  If you weren’t here, I invite you to review Father’s homilies on the church website.  Also, if you weren’t able to get a book last weekend, as we ran out, we have more on the way that should be here next weekend.  We are only asking for $5 to help offset part of the cost, which is a large discount provided by Father Chad because he feels the book is so valuable in content.

Last week was the first part of a 2 part homily series- and if you weren’t here, a reminder that my homilies are on our website.  Last week I provided some alarming statistics from the book Forming Intentional Disciples regarding how many American adults who were raised Catholic but now are not practicing their faith.  Do you recall the percentages of adults who are practicing- 30%, and 70% are not!  And another statistic saying that over half of the Catholics who do attend Church believe that one cannot have a relationship with God.  I want to make it clear that the book proposes those statistics are directly related.  One of the reasons why so many people have stopped practicing their Catholic faith is because they did not develop a personal relationship with God.  This book asserts that individuals who not know deep down in their souls how much God loves them and desires a relationship with them will pull away and search for love and happiness in other places.

Our Gospel today, like the last and next couple weeks, is taken from John’s version of the Last Supper.  You might know that in John’s Gospel, Jesus teaches about the Eucharist in chapter 6, not at the Last Supper.  Instead, John uses the Last Supper as the setting for a great narrative in which Jesus gives his last and parting words to his disciples before he is to be handed over and crucified.  They are inspiring words indeed, I encourage you all to read and pray over John chapters 14-17. 

Are you a disciple?  Am I a disciple? That is the question each and every one of us must answer in our lives.   Are you a disciple?  Raise your hand if you would say you are.  So what are you a disciple of…. Or rather who or what do you follow?  Most would say a disciple of Jesus is someone who follows him.  After all, when we think of who the disciples were while Jesus was on earth, we think of Peter, John, Matthew, maybe Mary Magdalene, perhaps all the people Jesus healed, and other apostles.  They each had a common trait; they all left what they were doing and followed Jesus.  We can recall the story of the rich young man whom Jesus called to give all he had to the poor and follow Him, but unfortunately he wasn’t ready then to become his disciple. I wonder if he was ever ready to follow our Lord?

Today the Church celebrates what has been come to be known as Good Shepherd Sunday (for obvious reason as the Gospel every year is taken from John chapter 10 where he teaches how Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd).  However, not only should we know Jesus as the Good Shepherd, but we are also called to be shepherds like the Good Shepherd.   In order to be good shepherds we need to become like Jesus.  In addition, the Church calls this day ‘the World Day of Prayer for Vocations’.  Vocation- in Latin is Vocare- meaning “a calling”.  Webster’s definition of vocation is “a strong desire to spend your life doing a certain kind of work”. 

There is so much we are celebrating today.  We celebrate not only the 2nd Sunday of Easter and the fact that Christ is risen from the dead for the forgiveness of our sins, but also we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.  Do you know the story?  

Happy Easter everyone!  Each of us is meant to really know the joy and glorious occasion in which we gather.  In order to fully appreciate it, join me as we place ourselves with the disciples.

The Apostles watched as Jesus Christ, the person they believed was the Messiah, the Son of God, suffered and died.  Without knowing how God could die, their faith was shaken.  The disciples were confused, grieving, and depressed.  Without hope and unsure about the future, all they knew is that the person they thought was their Savior had died, they laid him in the tomb, not knowing what would happen next.   How would you have reacted?  Would you be feeling the same despair?  Haven’t we all felt lost and confused, unsure, perhaps doubting, if or how things that are happening in our life will ever work out for the good.

Today begins the Holy Triduum, the holiest and most important 3 days in all of history.  We celebrate Holy Thursday today in which Jesus celebrated the last Passover with his apostles.  Tomorrow, Good Friday on which Jesus is sacrificed, and finally Easter Sunday on which Jesus rises from the dead.  Although celebrated on different days, it is important for us to view everything that happened to Jesus as one event, especially the last supper and crucifixion.  In this homily I will explain exactly how the Church sees these events as eternally connected, and why they are of the most importance to us.