Corpus Christi Blog

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, making it a good time to discuss exactly why God created the institution of the family and what is intended in family life.

We can go first to the Catechism and dive right into what the Church teaches about the purpose of the family.

The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. In the procreation and education of children it reflects the Father’s work of creation. It is called to partake of the prayer and sacrifice of Christ. Daily prayer and the reading of the Word of God strengthen it in charity. The Christian family has an evangelizing and missionary task. (CCC #2205)

We have now reached the final Sunday of Advent and Christmas will be upon us shortly. The Catholic Church loves celebrations and has designated several days before and after Christmas for special periods of preparation and celebration.

Continuing our journey through Advent, we’ll look at some of the tangible items we use to help enrich our experience throughout the season.

Let’s begin with the Christmas Crèche, or Nativity scene. The creation of the crèche is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. At the time, St. Francis was a deacon and was visiting a small town to celebrate Christmas. The chapel where Mass was to be held was too small to hold all of the people in the town, so he wanted to create a scene outside as a visual tool to help the people celebrate the birth of Christ. In order to avoid accusations of making a mockery of the event or making too light of it, St. Francis went to Pope Honorius III to obtain approval from the head of the Church for his plan, which the Pope gave.

As we continue our prayerful journey through Advent, this week we’ll examine the various feast days the Church has given us during the season to help enrich our anticipation of the coming of Jesus.

As we enter into the season of Advent, where we patiently and prayerfully await the coming of the newborn king, we will look at some of the traditions and customs we use to celebrate the season. Humans are physical beings and therefore use interactions with the physical world around them to communicate spiritual realities. We use the totality of our human expression through our five senses to relate to the world around us, as well as relating to God. This is why the Catholic Church uses things like music, art, water, oil, incense, gestures, postures, and candles — because God is the author of all creation and using His creation enriches our understanding of Him and how we relate to Him. 

Today is Stewardship Renewal Sunday. Time to wrap it all up and go forth with faith, hope, and charity! The articles for the past four weeks have focused on different aspects of Praying, Serving, and Giving.

First, we considered the giving nature of God in the famous scripture verse, John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

As we are made in the image and likeness of God, this means we are designed to be givers too. The joy of giving increases when we give intentionally: planning ahead and making a commitment.

Ah… The Widow’s Two Coins. Last week’s Gospel reading is the story that epitomizes what I call, “the giving guilt trip”! Maybe it’s just me and how I’ve heard this story in the past, but I have always been a bit skeptical of this widow being able to part with her only money. As a single mom in my early twenties, I would complain to God that He couldn’t possibly mean I should give all my money to the church! My literal understanding of this story caused me to dismiss its potential application to me and my life. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that the Bible has various levels of interpretation: literal, moral, allegorical, and anagogical. The fancy word for this is hermeneutics – but that’s for another article.

Our Annual Stewardship Renewal process is a wonderful opportunity for us to review where we have been and where we are going. Last week, our bulletin included our annual financial report and highlights. This report is our way of providing a clear picture of the financial health of our parish. It’s been a crazy couple of years for so many of our parish families, as we have endured the pandemic and the uncertainty that came with it. As always, we are grateful for your continued generosity in giving from your blessings.

Remember Joseph in the Old Testament? He was the most loved of Jacob’s twelve sons. Some of you might remember the once-popular musical from the ‘70’s, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. No? Regardless, Joseph did have a great coat that Jacob made just to show how much he favored Joseph. Now imagine how this made his eleven brothers feel! Yes, they were quite jealous of that one-of-a-kind, handmade, stand-out coat, but even more, they were envious of their father’s love and favor so openly bestowed upon Joseph.

The great thing about gifts is that, more often than not, giving and receiving them are occasions of joy and happiness. The only time I have ever truly surprised my husband – to the point of him being speechless – was more than twenty years ago. We had been together for about a year, and I surprised him with tickets to an event. I felt overjoyed to be able to give that gift to him!

While the pro-life movement typically focuses on the physical life of the human body, as Catholics, our understanding of life continues on to our eternal life and the desire for it to be in heaven with the triune God. However, getting to heaven is not something to be left to chance or an over-reliance on God’s abundant mercy. Rather, we must be intentional about how we live our lives as Christians -- moving toward virtue and away from sin. Similarly, we must be intentional with how we raise our children in the Faith so that we will help prepare them for their own eternal life. Children hold a very special place in the heart of the Church and, as a pro-life religion, we must raise them up with the care their souls deserve.

Content Warning: This piece discusses suicide — a sensitive topic that may be traumatic for some people. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741. If you are grieving the loss of someone who has died by suicide, know that you are not alone and please have hope and trust in God’s mercy. For a directory of resources and support, visit bit.ly/afterasuicide. For online support groups, check out: Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide (LOSS) based out of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Editor’s Note: This piece discusses abortion — a topic that can bring up many emotions for people. No matter what your story is, or where you are in your journey, we want you to know that God loves you and the Church loves you. If you are dealing with anger, sadness, shame, fear— or are hurting in any way — resulting from a connection to abortion, Jesus desires healing, wholeness, and restoration for you. If you or someone you know needs help finding healing and hope after an abortion, please contact Rachel’s Vineyard at 877-467-3463 or the National Hotline for Abortion Recovery at 866-482-5433. Additional information is available at rachelsvineyard.org.

“I would like to say a special word to women who have had an abortion. The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced your decision, and she does not doubt that in many cases it was a painful and even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may not yet have healed...do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope.” (EVANGELIUM VITAE, 99 - St. John Paul II)