Corpus Christi Blog

Today is the 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time and the first official Sunday of the Word of God. Today we’ll take a closer look at the second half of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter Aperuit Illis.

We ended last week with Jesus interpreting Scripture for His disciples on the Road to Emmaus. In paragraph 8 of his document, the pope continues with what occurred at the end of the story and what it means with regard to the Word of God. The scene ends with Jesus being invited to stay for a meal (Lk 24-29). When Jesus broke the bread, their “eyes were opened and they recognized Him,” (Lk 24:31). The progression in this story, from the interpretation of Scripture leading to a shared meal and the breaking of bread, illustrates the necessary link between Scripture and the Eucharist.

Something happened recently within the Catholic Church that went largely unnoticed by many people, both inside the Church and out. On September 30, 2019, Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter by a means known as “Motu Proprio” which means he deemed his personal reasons were sufficient enough to issue the letter to the people by his own accord and not on the advice of the Cardinals or any other advising body. So what is it that Pope Francis thought was important enough to issue directly? He officially instituted a new celebration in our liturgical year. The new celebration is called “The Sunday of the Word of God” and will fall on the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time from now on, beginning on January 26, 2020. I will spend this week and next breaking down the Pope’s official letter to us and explaining the importance of this new day in our calendar.

Today’s Feast marks the conclusion of the Christmas Season and the beginning of Ordinary Time. It’s a feast of transition from Jesus’ hidden life to that of His public ministry. It also echoes the theme of the Epiphany in that the Baptism of the Lord is another manifestation announcing Jesus’ divinity to all of His first followers and to the disciples of John the Baptist.

First of all, it needs to be pointed out that Jesus did not need the baptism of John. John was baptizing as a call to and sign of interior repentance. Jesus had no need to repent. But, nonetheless, He comes to John. John resists at first but Jesus insists. Why did He receive baptism?

First, by accepting the baptism of John, Jesus affirms all that John has said and done and affirms his sacred role of preparing the way for Jesus and for a new era of grace. Therefore, the Baptism of Jesus acts as a bridge between the Old Testament prophets (of which John was the last) and the New Testament era of grace and truth.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

1. On this first Sunday after Christmas, the Church is celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family.

As at the crib, in a glance of faith we embrace together the divine Child and the persons beside him: his most holy Mother and Joseph, his putative father. What light shines from this Christmas “group icon”! A light of mercy and salvation for the whole world, a light of truth for every person, for the human family and for individual families. How lovely it is for spouses to be reflected in the Virgin Mary and her husband Joseph! How comforting for parents, especially if they have a small baby! How enlightening for engaged couples, struggling with their plans for life!

To gather round the Bethlehem grotto contemplating there the Holy Family, enables us to appreciate the gift of family intimacy in a special way, and spurs us to offer human warmth and concrete solidarity in those unfortunately numerous situations which, for various reasons, lack peace, harmony, in a word, lack “family”.

As our Advent reflections draw to a close, we should examine how our prayer life fits in with our preparation for the coming of Jesus. Prayer is how we communicate with the Triune God and is absolutely necessary when making a home for Him in our hearts. Imagine living in a home with someone – a spouse, or a child – and never speaking to them. In the context of Advent, imagine anticipating the person coming home from school or work and then saying nothing upon his or her arrival. We have an innate understanding that relationships, families, and homes require a regular practice of communication. Then, the depth and intimacy within that communication determines the depth and intimacy of the relationship. This is true for our relationship with God as well.

I mentioned in last week's reflection that we would dive a little deeper into other ways we can prepare for the coming of Jesus, both at Christmas and at His second coming at a me unknown to us now. This week, we'll take a closer look at how the Sacramental life helps to prepare us.

Most of us likely know the seven Sacraments of our Catholic Church: Baptism, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Eucharist, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. However, what is a Sacrament and how do these things fit into the picture? Each of these seven Sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ Himself and are the means by which visible actions and physical matter communicate supernatural realities and His grace to us and allow us to participate in the divine life (CCCC #1131). When we find ourselves in Heaven, we will no longer need physical signs because we will actually be living in the supernatural reality of the Trinity (CCCC #1130). For now, while we are here, Jesus wants to give us a foretaste of what is to come. These Sacraments are literal opportunities to participate in the divine life–in our physical bodies–while we exist in this physical world on Earth until everything is fulfilled at the end. So, with a proper understanding of the Sacraments, it is not difficult to see how regular participation in the Sacraments prepares us for what we will experience much more fully in the eternal Kingdom.

As we continue our journey of preparation for the coming of our Lord, we must take a closer look at the thing that keeps us separated from Him – sin – and how to avoid it.

Sin occurs when we act in a way that is contrary to our love for God or our love of neighbor, and is therefore an act of disobedience toward our Lord, which then damages our relationship with Him and others (CCC #1849-50). The Church distinguishes between two types of sin – venial and mortal – according to their gravity. Venial sins are the smaller sins we all do every day. These sins damage our relationship with God, but they do not cut us off completely from His grace (CCC #1855). In other words, cursing at the person who cut you off in traffic hurts God’s heart, but you won’t be condemned to Hell over it. Mortal sin, on the other hand, is sin of a much more serious nature and will completely sever your access to God’s sanctifying grace until you are repentant and confess it in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The result of continuing in a state of mortal sin without repentance is to spend eternity excluded from Christ’s kingdom (CCC #1861). Three conditions must be present to constitute a mortal sin: 1) it must be of grave matter, 2) it is committed with the full knowledge that it is in opposition to God’s law, and 3) it is done deliberately despite having full knowledge that it is wrong (CCC #1857-1859). In order to understand the different types of sin and the effects they have on our souls, I recommend reading The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs #1854-1864.

Welcome to the first installment of our series of reflections for Advent. On this first Sunday of Advent, let’s take some time to first understand what Advent is and what it means for us, as Catholic Christians.

Most of us know that Advent is the period of time ahead of Christmas in which we prepare for the remembrance of the coming of the Incarnate Word in the form of a baby born of Mary. We enjoy decorating our homes, playing Christmas carols, and lighting the candles in our Advent wreaths to mark the passing weeks. Advent is a season of joy, anticipation, and patience as we wait for the Son of God to come, as promised, and save us. All of this is true and good, but there are some deeper layers to Advent that are worth exploring further.

The following excerpts are from an article on Aleteia.org written by Philip Kosloski on Mar 8, 2017: Do Catholics still celebrate Ember Days? And what ARE Ember Days?

“These special days of fasting were established very early on in the Church and are observed at the beginning of each season.”

“In the Western (Latin) Catholic Church there is an ancient liturgical tradition that revolves around the changing of the four seasons and consists of 3 days set apart for fasting and prayer. In Latin these days are referred to as Jejunia quatuor tempora (the fast of the four seasons), while in English they became known as “Ember Days” (from a corruption of the Latin word tempora). These special days of fasting were established very early on in the Church and consist of a Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at the beginning of each season (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter).”

3 Accounts of How Grace Conquers Sin, Even in Life’s Final Moments
Choosing conversion as eternity nears.

The deathbed is the final battlefield where eternal destiny is decided: heaven or hell.

It is the reason the Catholic Church offers the sacrament of last rites, to fortify souls with the sacrament of penance, anointing of the sick, and viaticum — Holy Communion as food for the eternal journey. Likewise, accounts of deathbed victories, such as those that follow, can serve as powerful food for thought and inspiration among the faithful — and for those open to the truth.

The month of November is dedicated to praying for the souls in Purgatory. Through Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead and Ascension into Heaven, every person has the opportunity to live with Him in Heaven. However, just because Heaven is now a possibility, it does not mean it will happen for all of us, and for many, it won’t be right away. The truth is, after death, entrance through the “Pearly Gates” is not automatically or immediately given to those who have some degree of faith in God or to those who have been a “pretty good person.” While it is true that after death, one either goes to Heaven or Hell, the Church has always taught there is a state of purification for the believers who are not yet ready to enter Heaven. This purification that souls undergo is what the Church calls Purgatory. In a special way this month, and indeed at every Mass, we pray for all the souls who are in purgatory, that are being purified in order to receive the gift of Heaven.

Every soul must choose Heaven. We must actively accept to be in perfect union with God in Heaven. At the moment of death, every soul has one last chance to repent of his or her sins and choose to live with God forever, or not. If a soul does repent, maybe even for the first time in the person’s life, then that soul receives the certitude of God’s love and mercy, and the knowledge they will one day experience the fullness of life and love in Heaven. But an unclean soul cannot enter into eternal paradise and experience complete unity with God. The consequences of an individual’s sin remains after death even though God has forgiven the person’s sins. Since the soul has thus received a glimpse of the immense glory of Heaven, and the light of God has revealed the darkness in the soul due to sin; the soul sends itself to Purgatory to be purified so as to be made ready to receive the great gift of Heaven.

Dear Friends in Christ,
I am writing you from my dorm at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, a place that seemed likea far off dream just over two years ago. As I was sittng on a friend’s couch in Chandler, the Lord askedwhat I was waiting for. I made one small act of faith and he hasn’t stopped working miracles yet!Thank you so much for welcoming me into your parish family. It truly has become my home awayfrom home!

I want to give you a glimpse into my life at seminary! We started the year with a seminary-widecamping trip in Southern Colorado. Our campsite was absolutely beautiful — I slept maybe 10 yardsfrom a stream and the sky was so free from light pollution you could see so many stars! It was a greatevent to be introduced to the seminary community and really experience the love the older seminarianshave for the younger guys. The number of times we were extended kindness that weekend mademe feel so welcomed and so at ease with all of the guys!