Corpus Christi Blog

Today’s catechesis will require us to look back a couple of days to the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, celebrated on June 27, and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, celebrated on June 28. These are two beloved devotions in our Catholic faith and worthy of a look into their history and significance.

This weekend, as we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the Church highlights the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist in a special way. A central aspect of our traditional Corpus Christi celebration is the Eucharistic Procession, during which the Blessed Sacrament is carried out of the Church building and into the surrounding streets and communities. As with all of our Catholic rituals and customs, the Eucharistic Procession was not imagined as just a “good idea” by someone at some point in time. Rather, it is richly steeped in tradition and meaning. Let’s look at the origins and significance of the Eucharistic Procession.

The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity — one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — is the central mystery of Christianity. For Catholics, this mystery isn’t just an abstract theological concept, but the very source and goal of our spiritual journey. Our entire life is meant to be sanctified by the Trinity, leading us to the “Beatific Vision” which is the fullness of life and love in the brilliance of the Trinity’s presence for all eternity. The Church invites us to enter into a personal and intimate relationship with the Triune God that transforms our hearts and daily lives. Let’s explore the practical ways we can live, pray, and worship the Trinity, so the mystery becomes more obvious, perceptible, and real to us every day.

Pentecost is the day when the Church celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit to guide and protect the Church after Jesus Christ left this earth and ascended to heaven. One of the ways the Holy Spirit guides his Church is by giving each of us special graces, or gifts, called “charisms” that allow us to assist in the missionary work of building up the kingdom of heaven on earth. The first example of this occurs in the story of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-41, when the Spirit rested on each of the apostles as a tongue of fire. They then spoke to a large, diverse crowd in various languages, resulting in the conversion of three thousand souls. However, that was only the first day of the Church’s mission. To ensure her continued growth for the salvation of souls, over the centuries, the Holy Spirit has gifted each member of the body of Christ with charisms. Let’s discuss what they are and how we ought to use them for the greater glory of God.

As we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension today, I would like to share some insights from a homily given by St. John Marie Vianney (1786-1859) on this same feast day.

When Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after his resurrection, he left his apostles here on earth commissioned to go forth and make “disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). Even more broadly beyond his apostles, he left behind his Church, the Catholic Church we’re in now, to continue that mission until his Second Coming at the end of time. Jesus knew what his apostles and his Church would endure after he was gone and, therefore, he gave warnings to prepare them, but always encouraged them with promises of rewards for their faithfulness. St. John Vianney begins his homily with a paraphrase of the warning Jesus gave multiple times throughout scripture, along with the promises that come with it.

During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Lk 1:39-45)

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the Catholic Church's involvement in the ethical implications of the development and use of artificial intelligence. Then last week, I wrote about the importance of introducing young people to religious vocations. These back-to-back topics spurred another train of thought for me. We live in a society that puts an inordinate amount of value on youth and productivity, while undervaluing the gift of old age and failing to appreciate what older people have to offer. This societal attitude marginalizes older people and often leaves them feeling isolated or even abandoned. Time and again, the Church engages in the conversations regarding contemporary challenges, including this one. In 1999, the Pontifical Council for the Laity released a document entitled The Dignity of Older People and Their Mission in the Church and the World. It addresses the value of this population and our obligations concerning their pastoral care.

The Church has designated the fourth Sunday of Easter as Good Shepherd Sunday and the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. It is no secret that we have a shortage of priests and consecrated religious in our Church — especially in America — and we need to pray for more men and women to enter these vocations. It is also important to note that, while it is not always true, it is often true that if we wait until adulthood to have conversations about religious vocations as an option, it is too late. As children and young people are raised in the secular world, within a family, the vocation they are most exposed to is marriage. While marriage certainly is a good and worthy vocation to which many are called, failure to properly educate young people on all the possibilities has caused the deficit we find ourselves in now.

We live in an ever-changing world where scientific and technological advancements progress rapidly, so it can be challenging to keep up, particularly regarding how things relate to our faith and morals. While the Catholic Church is a more than 2,000-year-old institution, her duty has always been to help souls get to heaven by navigating the times and circumstances in which they live. It is for this reason we see the emergence and development of Church teaching on various topics such as heresies, divorce, contraception, the death penalty, and abortion. As things change, the Church remains active and engaged so she can help us stay on track regardless of what’s going on.

For this Divine Mercy Sunday, Father Rey asked that I discuss the mercy the Church offers in the form of indulgences and the special indulgences offered in this 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. We will begin with a general explanation of what an indulgence is and what it does for us. Then, we will cover the specific ways to earn indulgences during this Jubilee year as declared by Pope Francis for the entire Church, and how Bishop Dolan has provided opportunities for us here in our diocese.

Today, we celebrate the greatest feast of the Christian faith. Easter commemorates the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who suffered and died for our sins so that we might have hope for our salvation and eventual resurrection. Pope Francis has designated 2025 the Jubilee Year of Hope and the faithful as “pilgrims of hope.” In his papal bull, Spes Non Confundit: Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, the pope says, “The death and resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our faith and the basis of our hope” (#20). In other words, Easter is the very foundation for our hope, which is why this is our greatest celebration, since without hope, what do we have? Thus, Easter of 2025 seems to be the perfect opportunity to unpack why Jesus’ Resurrection is the foundational source of our hope.

Today is Palm Sunday — our Lenten journey is drawing to a close as we enter Holy Week and look forward to Easter. We have been meditating on how Jesus may have experienced his passion and crucifixion through each of his five senses. God, in his divine nature, does not have, nor does he need senses to experience things around him, so they are unique to Jesus’ human nature and can help us relate personally to him. Hopefully, this has been a fruitful meditation series for you, as you have imagined what it might have been like for your divine Savior to see, hear, taste, smell, and feel just as you do. Now, for Palm Sunday, we’ll do the same, covering all five senses for the single event.

We are nearing the end of our Lenten journey and headed toward Holy Week. We have been reflecting on how Jesus might have experienced his final hours from the Last Supper through his crucifixion, using each of his five senses, thus far covering sight, hearing, taste, and smell. Let's now explore and meditate on what Jesus experienced through his sense of touch. While this is arguably the most effortless sense to imagine, it is still helpful to tune out the other senses and focus on what Jesus was feeling through his entire body on his path to Calvary, even just to begin appreciating what he endured for our salvation.