Corpus Christi Blog

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. In 1969, Pope Paul VI elevated today’s celebration from a feast to a solemnity, and "of the Universe” was added to the title. However, today, I will be discussing the institution of the original feast day.

Pope Pius XI’s encyclical Quas Primas, issued on December 11, 1925, established the Feast of Christ the King. He began the document by explaining why the feast is necessary. Historically, it was the aftermath of World War I and a time of great social and political upheaval. The world was witnessing the rise of totalitarian regimes and ideologies that sought to marginalize or eliminate religion from public life. The Pope saw these developments as symptoms of a deeper spiritual crisis – the rejection of Christ's authority in both private and public spheres. He stressed that there can be no lasting peace in the world until individuals and governments submit to the rule of Christ.

The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus is truly present — body, blood, soul, and divinity — in the Eucharist. We are blessed to have the opportunity to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament every day at Mass, and at our parish, we have access to Jesus in the Adoration Chapel 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because the Host is not merely a piece of bread, but Jesus himself in the flesh, the Eucharist has the same ability to heal and perform miracles in our lives as the stories we read of Jesus performing miracles in the gospels. Our parish has hosted Eucharistic miracle exhibits featuring well-documented miracles from around the world. However, there are countless healings and miracles that regular Catholics experience every day. Several weeks ago, there was an announcement in the bulletin asking parishioners to send me their personal Eucharistic miracle stories to share. Here are just a few that were shared.

He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had her whole livelihood. – Mark 12:41-44

Each of us is on our own spiritual journey with a natural ebb and flow. Sometimes, we feel great in our relationship with God, and everything is smooth sailing, while at other times, it feels like we are fighting against the tide. Today, we will examine a couple of terms popularized by St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises to describe these interior movements of the soul and our relationship with God: consolation and desolation. It is important to recognize that both consolation and desolation are normal parts of the spiritual journey. Even Jesus experienced moments of desolation, most notably in the Garden of Gethsemane. By learning to recognize and respond to these spiritual states, we can deepen our faith and navigate the challenges of the spiritual life more effectively.