Dear Brothers and Sisters,

"You ask how the bread becomes the Body of Christ, and the wine . . . the Blood of Christ I shall tell you: the Holy Spirit comes upon them and accomplishes what surpasses every word and thought . . . Let it be enough for you to understand that it is by the Holy Spirit, just as it was of the Holy Virgin and by the Holy Spirit that the Lord, through and in himself, took flesh." - St. John Damascene

Please prayerfully consider joining us for our annual Parish Mission on the Eucharist June 3rd and 4th 6:30pm in the church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us about the Eucharist in paragraph 1374. “In the most blessed sacrament of the EUCHARIST the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained. This presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present."

As a disciple of Our Lord Jesus, we are called to receive Our Lord in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. As Jesus teaches us in Sacred Scripture: “Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you (John 6:53).” And at the Last Supper, Our Lord Himself directed His disciples’ to “Do this in memory of me.” This was the very first Eucharist. What is the Eucharist? The Eucharist is Jesus’ complete and personal gift of Himself to us — His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity — under the appearances of bread and wine in the consecrated Host. He hides His immense glory, beauty, and dignity in the Blessed Sacrament because He wants us to come to Him in faith that we may love Him for Himself and we might experience His love for us.

I recently learned of a parish where most of the parishioners would remain after Mass in the pews in quiet meditation for another 15 or 20 minutes. Having just received Our Lord in Holy Communion, they would spend time reflecting about their relationship with the living God, praying for their loved ones, giving thanks for all their blessings and for all that Our Lord has done, is doing, and will do in their life. These few moments of sitting with Our Lord immediately after receiving Him in Holy Communion can be a profound moment of healing, conversion, growth, and adoring God who is now literally within you in the Most Blessed Sacrament. These are some of the things that happen to you when you spend time with Our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration.

We are blessed to have many people who adore Our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration in our chapel. They understand that their time with Our Lord is an expression of our love for Jesus, who loves us so much that He never wants to leave us and so stays with us day and night in the Blessed Sacrament. For He says: “Behold I am with you always,” because “I have loved you with an everlasting love. And constant is my affection for you,” (Mt 28: 20; Jer 31:3).

If you ever wondered if Our Lord is calling you to become a Perpetual Adorer of the Most Blessed Sacrament, then please come to our Parish Mission on the Most Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Declan is a gifted preacher, teacher, and man of God. By attending our Parish Mission on June 3rd and 4th at 6:30pm in the church, it is my hope that you will come to see that the hour Our Lord wants you to spend with Him will deepen and strengthen your faith in ways you could never imagine.

Making a weekly Holy Hour is for you and Our Lord. During your Holy Hour you are able to spend time reading the Holy Bible or pray the Holy Rosary. When you pray the Rosary in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament, you love Jesus with the Heart of Mary and offer to Jesus the perfect adoration of Mary. Jesus receives your holy hour as if Mary herself were making it. Mary encloses you in her Heart and Jesus accepts your hour with Him as coming directly from the Heart of His very own Mother. The Heart of Mary makes up for what is lacking in our own hearts. You may feel called to pray with your favorite prayer book, or speak to Jesus’ heart to Heart, as one does with a friend. You may be so tired or troubled or worn out, that you may just want to sit, and relax, and enjoy the sweet peace that comes from simply being with the One who loves you the most, Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline, V.F.,
Pastor

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