From Fr. David’s Desk
Dear Friends in Christ,
If you are not aware, last week the people of the great nation of Ireland voted 2 to 1 in favor of legalizing the practice of abortion in that country. The Catholic Church in Ireland and elsewhere has expressed disappointment and sadness that this traditionally Catholic country would take such a step to remove legal protections from unborn children. Among Western European countries Ireland was one of last holdouts in this life debate, but now even this country has acquiesced to secular views of human life. We are thus reminded that the fight for life goes on, and that none of us Catholic Christians should ever be complacent in the face of this or any other of the life and death issues in which our world finds itself embroiled. Many of us, including myself, have ties to Mother Ireland in some way; but whether we do or not, our prayers go out to that once vibrant Catholic nation, from which countless Catholic missionaries have through the ages blessed our land and many others.
This Sunday the Church celebrates the Feast of Corpus Christi. Though I am not with you in person to celebrate it with you, and perhaps to join you in one of the Eucharistic processions happening locally in McHenry, my thoughts and prayers are certainly with you nonetheless. Most likely at the time you are reading this I am doing one of several things: I am arriving at my vacation destination, I am having supper with my sister and her family with whom I get to share a meal seldom, I am celebrating a Mass with all of my family, I am getting my gear ready to fish, or I AM fishing! This is a much anticipated family vacation, an opportunity that we rarely get to all be together. Therefore I am very grateful for Fr. Delich and Food for the Poor ministries for coming out to celebrate the Masses with you this weekend, thus giving me the opportunity to be away for a bit! I trust you gave Father a warm St. Mary welcome and responded generously to his message.
Again back to Corpus Christi. This Feast was established back in the 1200’s, the High Middle Ages, to draw some more attention to the Real Presence of the Eucharist. It was meant to be a public statement of faith, and not just something we do within the walls of our churches or even within the boundaries of our property. It was meant to be a moment when our faith in the Blessed Sacrament expanded, went out to our communities, so that others around us would be given a moment, albeit brief, to see our Catholic faith demonstrated in public in a profoundly concrete way. Whenever and wherever these processions take place today, the Catholic voice is being proclaimed loudly that Jesus is alive, that he is HERE in the Blessed Eucharist, and that he still desires to draw all people to himself around the altar of the Sacred Host!
Another aspect of Corpus Christi to consider is that our goal in adoring and participating in the Holy Eucharist is to become what we receive. How then to we “become” Eucharist for our world? How do we become the leaven that nourishes? How are we “taken, blessed, broken, and given” by our Lord for the salvation of others? As St. John the Baptist stated, how do we decrease and Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist increase?
Blessed Corpus Christi Sunday!
Fr. David
Save the Date! 😎
St. Mary’s Annual Rummage Sale hosted by the CCW will be held June 14 – 16, 2018. See the Events Page for more details.
Don’t forget to sign up for St. Mary’s MyParish App today!
Just text App to phone number 88202 or visit myparishapp.com to download. St. Mary’s will not automatically beone of your choices because we are a national parish which means we have no boundaries. Just type in St. Mary 1407 and the site will be available for you to click on and join. Keep yourself up to date on parish events, daily readings, messages, Pope Francis messages, and programs to enhance your faith journey.
