The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, or Corpus Christi, is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday in honor of the institution of the Holy Eucharist (in some U.S. dioceses it is transferred to the following Sunday). The feast originated with the visions of St. Juliana of Mont Cornillon, a Belgian nun deeply devoted to the Holy Eucharist, to whom Jesus appeared requesting a feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. St. Juliana shared this with the Church hierarchy, and after decades of opposition Pope Urban IV instituted the feast of Corpus Christi for the universal Church in 1264. At the time there was a formal dispute among theologians on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist—that is, Christ's actual Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—for the first time in Church history. In response to this heresy and in support of the authenticity of St. Juliana's visions, a Eucharistic Miracle took place in Orvieto, Italy which proved the truth of the literal interpretation of Christ's doctrine handed down from the Apostles. The Holy Father requested that the liturgy for the feast be composed by St. Thomas Aquinas, now one of the Church's most sublimely poetic liturgies. Corpus Christi is traditionally accompanied with Eucharistic large and elaborate public processions, most notably by the Holy Father in Rome. † Quote of the Day“This bread is bread before the words of the Sacrament. But when the words of Christ come to it, it is the body of Christ ... Before the words of Christ it is a cup full of wine and water. When the words of Christ become operative, the blood which has redeemed the people is caused to be there.” -St. Ambrose Today’s Meditation"The invitation to lift up our hearts at the most important part of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is an invitation by Jesus through the voice of the priest to give our hearts to the Father, as He gave His life for us. We prepare to make our hearts and lives a total self-gift to the Father as Jesus made Himself a total gift to the Father for us on the Cross." —Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila
An excerpt from Meditations Before Mass Daily VerseI am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. -John 6:51
|
EWTN Daily Saint
|
|
St Filippo SmaldoneSt. Filippo Smaldone (1848–1923) was born in Naples, Italy, during a time of upheaval and unrest both in Italy and in the Church. He decided to become a priest, and while in seminary he took on a personal apostolate of assisting the deaf and mute community in Naples. He dedicated so much time to this work that he barely passed his exams. After his ordination he continued to assist the marginalized of his community, especially the sick. When the plague hit his city he contracted it, however, he was healed after praying to Our Lady of Pompeii, to whom he had a special devotion. He continued his pioneer work in the education of the deaf and mute, though he became discouraged at the difficulty of the task and considered going into the foreign missions instead. Dissuaded from the abandonment of his work by his confessor, St. Filippo committed his life's mission to the needs of the deaf and mute, training a group of nuns in the work which grew into a new religious foundation. He later expanded his work to include children that were blind, orphaned, and abandoned. His feast day is June 4th.
|
Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 356 Reading 12 Timothy 2:8-15 Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:
such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering,
even to the point of chains, like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself. Remind people of these things
and charge them before God to stop disputing about words.
This serves no useful purpose since it harms those who listen.
Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God,
a workman who causes no disgrace,
imparting the word of truth without deviation. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14 R. (4) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord. AlleluiaSee 2 Timothy 1:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMark 12:28-34 One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
|
Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!
|
From Word Among Us WAU.org
|
Daily Meditation: Mark 12:28-34 Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. (Mark 12:29-30) Every morning, the first thing that Jews in ancient Israel did was recite the prayer above, a prayer called the Shema. This prayer was also written on a small piece of parchment and fixed to their doorposts for them to touch every time they passed through the door (Deuteronomy 6:9). In fact, many Jews around the world continue this practice today. So it’s no surprise that Jesus used this prayer to answer the scribe’s question about the greatest commandment. This beautiful prayer proclaims that Israel has only one God, and that he is God over all of creation. He isn’t just one of many “gods” like the idols of neighboring nations; he was and is omnipotent, loving, powerful, and faithful. This God who created the universe and everything in it is the same God who made a covenant with the people of Israel out of love for them. History had shown him to be faithful, even when the people weren’t. For all of these reasons, God was worthy of their obedience and love. We might not be as intimately familiar with the Shema as this scribe was, but Jesus makes it clear that it is just as important to us today. It reminds us what’s central to our faith: who God is and how we should relate to him. He is the Lord of all, and it is only fitting that we try to love him with all that we are. Do something different today. Before you leave home, and again as you get ready for bed tonight, pray the Shema. As you recite this prayer, remind yourself that you have only one God. Consider his greatness and the mercy he has shown you, and acknowledge him as Lord. Then, in your own words, tell him that you want to love and serve him with all of your heart and soul, mind and strength. Do it again when you start the day tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Let this consecration develop into a daily habit. Over time, you’ll find yourself more able to love the Lord with everything you are. “Lord, you alone are my God. I want to love and serve you with everything I am.” 2 Timothy 2:8-15
Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14
|
Reflections with Brother Adrian:
|
Audio of 2 Cents
|
From today's Holy Gospel: ".... Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these." .... ”
|
From Roberto Juarez:
"Today Jesus reminds us of the essentials of the Christian life. It is not a matter of accumulating religious practices or of knowing many truths of faith. It's about loving. Love God with all your heart.
To love our neighbor as ourselves. Let us ask the Lord to grant us a unified heart, capable of living this twofold commandment every day. And when he looks at our lives, he can also say of us: "You are not far from the Kingdom of God".
Journeying through the Old Testament...our Lord God seems pretty scary. He has laid the foundations for us. And they have not changed, until our Lord Jesus came to take from the Old and made for the new wine skins.
But the Old exists! I mean, the Father, our God is still in existence! Yet, He ventures in our world. Yet, He sees. Yet, the Holy Spirit is among us. Yet, our Lord Jesus...lives.
We need to know God. Because we need to know who to love and how to love. Amen?
This is the purpose of our bible studies. This is why many are in our current and new bible timeline study...to get to know this God that is calling us!
Yet, the calling can be simple...how open are you really to Him?
Mother Mary, our Blessed Holy Mother was completely open to Him.
And then...Jesus came to be.
An incarnation...like what happens in the Holy Eucharist, this union we call Holy Communion.
The Shema prayer is recited by our God, Jesus.
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength._
and then He adds what the old did not have:
"The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
You see the Old with the New but it is not a replacement...it is a clarification!
God never intended to forget neighbor. He never forgot the first murder...between Cain and Abel!
He never forgot the jealousy. He never forgot the pride. And this transpired, when we "forgot" God's will.
In comes our Lord.
He shows us the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE to live for God's holy will...all the way to the cross.
It is pain all the way...if only we understood what this means, we would want to take each others' sufferings away.
To Be Like God, who is Love, who is Our Father.
O Lord, help us love Thee more and more.
|
Click to hear
|
Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 139:7–10 [Psalm 139] "Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me."
Word of the Lord!
|
If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace
|
|
|
