Bulletins from May 2024

On this Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), we reflect upon the multi-faceted reality of the Body of Christ (not only in the Eucharist, but in what each of us is called to be and to become), for we are called as members of Christ to be His Body, alive in the world today. In the fourth century, when Saint Augustine was Bishop of Hippo in north Africa, he offered these thoughts for our understanding of the mystery of the Body of Christ: So now, if you want to understand the body of Christ, listen to the Apostle Paul speaking to the faithful: “You are the body of Christ, member for member” [1 Cor. 12.27]. If you, therefore, are Christ’s body and members, it is your own mystery that is placed on the Lord’s table! It is your own mystery that you are receiving! You are saying “Amen” to what you are: your response is a personal signature, affirming your faith. When you hear “The body of Christ,” you reply “Amen.” Be a member of Christ’s body, then, so that your “Amen” may ring true! But what role does the bread play? We have no theory of our own to propose here; listen, instead, to what Paul says about this sacrament: “The bread is one, and we, though many, are one body” [1 Cor. 10.17]. Understand and rejoice: unity, truth, faithfulness, love. “One bread,” he says. What is this one bread? Is it not the “one body,” formed from many? Remember: bread doesn’t come from a single grain, but from many. . . And thus it is with the wine. Remember, friends, how wine is made. Individual grapes hang together in a bunch, but the juice from them all is mingled to become a single brew. This is the image chosen by Christ our Lord to show how, at his own table, the mystery of our unity and peace is solemnly consecrated. We are pleased this weekend to celebrate with Father Victor Trinidad the Fifth Anniversary of his Ordination as a Priest. By virtue of our Baptism, we are all members of Christ. That is our first calling, and within the vocation of our Baptism, some are also called to ministries of service as ordained, vowed, married or as single members of the Church. We rejoice in Father Victor’s continued response to the Lord’s call and in the many ways he has served the Body of Christ, first at the Cathedral Basilica Parish, and for two years now at Saint Clare. We welcome the Trinidad Family and Father Victor’s friends who join with us this Saturday. At the same time, we offer thanks to our Parish Pastoral Council for the work the councilors have done in organizing our celebration.

The Holy Trinity is a mystery. On Trinity Sunday, we celebrate God as God: Father, Son and Spirit, three Persons, one God. We use other words to help to define/explain God: one, equal, and undivided. Still, we can ask ourselves: “What does this mean?” and “How can this be?” That is the nature of the mysteries of faith. They are not like the mysteries in books or shows we try to solve. To proclaim mysteries such as the Trinity and the Eucharist is an admission that we cannot fathom the heights and depths of what they are. We must allow God to be God. When we try to explain Who God is through our human constructs, we limit God to merely “superhuman” qualities, when God is actually more than we can even begin to imagine. In the end, we profess our faith in the ways we pray: “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was, is now and will be for ever. Amen.”

On the great feast of Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles was fulfillment of the promise made by Jesus: “The Father will send you another Paraclete,” [also called “Comforter” and “Advocate”] “to be with you always” (John 14:16). This same Spirit comes upon us in Baptism, Confirmation and, in fact, in every moment of our lives. The Spirit comes upon our gifts of bread and wine, to change them into the Body and Blood of the Lord; the Spirit also forms us into “one body, one spirit in Christ” (Eucharistic Prayer III). On Pentecost, the frightened group of Jesus’ followers suddenly became bold in proclamation, speaking in ways that everyone understood, no matter where they came from. The Spirit gave them courage not only on the day of Pentecost, but for the rest of their lives.

As we celebrate the Lord’s Ascension into heaven, it is easy to overlook the significance of Jesus’ return to the Father: “But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). Jesus’ work on earth did not conclude with His Death, Resurrection and Ascension; through the power of the Holy Spirit, He continues to be with us, as he promised. This same Spirit comes upon our gifts of bread and wine, transforming them into the living Body and Blood of Christ, broken and poured out for the life of the world. Through the indwelling of the Spirit, the Lord invites us to share the holiness of God and sends us out into the world to proclaim God’s goodness by our very lives. Without the Ascension, there would be no great feast of Pentecost, which we will celebrate next weekend. Let us rejoice in the Lord who is with us – always.

Jesus invited His disciples to follow Him, to live as He lived: This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:12-13). On this, our second weekend of First Communion for some children of our parish and school, Jesus’ words remind us that the Eucharist is our ultimate way of sharing God’s life while we are still here on earth. As we share the life the Lord has “laid down” for our sake, He also urges us to a love so great as His love for us. We thank and congratulate parents and other family members whose self-sacrifice has helped bring their children to the Lord’s Table these weeks. Though it may not always seem so, the lessons you teach by your love are establishing the pattern of love and service that your kids will follow for the rest of their lives. Again, our thanks to you. On Saturday, June 1, Father Victor will celebrate the Fifth Anniversary of his ordination as a priest. He will be the celebrant of the 5:00 pm Mass that afternoon. The celebration continues with a reception in the Rectory Garden. All are welcome to be part of this milestone in Father Victor’s life and in the life of the parish. Details will follow during this month.