Corpus Christi at St. John Vianney’s
Here are some photos from our Corpus Christi procession. They forecast rain, rain, rain: 100% chance of rain. Then, we asked the Blessed Virgin to grant us a procession. And so it was!
The procession begins
Praised be Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, now and forever!
Many faithful of all ages
Christ, escorted and guarded by our Knights of the Altar
Fr. Oliver and the Lord’s blessing
Dedication is tiring
Blessed are the poor in spirit
Friends in Christ, in ancient times, Moses ascended Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 commandments from God. Today, Christ ascends the mountain and GIVES us the 8 beatitudes. In St. Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is depicted as the New Moses, the awaited ‘prophet.’ Moses received the commandments from God, but Jesus himself teaches the beatitudes – he IS God.
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The beatitudes represent an entirely new way of looking at things. Today let us focus our attention on the first one: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’
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Fr. Gerald Vann, in his book the Divine Pity, tells us that this beatitude instructs us to walk as a child, to be simple.
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There is a pride lurking in us, which makes us want to be autonomous; we wish to be our own master, which really is a state of isolation and independence from God. A proud, controlling person never loves. By trying to treat everything as our own, as utilities, to use all things and people and even God himself simply as means to our own plans – this is a person who possesses much but actually has nothing.
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Freedom from this narcissism is found in the first beatitude: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ We must learn the lesson of detachment. The detached person will care about things and people, but in a different way. They will not just be tools for his own desires. A person must learn not to cling to things. Then his possessions, his desires, his relationships will no longer be a cause of anxiety or frustration, but of freedom.
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This is reflected in the poem by T.S. Eliot, He says, ‘Teach us to care, and not to care’. The virtuous man first of all ‘cares.’ We care about things, we want things or relationships; but we are to care about them not as means to an end, but with a detached enjoyment, a ‘disinterested love,’ even a calm reverence.
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When we hold too tightly to a relationship, it becomes ruined. If we hold too tightly or obsess on material things, we become frustrated because they are not able to fulfill us. We must learn to stop and look at all the things and people that come our way, that God has put in our path, with an appreciation, but without holding them too tightly.
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To care, but not to care too much, or wrongly. Our heart should appreciate things, but we should not set our heart on things, or even persons. This way we find the freedom Christ wants for us; then we have begun to find the kingdom of God. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Receive Him with Faith
Corpus Christi
Beloved in Christ,
for little Louis Martin, his life was not always easy. He was born with a rare disease that left the doctors confused; he spent a lot of time lying on the couch instead of playing with his friends. But eventually the doctors figured it out, and with the proper medicine, he started to improve.
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In August of 2013, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, WI, Louis’ older brother Gregory, received his 1st Communion; he received Jesus for the first time from none other than Cardinal Raymond Burke, who was visiting his boyhood diocese.
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Louis sat with his family during the Mass, but afterwards he wouldn’t say a word. Finally, his parents discovered that he was heart broken that he couldn’t receive Jesus in the Eucharist like his brother. After Mass, Cardinal Burke came over to greet the families of the first communicants. He had a little gift for each one. When he approached the Martins, he gave Gregory his gift, but then he saw Louis crying. He asked what was wrong. Did he want a gift too?
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His mother explained that he was sad because he did not receive his 1st Communion as well. Cardinal Burke looked compassionately at Louis, and with that, Louis leaned into the Cardinal grabbing his vestments, and cried. His Eminence embraced the boy warmly and said, “don’t worry! Your first Communion will come soon enough!” Well, it was true. The next year, actually on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, young Louis Martin received his first Holy Communion at the hands of His Eminence, Cardinal Burke.
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Friends in Christ, this true story is floating around the internet, and I thought it was very appropriate for today, to hear about a little boy who longed to receive Jesus in Holy Communion. Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi: the Body of Christ. It is the day that we put all of our attention and love on Christ, present in the Holy Eucharist.
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We can pray to Jesus all day, and we should – spiritually. But only in Holy Communion can we touch him, bodily receive him, join our flesh to his. This union is the most sublime of all existence, our union with God. This union on earth is veiled by sacrament, under the appearance of bread, but it is a foretaste – an anticipation of our union with the Lord in heaven. Receiving Christ at Mass, we should then speak to him, tell him all our worries and ask him many things.
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Jesus came bodily into this world 2000 years ago; his disciples could touch God, embrace God, in the flesh, but it took Faith. This marvel continues through history, Jesus Christ still comes bodily into the world, is born on our altars that we may touch and embrace and love this Lord, and become one with him.
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Today on Corpus Christ – the Feast of the Body of Christ – we proclaim this to the world. At 2pm we will have our Eucharistic procession, weather permitting. We will carry this Jesus, gloriously displayed in a beautiful gold monstrance with all the pageantry and solemnity owed to a king, because he is Our King, he is really here in the world, and so we display our Faith.
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It is so beautifully Catholic, that all over the world on this day, from the doors of Catholic Churches stream little processions of young and old, the serious and the excited, marching through the streets of the secular world. So many people – too many people – live in our neighborhoods and do not know this Lord, this Savior. Today is a day that we carry him through our streets, singing, marching, praying – stopping at altars, to be blessed again by our Eucharistic Jesus.
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I often wonder: ‘what do the police think as they block the streets for us, for this excited little band of pilgrims carrying their Jesus? I wonder about those who are not Catholic or have no Faith at all: what do they think looking through their curtains at this motley group of Catholics? ‘Look honey, they are out there again, so many. You really have to give them credit.’ ‘Dear, why are you crying?’ ‘Because it’s so beautiful – I mean, their faith.’
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I wonder about the lax Catholics who don’t attend Mass. When they see this procession out their window. If they wonder: ‘I should be with them.’ There are altar boys, and incense, and candles; priests, music and singers and instruments; people walking with canes – there’s a wheel-chair being pushed, and another; children who don’t know how to stay in line – ‘What gives them such faith?,’ they ask. ‘Maybe we should return to God.’
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Elizabeth Hesselblad, who was a protestant, when a Eucharistic procession was going past, the Catholic people were all going down on their knees. ‘I will certainly not kneel down’ she said to herself. But as soon as the priest came by her spot, she felt herself compelled to kneel. She said, ‘I knew it was true’. She became a Catholic, and re-founded the Brigiteen sisters.
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Dom Chautard reminds us, that it was just after Christ had given us the Holy Eucharist at the last supper, that he spoke of the Vine and the Branches. ‘I am the Vine, you are the branches.’ By receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, with a holy heart and living the Christ-life, it is in this way that we the branches are in contact with the Vine; then Christ can act in us; ‘He that abides in me and I in him, will bear much fruit.’
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When the Christian retains in his heart the Eucharistic life of Christ from Mass – when his heart is consumed with the fire that consumes the heart of Jesus – what life his words and actions will have, they will be living flames.
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For each of us, our 1st Holy Communion was a great event; well prepared, we tried to receive Jesus with great faith and love. But this love and faith – we must make it grow, and seek to receive our Savior with ever greater devotion.
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Let us ask then, the Blessed Virgin to help us have great faith; faith in our Eucharistic Lord; faith to know that when we receive Holy Communion, we are receiving the Living Lord, his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Nicholas]
Mary’s many visits
Friends in Christ. today after Mass we will pray the 1st Saturday devotions; these devotions were given to us by Mary when she appeared at Fatima.
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The blessed Virgin has been appearing a lot in modern times; many unofficial appearances reported – many – as well as recognized ones, such as at Laus, Fatima, Lourdes, La Salette, Knock, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Good Help, and many others.
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But this is actually not a new phenomenon. Mary has been with us since day one. She appeared to the Apostle James in Spain in the year 40, Our Lady of the Pillar. Mary appeared to John the Wonderworker in the 3rd century, and there are many other reports of Our Lady’s appearances to her spiritual children through the centuries.
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St. Gregory the Great – a very reliable source – tells us about a little girl named Musa. Musa was very devout to the Blessed Virgin, but she was starting to associate with bad friends, and her soul was in danger. One night, Musa had a vision in which the holy Mother of God appeared to her with many young girls of her own age dressed in white. Mary asked Musa if she wanted to join them, and she answered that she really did! Mary asked her to stop being involved with those bad friends, because in a month she will come to be with her.
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After this incident, Musa was a changed girl, to the surprise of her parents. She seemed more mature and sincere; when they asked her about this change, she explained how the Mother of God had appeared to her and asked her to enter her service, naming also the day on which she was to come back.
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25 days after the apparition, Musa became sick with fever. On the 30th day, when she was about to die, she saw Mary again, and the beautiful girls with her. The Mother of God called her, and here St. Gregory tells us: ‘Musa answered in a clear voice: ‘Here I am, Lady, I come! Here I am, Lady, I come!’ In the same breath she delivered up her spirit and left.’
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The Blessed Virgin has been with us all through the centuries, and also with each of us through our life if we ask her. We should ask her, and then she will call us at the end, and bring us to Jesus.
Tobias is a type of Christ
Friends in Christ, we have been reading this week from the Book of Tobit, and Tobit has sent his son Tobias on a trip. On the trip, he is accompanied by Raphael; he doesn’t know it, but it is St. Raphael the Archangel.
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Having arrived and met their relatives, Tobias wants to marry their daughter Sarah. Her father agrees, but he warns Tobias, that 7 times, men have tried to marry his daughter, and in each case, on their wedding night, each man died. Nevertheless, Tobias has confidence in God and wants to marry her.
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As the wedding bed was prepared, Sarah was very worried, and she and her mother cried a great deal, for fear Tobias also would perish. But he says to her, ‘Let us kneel down and pray and ask the Lord to have mercy on us.’ And so they did and then went to bed for the night.
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Little did they know, that there had been a demon in that house, and it was now driven out and pursued by St. Raphael. Now during this time, Sarah’s sad father was outside digging another grave, figuring, this one too would die. In the morning, the maid is sent to see what happened. They are alive! And the house rejoices.
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A wedding feast is celebrated, which lasted twice as long as a normal wedding feast. And then the father made them heirs to all that he had.
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In understanding the meaning of this story, we should recall that Jesus was once asked by the Sadducees, about the case of a woman who had 7 husbands who had each died; they asked Our Lord, ‘Who will be her husband in heaven?’ The Sadducees clearly are thinking of the story of Tobias.
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But Jesus standing there before them is the true Bridegroom who came for his Bride, the Church. As with Tobias, Christ will be the 8th husband. The True Husband.
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Now Jesus’ name numerologically, represents the number 888. 8 is the number of the New Creation, of the resurrection. it is appropriately the number of the 8th husband, the True Spouse of the Soul. And so we see that Tobias is a symbol, a type, of the Savior to come: Jesus. Raguel is an image of God the Father, for he entrusted his daughter to Tobias and told him: ‘Bring her back safely to your father.’ He promised him his inheritance.
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Our Father in heaven rejoices in the marriage of Christ and the Church, and so he makes us heirs of his kingdom.
St. Charles Lwanga and companions
Friends in Christ, today is the feast of St. Charles Lwanga and his 21 Companions. They are Martyrs of Uganda, Africa, in 1886.
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Priests known as the White Fathers had only been in Uganda 6 years, but had already baptized many Catholics. A number of them worked in the court of the African King.
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Now the King was a violent ruler, and he was known for his homosexual actions, forcing himself on boys who served in his court. The Christians working there tried to protect them from the King. Their leader was Joseph Mukasa.
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Once, when the King had murdered a missionary, Joseph confronted him, and demanded that he change his homosexual lifestyle. The King ordered him killed, and when the executioners went to tie Joseph’s hands, he told them that it was not necessary, because a Christian is not afraid to die.” He forgave the King and was burned alive.
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Charles Lwanga took over the leadership of the Christian community – and they continued to try protecting young boys from the King. But the King’s anger flared again at another Christian, Denis, so he thrust a spear into his throat. The king called his court and said, “Whoever does not pray, come over by me. To the others he asked: Do you intend to remain Christian? They all answered ‘yes,’ and so they were forced onto a 37 mile walk to be executed.
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One Fr. Lourdel remembers hearing these martyrs laughing and chattering; he says that he almost fainted in seeing the courage and joy of these condemned young people. When one man named James was ordered killed, he said, ‘Goodbye, I am going to heaven.’ As Fr. Lourdel gave him absolution, James smiled broadly, and raised his tied hands pointing to his goal: heaven.
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When one official asked why God does not rescue them, a lad named Matthias said: ‘God will rescue me. But you will not see how he does it, because he will take my soul and leave you only my body.” On June 3, they were brought out wrapped in reed mats, and burned to death on the fire. At their death they called on the Name of Jesus and proclaimed: “You can burn our bodies, but you cannot harm our souls.”
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Today, the Church in Africa is very young and growing; there are 13.6 million Catholics today in Uganda, 42% of the entire country.
The Mystery of God
The Most Blessed Trinity
‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’
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Beloved in Christ,[i] today is the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. The Blessed Trinity is the source of all life and of all creation, and is the meaning and goal of every human life. It is the most important belief of our Faith.
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We believe that God is 3 Divine Persons in One God.
God the Father – is God.
God the Son – is God.
God the Holy Spirit – is God.
3 “Persons” with the same Essence, and so we say that they are “Consubstantial,’ of the same substance; One Divinity.
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Those who deny the divinity of Christ naturally also deny the Holy Trinity. Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and Muslims do not know about this inner life of God.
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In the past we have spoken of how this Holy Trinity is reflected in the family. Husband loves wife, and wife loves husband, and this love brings another person into the world, yet it is one family; so, this is a sort-of-image of the inner life of God.
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Priests on this day often wrestle with how to preach on the subject of such a great mystery. Today, I thought we could delve deeply into some theology; so I’d like to give you a 2 week course in 8 minutes on the Holy Trinity!
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In God, there are 4 Relations, 3 Persons, 2 Processions, and one Essence;
and let us preface this by saying that there are two operations in God: knowing and willing, due to his Intellect and Will. This is true of human beings and of angels as well: the operations of knowing and willing. God has an intellect and Will.
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When we ourselves ‘think a thought,’ the thought is something in itself, but it is not ourself. The thought comes from ourself, but it is not ourself. It is a little bit like that with God, but on an infinite scale.
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God the Father is the source of all, he is the first principle of life. From the ‘knowing’ in God – his intellect – proceeds the Son, he is called the Word, like a thought of God that comes forth. This is the 1st Procession in God: the Procession of the Son from the Father; we say that the son proceeds by generation, or by an eternal begetting; this is not something that began in time, since God is outside of time; the Son has always been. So this is the first Procession.
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The 2nd Procession is due to the Will in God, his willing. From the Father and the Son, proceeds the Holy Spirit, who is Love. Love is in the Will.
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Procession in God must therefore be either by an operation of the intellect, by which the Word proceeds – the Son – or by an operation of the will, by which Love proceeds – the Holy Spirit.
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St. Thomas Aquinas says that since God knows all things by a single act of intellection, and loves all things by a single act of the will, there cannot be several ‘Sons’ or several ‘Holy Spirits.’
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Now there are two primary heresies regarding the Holy Trinity: some will say that the Son of God is God’s first and greatest creation, such as the Jehovah Witnesses. This is the heresy of Arianism.
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Others, such as the United Pentecostal Church or other Oneness movements – they say that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are merely names given to modes or aspects of God, not distinct Persons. This is known as the heresy of Sabellianism.
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Those are heresies, but they are nothing new. By a proper study of what Jesus Christ has told us in the Holy Scriptures about his relationship to his Father, and their relationship to the Holy Spirit, theology has enabled us to understand some true things about the mysterious inner life of God.
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The Son of God proceeds from the Father by ‘generation.’ This is because this procession is due to the Intellect; the thought of the Father generates an image of himself that is identical in all ways except Fatherhood. This image is of the same divine nature as the Father, sharing a single Will.
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The Holy Spirit proceeds not by generation, but by Spiration from the Father and the Son. This means that a single act of the will, shared between the Father and Son, results in the spiration of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has its origin not in an act of the intellect, as with the generation of the Son, but in an act of the will. This is, in fact, an act of love between Father and Son, and so this 3rd Person of the Blessed Trinity is called Love.
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If we can grasp that the infinite love of the Father pours itself out to the Son, and the infinite love of the Son pours itself back to the Father, and from that, proceeds the 3rd Person, the Holy Spirit – well, this eternal chase of love within God is called the circuminsession.[ii] St. John Damascene said that these Divine Persons dwell in each other, always One, in the intimacy of their friendship.
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Our discussion has focused on the inner life of the Trinity. But beyond that inner life, God has created all things: the world, the angels, the universe, ourselves; and the 2nd Person of the Blesssed Trinity, the Son of God, has united himself to this creation, to this world by Jesus’ taking humanity to himself. Why did he do it?
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Because he wishes to bring each of us into the loving intimacy of the Holy Trinity. At the Cross, at Mass, Christ offers himself, pours himself out to the Father as he has always been doing. We too are swept up with Jesus at Holy Mass, we are also offering outself with him, and through Christ we become participants in the very life of the Trinity.
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St. Peter tells us that we participate in the Divine nature of God. St. Paul says, God, has raised us up together, and has made us sit together in the heavenly places, through Christ Jesus. Eph 2:6
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In a superb talk on the Holy Trinity, lecturer Tim Staples says: ‘we become the flower that is flowering this earth; the cause of that flower is the Holy Spirit, and in a way, become the love that is proceeding from the Holy Trinity into the world.[iii]
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In Chapter 22 of the Book of Revelation it gives us a great vision of the Holy Trinity: It says: ‘He showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming forth from the throne of God and the Lamb. And in the mist of the city street, on both sides of the river, was the Tree of Life.’
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The throne of God signifies the Father, the Lamb signifies the Son, and the water is the Holy Spirit. The Divine life of God flows from, proceeds from, the Father and the Son. The water of life is the Holy Spirit, clear as crystal.
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The result? Divine Life for us, Zoe, straight from the heart of God. When we find this, we have found the Tree of Life.
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May the Blessed Virgin always help us – Mary help us, to forever praise the Most Blessed Trinity, to whom we owe our existence, and in whom is our destiny. To the Holy and undivided Trinity, be everlasting praise, honor, power, and glory, from every creature, and to us forgiveness of all our sins, forever and ever. Amen.
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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Bernadette]
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[i] Ideas for this homily can be found in the tape series by Tim Staples on the Holy Trinity.
[ii] or the pericoresis
[iii] For more on this, see the Theology of the Mystical Body, by Mersch.
