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A Deeper Look
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Special Collection at all Masses on August 23 & 24
“The Church is missionary. She exists so that every man and woman may encounter Jesus”. - Pope Francis
With our baptism, we are called to share in this calling to bring others to Christ. The Missionary Cooperation Plan (MCP) was inaugurated in the late 1930’s to help mission-sending societies solicit funds for their mission efforts around the world. Today, the program is administered by each Diocesan Missions Office under the auspices of the local Bishop.
Fr. Jan Stefanow, SVD, will be at the parish on August 23 and 24 for the annual Paterson International Missionaries Appeal. Fr. Jan is a Divine Word Missionary from Poland. He is currently the Executive Director for Friends of the Catholic Biblical Federation (www.friendscbf.org). He will speak at all the Masses that weekend.
Donations can be given on our webpage at corpuschristi.org through PushPay, by using the envelopes located in the atrium and church or by clicking here. We thank you ahead of time for your support!Treasure Below the Surface
Archaeologist Howard Carter, in 1922 was completing nearly fifteen years of digging in the famous Valley of the Kings in Egypt. He was hoping to find the royal tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Having found nothing, his days of digging were coming to an end. Money was running out. Then workers discovered sixteen stairs leading into the earth. Thousands of baskets filled with rocks and sand had to be carried away, but eventually a door was found at the end of a long passageway. Carter drilled a small hole in the door and stuck an iron-testing rod into a dark, blank space. He then inserted a candle into the hole and peered in. As his eyes grew accustomed to the light, details emerged into his view, and he saw strange animals, statues, and everywhere the glint of gold. He wrote, "For the moment, I was struck dumb with amazement." A partner asked, "Can you see anything?" "Yes, wonderful things."
Sometimes the greatest treasures are right in front of us just below the surface. This is true in terms of our faith. I have heard some people tell me that they don’t get anything out of Mass. It is boring. Why can’t we just pray to God in our way? At home! Isn’t my prayer as good as ‘formal’ worship in God’s eyes? These are great questions! Yet if we dig deeper, we see that there is much more to the story.
When we worship at Mass each week, we stand naked before our Creator. Worship helps us to recognize reality and face ourselves at the deepest level --- that we are not equals with God, but his creatures, made by Him, for Him. The perfect bright light of God’s love shines into our being. It makes us realize that God and we belong together. Our faith is not primarily about doctrine and rules. It is a love story, a relationship with a living person, Jesus Christ. This is the privileged place where we allow God to heal and continue creating us to be who we were destined to be. Here, at the intersection of faith and questioning, we have decisions that we have to make. Do we accept this offer of relationship or not? Do we lean primarily on God or ourselves? Do we choose to walk the road of faith on God’s terms or on our own? These are more than just pious thoughts. These choices define who we are at our very core!
This is the context of why we are asked by God to worship at Mass each week in-person or, for serious reasons, online. It is not so much a duty as an invitation, the greatest of opportunities. At Mass, we enter the presence of God and stand before Him. The Last Supper and Calvary are made present to us. At Mass we touch heaven, as we are fed. Spending time investigating below the surface is worth the dig!Parish Facility Update
If you’ve recently passed behind our parish gym, you may have noticed an area that’s been roped off. This section surrounds one of the four primary support piers that uphold the gymnasium structure. Over time, water infiltration caused significant deterioration to this wooden pier, as well as to a second pier located behind the HVAC unit.
To ensure we addressed this issue with the utmost care and expertise, we engaged The Falcon Group, a highly respected structural engineering firm. After carefully removing the brick around both piers, they conducted a comprehensive evaluation and developed a detailed repair plan.
Falcon then managed a competitive bidding process, soliciting proposals from contractors with specialized experience in structural restoration. After a thorough vetting process, Renovo NJ Corp was selected for their strong reputation, excellent craftsmanship, and ability to meet our scheduling needs. Renovo comes highly recommended and has completed numerous similar projects for the Archdiocese of Newark.
Although we are still using the back half of the gym, since these are structural issues, the repairs could not be delayed. Unfortunately, the “holy buckets” have found a new home in the gym and there are four new areas which have needed to be patched. These structural repairs are a critical step that needed to happen before we move forward with replacing the gym roof later this summer. These were unexpected and costly repairs which we need to make.
We share this update with you as part of our commitment to transparency and responsible stewardship. Thanks to your generosity, we are not only caring for our facilities today—we’re investing in the next 30 years of ministry and service at Corpus Christi. Thank you for your continued support and prayers!
Please see pages 6-7 in this Sunday's bulletin for photos of the repair in progress.Summer: A Time Of Growth
Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, Christians have embraced many different forms of prayer outside of the Mass—some more intellectual, some more emotional or affective, others more practical in nature. Each of these styles is a unique path designed to draw us closer to God, meeting us where we are and reflecting the diversity of our personalities and spiritual temperaments. Yet, among all these ways of praying, one form has stood out across the centuries for its profound simplicity and transformative power: Eucharistic Adoration.
There is a well-known story from the life of St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars. One day, he noticed a man sitting silently in the church, gazing at the tabernacle. Curious, he asked the man what he was doing. The man replied simply, “I look at Him, and He looks at me.” In that quiet exchange, something awakened in St. John Vianney—a deeper understanding of what it means to adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
This type of prayer—silent, contemplative, intimate—has been treasured by the saints through the ages because it draws the soul into a deeper union with Jesus. Adoration is not complicated. It is simply a loving awareness of His presence. And how beautiful it is to know that Jesus waits for us—not to overwhelm or demand—but to simply be with us. To listen. To comfort. To heal!
If heaven is where Jesus is, then Adoration is nothing less than a foretaste of heaven. This is not mere piety - it is truth. In the stillness of the chapel, surrounded by silence and grace, heaven touches earth.
This summer, I invite you to come and experience this encounter for yourself. Every Monday and Wednesday, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, we offer Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. Whether you can stay for a few moments or for a full hour, your presence matters. Perhaps you’ve never been to Adoration before. Don’t be afraid—just come and see.
Jesus is waiting—for you. To give you His peace, His joy, and His love.Passing On the Greatest Gift
I continue to be deeply moved by the dedication and sacrifice of the parents and grandparents in our parish. So many of you work tirelessly to provide your children with every opportunity—ensuring they receive a strong education, develop meaningful social skills, and acquire the tools they’ll need to thrive in the world. Your love is evident in the care you take to prepare them for a successful life.
Yet, amid all these efforts, I ask: what greater gift can we offer our children than a living relationship with God? It is for this very relationship that each of us was created. Nothing else—not achievement, nor comfort, nor acclaim—can satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. Only this gift, the gift of faith, can sustain us through every season of life: in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, in abundance and in need. It is the one treasure that promises happiness not only in this life, but for all eternity.
I remain profoundly grateful to my own parents and to the catechists who, during my childhood in Dover, stepped forward to hand on the Faith. Now, as I look back, I do so with awe and thanksgiving—for those early seeds of grace, sown in simple acts of witness and teaching, have borne fruit that continues to shape my life to this day.
Right now, our parish needs catechists and assistant catechists beginning in September to help pass on the great gift of Faith to the youth of our parish. Our Minister of Family Faith Formation, Diane, and our Youth Minister, Jim, can help get you started. Training will be provided. Maybe God is tapping you on the shoulder to step forward! Our youth need your gifts and your lived experience of our Faith. We need your help to pass on this Gift!
Please contact Diane Vezzuto (our Minister of Family Faith Formation) at [email protected] or Jim Murray (our Youth Minister) at [email protected].Choosing Dependence
This weekend, we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The colonies had made their stand against British rule and declared independence based on an authority beyond that of mere humans. The equality they claimed was rooted in the laws of nature and nature’s God. The creator has endowed them and us with inalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence was the roadmap, but it would take thousands killed or wounded for this to become a reality.
Jesus tells us, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” It sounds so good - but it is better than we could ever hope for!
Jesus wants more than anything to heal us of our shame, our guilt, our emptiness, our depressions, our bitterness, our confusion, our fears, our cares, our concerns, our questions. He loved us enough to speak the hard truths that lead to this healing and true freedom. The path was to believe in Him and to follow His teachings. Yet how easy it is to disregard or pick and choose parts of this. It is easy to want freedom beyond what Christ asks us. Yet true freedom comes in a relationship with Christ in obedience – a freedom that we can’t get on our own.
We embrace this by turning from sin, from sharing with the poor, from loving and forgiving those around us. When we walk as disciples, living our faith out the same on Monday as we do on Sunday, we begin to allow this freedom to enter our hearts and our lives and our families.
The Gospel is the roadmap and Jesus’ death on the cross made this a reality for us. This freedom is available to each of us. When, instead of declaring our independence from God by living as we choose, we live according to God’s laws and declare our dependence on God, who alone can give us true freedom and peace!
The Sunday Mass Time Change Has Finally Come!
A Special Note to Our Parish Family:
Over the past couple of weeks we have been making an announcement regarding a small adjustment to our Sunday Mass schedule. Beginning this Sunday, June 29, the 9:00 AM Mass will be permanently moved to 8:45 AM.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support as we make this change. We are grateful for your flexibility and the grace with which you adapt to the needs of our parish community.A Small Adjustment to Our Mass Schedule - Starting June 29
Throughout our country and here in the Chatham area, parents are frustrated with their children’s progress towards a mature faith. Our staff has heard this from many of you. We’re going to address this and make it better for everyone. Moving forward, we will soon make a small adjustment to our weekend Mass schedule to accommodate this.
We needed to be creative in finding a little more time for the sake of our children’s lifelong faith formation. There will be one minor change in the starting time of one of our Sunday Masses. Beginning Sunday, June 29th, the 9:00AM Mass will begin at 8:45 AM (15 minutes earlier).
Our new 8:45 AM Mass will provide a specific focus on our children. During the school year, on two Sundays each month, children and their families will be invited to join for Mass in the Church. Our homilist at the new 8:45 Mass will preach in a way that is accessible to children. This bimonthly Children’s Mass will be followed by our Family Faith Formation Program, where both children and their parents will grow in their knowledge of our faith. On the other two Sundays of the month, children will be invited to hear the Children’s Liturgy of the Word in the Atrium Conference Room as we currently offer it. All our parishioners, of all ages, are welcome to attend the 8:45 AM Mass!
To summarize, beginning on Sunday, June 29, the starting time of the 9:00 AM Mass will be permanently changed to 8:45 AM. As a parish family, we have a special opportunity to help the children of Corpus Christi. I appreciate your support and cooperation in this important initiative for our youth! Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions and I will be happy to share more with you.
Thank you all in advance for your support, and may God bless our families and our children!The Ascension: Called to Follow and Lead Others
Imagine going to a cemetery, expecting to find the gravestone of a loved one, only to find that the grave is open and empty. How would you feel? Anger, despair, sadness. This is how Mary Magdalene and the other disciples felt on that first Easter morning. They were confronted with something so amazing that it would take much time for reality to sink in. Jesus was not taken but he was risen!
The empty tomb is not just a historical fact, but a declaration from God. Our worst enemy and our worst fear, death, has lost its power over us. This moment is the turning point of all human history, and the world has begun to be remade. Hope now has the final word!
Joseph, a Christian refugee from South Sudan, lost his home, family members, and livelihood in the civil war. While living in a refugee camp, a local missionary shared the Gospel and invited him to an Easter sunrise service. Joseph said: “When I heard that Jesus rose from the dead, I realized I was not abandoned. If God brought life out of a tomb, He can bring purpose out of my pain.” Today, Joseph helps build schools in refugee camps, clinging to resurrection hope in the face of despair.
When we feel abandoned, broken, or that there is no hope, God is writing our resurrection story. God still moves stones away. He brings life where there was once death. Nothing and no situations are out of God’s reach to bring healing and hope. The empty tomb is not just a historical fact. For each of us today, it is our reason to hope. All that we fear will never have the last word. He is risen! And that changes everything!The Empty Tomb as a Sign of Hope
Imagine going to a cemetery, expecting to find the gravestone of a loved one, only to find that the graves open and empty. How would you feel? Anger, despair, sadness. This is how Mary Magdalene and the other disciples felt on that first Easter morning. They were confronted with something so amazing that it could take much time for reality to sink in. Jesus was not taken but he was risen!
The empty tomb is not just a historical fact, but a declaration from God. Our worst enemy and our worst fear, death, has lost its power over us. This moment is the turning point of all human history, and the world has begun to be remade. Hope now has the final word!
Joseph, a Christian refugee from South Sudan, lost his home, family members, and livelihood in the civil war. While living in a refugee camp, a local missionary shared the Gospel and invited him to an Easter sunrise service. Joseph said: “When I heard that Jesus rose from the dead, I realized I was not abandoned. If God brought life out of a tomb, He can bring purpose out of my pain.” Today, Joseph helps build schools in refugee camps, clinging to resurrection hope in the face of despair.
When we feel abandoned, broken, or that there is no hope, God is writing our resurrection story. God still moves stones away. He brings life where there was once death. Nothing and no situations are out of God’s reach to bring healing and hope. The empty tomb is not just a historical fact. For each of us today, it is our reason to hope. All that we fear will never have the last word. He is risen! And that changes everything!Easter: The Power to Transform Our Lives
Easter began April 20, but continues for 50 days. It is a great opportunity to spiritually tap into the power of the Resurrection made available to all of us. I would like to suggest a few ways to do so:
First, Live without Fear: If Jesus can overcome the worst that evil and sin can throw at him, we have great reason to live without fear in our lives. God is in control! God walks with us and will help us to pass through whatever difficulties we experience. “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). This is not pious talk – this is the truth! Say No to fear and anxiety and choose to trust in the One who is worthy of our trust!
Second, Receive Joy: When we live with the knowledge that we do not walk alone through life, we are free to let God be God. If things don’t always turn out the way we plan, we can surrender to the better plan that God has for us and our loved ones. Joy does not depend on the circumstances in our lives. How often the saints had a constant joy through all their trials. God intends for all of us to have this joy!
Third, Live Victoriously: If it is true that Jesus has conquered sin and death, all the other difficulties that come our way are in the hands of God too. We can choose to live as if we are truly children of God, with a supernatural dignity and an eternal destiny. How much joy God receives from us when we walk through life with our heads up, cheerful, thankful, and trusting in God’s providence for us. We have the greatest reason to walk with hope and courage, knowing that the ruler of the universe has got our back!
Over the next few weeks, I invite you to live boldly and with joy! We were made for this, but we need to grasp the strength and power that God offers us especially during these days of the Easter Season!Easter Peace
For many, Easter Sunday has come and gone. We’ve heard the accounts of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection so many times that it seems as if it is just another historical fact with no real impact in our lives. But if we look below the surface at what really happened on that Easter morning, it is truly amazing! From all eternity, the Eternal Father and Son, together with the Holy Spirit, are one in love. This is the stuff that heaven is made of. God wanted to invite us into this divine love and intimacy, so He created the world and all of us.
When we had lost this intimate relationship with God because of the sin of Adam and Eve, God promised to restore it at all costs. Jesus was even willing to endure the most painful death to make this happen for us. The Gospels during the Easter season speak of the disciples spreading this offer and inviting all to share in this divine intimacy beginning with Baptism.
Yet there are millions of people around the world who do not have this peace in their lives. They think that our Faith is just about following rules and doctrine alone. This is where the active practice of our faith comes into play. The more that we live, pray and act as disciples, the more deeply we enter this communion of life and love. And the deeper our peace becomes. This is why the saints were such happy people. Heaven is just a continuation of this!
As we live out our discipleship more deeply and more intentionally, we share our Faith with others and invite them into this supernatural intimacy and eternal source of joy, hope and healing. This divine intimacy is available to all no matter what we have done or where we are on our journey.
Easter season is about saying “yes” to this offer with all our lives. It is grasping a hold of this opportunity and sharing it with our relatives, friends and a world in such great need!The Easter Season: Choosing to Plug into God’s Power
Easter reminds us that death has been conquered, and the universe has forever been remade! The blooming flowers and trees remind us of this new life all around us. We are like the two men on the road to Emmaus who realized that they had been in the presence of the risen Christ. We too are called to rush out and share the good news with our family and friends. Our mission is to tell that Jesus has triumphed over the worst that life could throw at us - death. We don’t have to be fearful, anxious or afraid anymore. With God’s help, there is nothing that we can’t conquer together!
It is interesting that Jesus after the Resurrection usually appeared to the disciples gathered together. This is no accident! The Eucharist, the gift that he left us on Holy Thursday, was meant to be the font from which we continually go back to each week to find healing, strength, and resolve for our mission. Jesus knew that our good intentions and good will can only bring us so far in life. As persons made of body and soul, when we are plugged into the Eucharist each week, we can feel God’s power flowing through us.
When the Israelites were traveling through the desert for 40 years, they were fed by God with “manna,” a food that they did not understand. As we spread the Easter joy, we are all called to dig deeper into the mystery of the Eucharist in our lives. The Eucharist is our “food for the journey,” the true “Manna from Heaven.” I invite you to spend time reflecting on this: when we receive the Eucharist, we are receiving Jesus’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity! There is a wealth of joy, hope and strength that we can all access when we dig deeper into this mystery and reflect on what we do each week and why we do it.
God never intended for us to run on our own power – the Eucharist each week is worth plugging into. It will take us where we cannot go on our own strength!Divine Mercy Sunday: 2nd Sunday of Easter
Sr. Maria Faustina Kowalska was born in Poland in August 1905. At an early age, she entered the convent. In her convent, Faustina was described as “no one special with no discernable qualities.” No one had known that Jesus had chosen her to be His special instrument to bring a unique message into the world. Jesus appeared to her many times, which she recorded in her diary. The message – to bring Jesus’ Divine Mercy into a broken world. Faustina died a year before Germany invaded Poland, and soon after WWII began. Yet the message of Divine Mercy began to spread all over the world, with the help of (then) Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, who would later become Pope John Paul II. As Pope, he established the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday.
Through the message of Divine Mercy, it seems as if God was preparing our world for His Second Coming. In his homily on Divine Mercy Sunday in 2001, Pope John Paul II called the mercy message given to St. Faustina “The appropriate and incisive answer that God wanted to offer to the questions and expectations of human beings in our time, marked by terrible tragedies.... Divine Mercy! This is the Easter gift that the Church receives from the risen Christ and offers to humanity at the dawn of the third millennium.” Pope John Paul II felt as if this message was to be the ‘spark’ to bring this fire of God’s Mercy into the world. Now we are invited to be the receivers and carriers of this Mercy into our world!
In his meetings with Faustina, Jesus promised profound graces to those who would celebrate this Feast of His Divine Mercy. This grace is the forgiveness of all sins and the removal of all punishment due to sin. In addition, our practice of this devotion would help to bring others who are distant from God, healing and conversion, especially to those who are approaching death.
To observe the Feast of Divine Mercy, it is asked that we: sincerely repent of our sins/receive Confession within one week before or after Divine Mercy Sunday/venerate the image of Divine Mercy/and place our complete trust in Jesus in our lives.
This Sunday, April 27th, after the 9AM Mass, we will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday with the chaplet and veneration of the Divine Mercy image. Please feel free to join us!
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is easy to learn, and it only takes five minutes to complete, and can be done anywhere. It is an easy way each day to allow God’s mercy to flow through us. You can find the chaplet and the Diving Mercy Image online at CelebrateMercySunday.org.The Reason for Our Joy!
From the early days of the Church, Christians have shared the joyous news about the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. “We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25). Easter reminds us that we have been reconciled with God the Father. Together we share in this victory!
Amid all the difficulties in our world, God is in control. No matter what is happening in our lives, this is the reason for our joy and hope!
These days of Easter challenge us to recommit our lives to Christ and his Church. The Church is not composed of perfect people. We are all in the process of being perfected by the steadfast love and mercy of God. Easter can be a time of spiritual renewal and a time to begin again in our relationship with God!
Maybe you consider yourself strong in faith. Maybe you are struggling with aspects of our faith. Maybe you are somewhere in between. All are welcome at Corpus Christi Parish as together we strive to live by His example and to be fed by the gifts that He gives us.
As we celebrate Easter, I’d like to thank the many people who have shared their time and worked so hard behind the scenes to decorate the church and to organize and run our Holy Week liturgies. We are grateful!
I also extend a warm welcome to those who are visitors to Corpus Christi Parish! We are so very happy you chose to celebrate Mass with us. We also extend an invitation to you to become a regular part of our parish family. Corpus Christi is Christ’s Joy, Hope and Healing received and shared.
A Joy-Filled and Blessed Easter to You!Palm Sunday and the Beginning of Holy Week
This weekend we receive the palms at the beginning of Mass. They are blessed and then the priest enters the church to begin the procession. This reminds us of Jesus, at the end of his ministry, entering Jerusalem and the beginning of his journey towards his Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
It is easy for us to lose the impact of what happened 2000 years ago. Yet, if we look closely at the Passion story, it is not to highlight the cruelty of the Romans and the leadership of the Temple. It is rather to recall why Jesus chose to go through this ordeal, not only freely, but with a sense of fulfillment. How often there is injustice in our world, and how seldom others risk their own comfort to change things for the better, to right a wrong, to challenge the establishment, to bring peace. Not so with Jesus! Out of love for each one of us, Jesus walked this path of unimaginable suffering. It is hard to fathom such total self-giving for others, for us!
During this time, we are called to reflect on how committed God has been to us. If we were the only person who ever lived, Jesus would have gladly gone through this ordeal for us alone! We are asked now, during Holy Week, to journey with Jesus in our own lives. To let our toughened hearts be touched again by such a great love. We follow Jesus into the uncertainty of our own lives and our world, trusting that Jesus will see us through to the other side, where all will be well!
Please consider journeying with Corpus Christi this week with all the Holy Week events especially on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. This information is found on our website (corpuschristi.org) and on page 5. A journey worth making!Emptying to be Filled
John Newton was the captain of a slave trade ship. One night in 1748, his ship was caught in a vicious storm. Waves crashed over the bow and the ship was tossed about like a toy. He had been reading the Bible and had a profound conversion experience, where he saw his life clearly and the errors of his ways. Newton saw the hand of God getting him and his crew through the storm. He would later pen the hymn, Amazing Grace. “Amazing grace/ How sweet the sound / That saved a wretch like me / I once was lost, but now I’m found/ Was blind, but now I see.”
As a disciple in relationship with Jesus, John Newton was willing to leave behind his lucrative slave trade. His relationship with God eventually led him to devote his life to actively lobbying against slavery. As we come close to the end of Lent, Jesus speaks tenderly to each of us. Jesus loves us too much to have just a casual relationship with us. Jesus wants a relationship with us built on mutual commitment and sacrifice. Lent is a good time to ask ourselves, “What are we willing to sacrifice for this relationship?”
During Lent, we are called to let go of those things in our hearts that don’t belong there. Maybe it is pride, anger, selfishness, jealousy, materialism, power, position, or unforgiveness. During Lent, we let Jesus help us by taking away our sins in confession. There is confession at our parish and in all the Catholic parishes in Morris County on Mondays during Lent from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. Don’t be afraid!
Being emptied of these things that take up space in our hearts is only the first step. Lent is then about allowing Jesus to fill our hearts. Our hearts were made for this. In doing so, we remember who we are and to Whom we belong!The Prodigal Father
This weekend Jesus tells us the story about what many people call the Prodigal Son. Yet it seems to be better titled, “The Prodigal Father.” A father loves his two sons with an over-the-top kind of love. How did they respond? The First son: responded by wanting his inheritance before his father had died. He didn’t care about his father or his family’s future. He was searching for joy but looked in the wrong places. Looking to fill the emptiness within him, he ended up with more emptiness than he had ever experienced before. He “hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any.” For a Jew in Jesus time, there was nothing lower than eating the food of pigs. The Second Son: appeared to be the perfect son, but his heart was far from his father. He did everything that he was told, but he only seemed to care about himself. He was full of jealousy and hatred. He would not love or forgive his brother.
The father responds to the first: Every day he spent his time looking in the distance waiting for his son’s return. Nothing else mattered! When he saw the son, he didn’t wait for him, he ran to him. He didn’t care about his reputation. He didn’t give his son time to speak, wrapping his arms around him and kissing him. He didn’t want to hear his son asking for forgiveness but calls for the fattened calf to be slaughtered. At the end, he calls for a great party for his long-lost son.
The father responds to the second: He searches until he finds him. He listens to his son’s half-hearted excuses about why he didn’t want to forgive his brother. The father knew the son preferred justice over mercy, yet the father loved him anyway. He invites him to take his proper place at the feast.
Prodigal – “giving something on a lavish scale.” Who loves like this father– no one! Jesus is implying that this is how he loves us. Loving in an over-the-top way to those who don’t earn or deserve this kind of love. This is how God treats us! At times, we are like both sons in the story. Lent is about being honest before our loving Father as to which son we have been. God loves us anyway! He asks us to receive His forgiveness and to become like the father- and share the father’s kind of love.3rd Sunday in Lent
The Gospel this weekend can give us some insight into suffering. Some people mention to Jesus the Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus asks: “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus?” And then Jesus answers that they were not. These Galileans were innocent victims who suffered through the faults of others. There were also eighteen people on whom the tower in Siloam fell. We don’t know why the tower fell. It seems that they were innocent victims who died through unfortunate circumstances. They happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This raises a difficult question: how can a loving God allow the innocent to suffer? Jesus reminds us that it is misguided to think that those who suffer in some way deserved this fate. Sometimes words can be cheap. Jesus responds not with words but with his life. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to freely demonstrate the greatest act of love. He allows himself to be taken prisoner, to be stripped of all of his possessions, to be humiliated, tortured, and to die in shame, which reminds us that there are innocent victims and that Jesus walks in solidarity with them.
Yet he also shows us another side. Cruelty and violence will not have the last word. God’s love and power are greater than any injustice. Goodness will triumph over evil. With Jesus’ death and resurrection, God can take the worst that life throws at us, even death, and transform it into something lifegiving and meaningful.
It is in times like this that we are called to turn to Christ in a deeper way as we try to make sense of what we see in the news. We pray for all those who are victims of injustice, and we do what we can to assist them. In the end, we find hope in the fact that our God has conquered sin and death and ultimately is in control. As we journey through Lent, when darkness can seem overwhelming, we can rest in the knowledge that God’s light is greater than the darkness!In the Path of Transformations
The Italian violin maker, Stradivarius, made the most prized violins ever made because of the rich and resonating sound they produce. The unique sound of a Stradivarius cannot be duplicated. These precious instruments were not made from treasured pieces of wood; they were carved from discarded lumber. Stradivarius was very poor and could not afford fine materials like his contemporaries. So, he got most of his wood from the dirty harbors where he lived. He would take those waterlogged pieces of wood to his shop and clean them up, dry them out, and from those trashed pieces of lumber he would create instruments of rare beauty.
It has since been discovered that while that wood floated in those dirty harbors, microbes went into the wood and ate out the center of those cells. This left just a fibrous infrastructure of the wood that created resonating chambers for the music. From wood that nobody wanted, Stradivarius produced violins that now everybody wants.
The violins of Stradivarius can teach us something about Christian transformation. God can change us instantly as Jesus does in today’s gospel event of the Transfiguration. The dazzling display of light, that Peter, James, and John witness surrounding Jesus, is a preview of what we will one day experience. Yet most of the time, this transformation takes time. During Lent, we intentionally allow God to change us inside and out. How? By the Eucharist! Each week, the Eucharist deepens our relationship with God more than anything else can. Going to confession is the powerful means that God offers us to find healing and to remove those “burdens” that we carry all year, freeing us to love others and God more deeply. As we journey with Jesus through the desert, we focus more on prayer, fasting, almsgiving, forgiveness and charity. And we take advantage of the many opportunities to encounter Christ and serve others. Although this is not always easy, we are reminded that, in times of doubt and uncertainty, the expectation of our future transformation helps us to turn to God and to take to heart his consoling words to us: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”1st Sunday of Lent
On this first Sunday of Lent, after his baptism, Jesus is driven out into the desert for 40 days. Jesus was tempted to take the easy path, to rely on himself, to use his gifts and powers for himself and his needs only. Jesus resisted these temptations!
During Lent, we are called to journey together into the desert to be by ourselves and honestly see how we are living, who we are living for, and where God fits into our lives. We are all tempted to just keep doing what we do for the rest of the year and avoid these questions.
Yet when we use all that the Church provides for us during this season, we journey with Jesus through this time in the desert and make great progress in our journey towards heaven. Extra prayer, giving to the poor, going to Confession, reading the Bible, trying to reestablish relationships that are broken, and fasting. All these practices help us to put God back in first place in our lives, put others second and help us to love ourselves appropriately again.
God will reward our efforts! For every step that we take towards God and others, God takes two towards us. Jesus invites us each on this journey for 40 days! Don’t miss out on this grace-filled opportunity!Our Lenten Journey - Renewed in Hope
This Wednesday, March 5, is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent can be one of the most grace-filled times in the Church calendar if we choose. It is an opportunity to reflect on God’s unwavering care for us. Lent is also about us reflecting on our personal commitment level in response to such great love!
Over the year, our hearts, minds and actions lose focus. We allow God to move out of the primary place in our life, and let other lesser goods become our focus. We all sin and do things that hurt our relationship with God and others. It is easy to feel comfortable and justify wherever we are in our spiritual journey. Lent helps us together to refocus our lives to be totally honest before God, ourselves, and others. And to return to our first Love!
On Ash Wednesday, when we receive ashes on our foreheads, we are told to “turn from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” To do this, we focus more on prayer, penance, and helping the poor.
We spend more time in prayer and intentionally giving to those who are poor, reminding us that we are indeed our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. It is appropriate to think of something that we can give up to remind us of our greatest need- for God.
Catholics are asked to go to Confession at least one time a year. Lent is a perfect opportunity to do this. Our parish offers Confessions on Mondays during Lent in the Church from 7 PM to 8:30 PM. In addition, we will have a parish penance service on Tuesday, March 25 at 7:30 PM. You can also call the office to schedule a time for Confession outside of these times.
We are also asked to fast and abstain from meat. The norms of fasting (1 meal a day) are for those aged 18 to age 59. The rule of abstinence from meat is for Catholics aged 14 and older. (See the Guidelines for Fasting and Abstinence during Lent on page 14)
As we make this journey together, we remember that all these intentional practices have one purpose in mind -- to empty our hearts and lives to make room for God’s great love, to allow God to remove the obstacles, so that we can experience God’s joy, hope, and healing and share it with others! Together we are Renewed in Hope!Prayer as a Family
“The Family that prays together, stays together!” This phrase was made famous by Fr. Patrick Peyton, who repeated this everywhere he went. Prayer had been ingrained in him early, as each night his father would kneel and lead the family in the rosary. Fr. Peyton was so successful in spreading this message that in 2001, his cause for canonization was opened.
Fr. Peyton realized that prayer is the life-breath of the spiritual life for each of us. It makes sense that it would be the life-breath of family life too. Parents demonstrate to their children how to walk, talk, and take care of themselves. In the same way, for something so important as faith to take root, it must be witnessed to children repeatedly by their parents.
Prayer is all about intimacy with our God and one another. Prayer strengthens lasting family bonds better than any other activities. It helps them to learn and affirm forgiveness, mercy, and cooperation. It teaches them to tune their ‘spiritual ears’ to come to know when God speaks. They receive grace to help them in ways that others don’t. Through prayer, your family can learn to focus outwards and develop a deeper love for all people. Why wouldn’t we want to share this with our children?
There are many reasons why families don’t pray together. Maybe they never learned to do this when they grew up. Maybe they are afraid of their children’s reaction. Maybe they think that prayer is the church’s responsibility.
Yet when you pray with your family, you demonstrate to them that it is a priority in your life. Children need to know that you need God, that you don’t have to be in control of every situation and that you know that there is a source of hope for any situation. Actions speak louder than words.
If you feel awkward about starting to pray as a family, know that you are not alone. Start simply and early. Gather as a family and pray before each meal, thanking God for the food and all the blessings in your life. As you progress, try having a prayer card that you can take turns saying. You can invite each member of your family to add an intention or something that they are thankful for. This can expand to other times: to conversations in the car, and in difficulties where you can teach them to trust in God. Even if your children are older, start to pray with them. Teach them that prayer doesn’t have to be long or formal. Let it be brief, honest, and respectful. There are many resources on the internet to help!
Emphasize that praying together is about growing in relationship with the God who loves them, more than just asking for something. It is about teaching them to become comfortable inviting God into all the parts of their lives.
While Mass is the most important way we pray each week, praying as a family can powerfully benefit them their whole lives, in ways that other activities and sports cannot. It is easy to understand why - families that pray together, stay together! Corpus Christi can help. Reach out to a staff member or ask a priest for an idea; invite your extended family to Mass for a special celebration; begin the holidays with Mass, try a new program this Lent to deepen your faith. See our bulletin and website for more ideas.The Path to Happiness
His initials were W.W., and in the 1930s and 1940s they were enough to identify him to most of America. In 1943, when there were 140 million people in the United States, more than 50 million of them read his gossip column every day in more than 1000 newspapers, including his flagship, The New York Daily Mirror. Yet when he died in 1972, at age 74, he was practically forgotten. Only two people attended his funeral; his daughter, Walda, and the rabbi who officiated at his services. Today, almost no one remembers the name of Walter Winchell.
Walter Winchell lived in the illusion ---that life was about fame, influence and comfort. This is why Jesus presents the Beatitudes to the crowds in the Gospel today. Blessed are those who are poor, the hungry, the weeping, those who are hated.
Jesus isn’t saying that these things are good in themselves. For Jesus, the beatitudes are God’s plan for our happiness. The Beatitudes are like sledgehammers to tear down the illusions that present themselves to us each day. Jesus is reminding us that - happy are those who realize that we cannot on our own generate inner peace and happiness. Inner peace and happiness are always a gift from God.
When we start from a perspective that we really are dependent on God and act this way, we begin to see life as it really is. And we begin to let go of our attachments to power, possessions, experiences. Nothing can take the place of God!
Happy are those who realize that they are totally dependent on God and live this way!Investing in our Future
As you might have noticed, there is a small, covered structure at the back entrance by the gym doors. This is our new Corpus Christi sign. After consultation with parish groups and parishioners, the design (right) was picked. The brick pillars are completed, the sign is ready for installation and a Christmas Tree will be planted behind this, as well as several bushes. In the early spring, the grass will be put down, in addition to other shrubs and a rock border. A sprinkler system will be installed to ensure that the plants flourish.
This is just one of the many significant capital repairs and improvements that have been completed over the past few years. These improvements will not only enhance the functionality of our facility but will also help to beautify our space, creating an even more welcoming environment for all who visit and worship with us!
As with all homes, repairs are necessary to maintain both the structural integrity as well as ensure that the building is in good working condition. In 2025, we plan to continue to repair the back wall of the gym, as well as shoring up the gym structure. Once this project is complete, we hope to replace both our gym roof and our school roof. The church organ and pipes are also in need of renovation.
As our buildings age, there are many other upgrades and repairs that will need to be done. These repairs are a testament to our shared commitment to preserving and growing the place where we come together in faith. Thanks to your generous support, we will be able to make these much-needed repairs and upgrades a reality to our spiritual home. Corpus Christi has been an important part of our community for almost 60 years. We are currently planning for the next 60 years!
As we continue to improve and invest in our campus, we are confident that these efforts will help us serve our community more effectively and provide a space that reflects our commitment to Corpus Christi’s mission for years to come. Thank you again for your unwavering support as we move forward together!Blessing of the Throats: St. Blaise
This weekend we receive the blessing of our throats through the intercession of St. Blaise. St. Blaise was born into a noble family in the 3rd century where he received a Christian education and was later consecrated a bishop of Sebaste (now Armenia). He was also known to be a physician who would visit people in their homes at all hours to comfort, cure, and advise them. St. Blaise was ordered to worship the pagan gods but refused. He was later tortured and beheaded.
Blaise’s connection with the blessing of throats comes from the tradition that he reportedly revived a boy who was choking on a fishbone. The candles used during the blessing are derived from the candles brought to Blaise in prison by the
grateful mother. From the eighth century he has been invoked on behalf of the sick, especially those afflicted with illnesses of the throat.
The following blessing is said at Mass: “Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop, and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
This blessing of our throats reminds us that God cares for our wellbeing. He cares deeply for all that makes life difficult, even those hidden wounds that only God can see. The blessing of throats is a sign of our faith in God’s protection and love for us in all the areas of our lives. Our good God wants nothing less for us than our wholeness!Jubilee Year of Hope
Dear Friends in Christ,
This year, the Diocese of Paterson joins the universal Church in celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope. This special year invites us to deepen our hope in God and rediscover the beauty of our faith through prayer, reflection, and service.
Our diocese has organized a series of events to help us fully embrace the theme of hope in our daily lives. I had the honor of attending the opening Mass for the Jubilee Year of Hope on December 28th in Paterson. During the procession to the Cathedral before the Mass, I carried our parish banner alongside my father, Philip. This banner now proudly hangs in our atrium above the newly created “Jubilee Table,” a space providing valuable resources and information about the Jubilee.
Since the theme of this Jubilee is hope, I invite each of us to consider how we can bring hope to our parish and to those around us. How might we, as individuals and as a parish, best embody this theological virtue?
As we journey together through the Jubilee Year of Hope, may we rejoice in hope and trust in God’s providence. As Saint Paul reminds us: “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).Praying For All Our Leaders
Dear Parishioners,
As we prepare to witness the inauguration of President-elect Trump on January 20th as our 47th president, I want to take a moment to reflect on this event.
Over the past 8 years, many media outlets, and personalities on both sides of the political aisle have been urging us to distrust “the others” and to distance ourselves from anyone who thinks differently than we do, pitting us all as adversaries - a stark contrast to how Jesus calls us to live. Throughout his life on earth, Jesus embraced the sick, the poor, thieves, liars, criminals, lepers, and many other outcasts from society. He met them where they were, engaging them in dialogue with care and respect to enable them to begin to see things in a new way. Our nation is at an inflection point: will we work to love our neighbors or choose to sow more anger and hatred? It is also our responsibility as followers of Christ to lift up all of our leaders in prayer, trusting that God will bless, protect and guide them as they perform their duties. St. Paul reminds us of this. “First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior” (1 Tim 2:1-3).
Whether we are Democrats, Republicans, Independents or Undecided, despite our personal opinions about our leaders, we are called to pray for them that they may lead our country with justice, mercy, and wisdom. Working together as responsible citizens calls us to act with humility and civility, as modeled by our savior Jesus Christ. As His disciples, we come with openness, trusting that God is with us. Together we can be beacons of light, fostering justice and the common good through our words and deeds.
We do our part to let God build His Kingdom here through us as we journey together towards our true home.
Let us pray that God will guide our leaders in the ways that please Him so that His light can shine brightly in our world through us and all our leaders!2025 Retirement Fund for Religious
The Retirement Fund for Religious was begun in 1988 by the US bishops to address the significant lack of retirement funding for Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests. This need has been growing since. In 2024, 71% of the religious communities providing data to the National Religious Retirement Office had a median age of 70 or higher.
This weekend, Sr. Maryann Schaefer, a Salesian Sister, will speak at all the Masses. Sr. Maryann was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. She entered religious life in 1978 and professed in 1983. She has served as a teacher, supervisor of her community’s finances, campus minister and World Youth Day leader. Since 2017, she has been stationed at the community’s retirement house and Provincial Center in Haledon, NJ, along with being the DRE for St. Patrick’s, Assumption/All Saints Parish in Jersey City. She is fond of the outdoors, having enjoyed fishing and hunting before entering religious life. She is also currently the Delegate for the International Association of Past Pupils/ Collaborators of the Salesian Sisters, for our USA Province.
I thank you ahead of time for your generosity for this important cause. I think of people like Sr. Margaret who spent so many years at CC Parish. How many sisters, brothers, and priests have given their lives in service and are now in need of our help.
You can give online at our website. There are also envelopes at all the doors of our Church building.
Thank you again!Thank You!
I would like to thank everyone who participated in our Christmas Masses! A special thank you to the lectors, Eucharistic ministers, ushers, youth and altar servers. Thank you to Paul Carroll, our cantors, musicians, the CC Adult and Children’s Choirs, our Bell Choirs and all who sang and played so beautifully at our Christmas Masses.
Thank you to all who helped to make our Church look so beautiful, especially Joan Krikorian, our environment committee, the many volunteers and our maintenance men, Bill and Ray.
Thank you to all who donated towards the flowers and for all the Christmas donations which help us to continue our parish programs, to maintain our qualified staff to meet your needs, and to help those in our parish community and beyond who are in need. Thanks to the CC staff who worked so hard behind the scenes for many hours to prepare for and run these sacred liturgies. Thank you to all those who might have gone unmentioned, but who God knows have put work into making this Christmas so special. Thank you to all our parishioners and those who were visiting, whose attendance made it all worthwhile! Lastly, a special thank you to Fr. James and Msgr. Mahoney who celebrated the masses and led us in prayer and worship!
We welcome every parishioner to participate in our wide variety of parish programs and services throughout the year. All of which are designed to guide and support you in your daily lives as intentional disciples of Jesus Christ.
I am honored and blessed to be your pastor, and to be a part of such a loving and supportive parish. May we all continue to keep the Spirit of Christmas and the love of Jesus in our hearts during 2025. On behalf of all the staff of Corpus Christi Parish, we are here for you!With a Little Help from our Spiritual Mother!
It seems strange that we begin the new year celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Yet this feast day tells us an important truth about Mary and Jesus and our journey through life.
Jesus’ nature as both equally human and divine is something we may take for granted today. But back in the early days of the church, this was hotly debated. In 431 A.D. during the Council of Ephesus, the title of “Mary Mother of God,” in Greek “Theotokos,” was defended and defined against the heresy of Nestorius. Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople, refuted the title of “Theotokos” claiming that Christ had two loosely united natures, and therefore, Mary was only the mother of the human part of Jesus.
Catholic theologians rejected this claim, and defined that Christ indeed has two natures, a divine nature and a human nature definitely united in one divine person. Since Christ’s two natures form one single person, Mary is the mother of the whole Person of Christ. Therefore, Mary can be properly called “Mother of God,” not in the sense that she came before God or is the source of God, but in the sense that the Person that she bore in her womb is indeed true God and true man.
The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God falls exactly one week after Christmas, the end of the octave of Christmas. It is fitting to honor Mary as Mother of Jesus, following the birth of Christ. When Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, we are not only honoring Mary, who was chosen among all women throughout history to bear God incarnate, but we are also honoring our Lord, who is both fully God and fully human.
Calling Mary “Mother of God” is the highest honor we can give Mary. Just as Christmas honors Jesus as the “Prince of Peace,” the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God honors Mary as the “Queen of Peace.” Pope Paul VI, in his apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus (1974), called the Solemnity of Mary “a fitting occasion for renewing adoration of the newborn Prince of Peace, for listening once more to the glad tidings of the angels (cf.Lk 2:14), and for imploring from God, through the Queen of Peace, the supreme gift of peace.” Masses on January 1st are at 7:30AM, 9AM and 7:30 PM.
I ask you to consider inviting Mary, Mother of God, into your life and the life of your family as we begin this New Year! The one who is so close to Jesus can help us in ways that we can only imagine!What is Faith
Faith is a word that is used in many ways. For some, it is a mild trust in something. For others, it means that we believe in the character of someone. For others, faith is a belief that God is real and present in our lives. Yet, although these are part of the definition, faith is much more embracing.
Faith is an essential part of all that happens to us each day. We have faith that the airline pilot will act responsibly steering our plane. We have faith that if we call 911 the police will come We have faith that the food we eat is fresh and beneficial to our health. We have faith that the diagnosis that we receive from our doctor is true.
On this 4th Sunday of Advent, we are told what faith is all about. Mary is told that God is changing her plans 100% and that she is going to conceive by the Holy Spirit. While she is still processing this, she is sent to help her cousin Elizabeth to assist her with her pregnancy. She doesn’t have time to process her own situation, and God asked her to assist her cousin. Saying ‘Yes’ to God was messy and came at a great cost to her. Yet she took a deep breath and responded with a resounding ‘Yes’ at each moment.
Saying we have faith is easy when things are going well. Yet how hard it is to say ‘Yes’ to God with faith when our plans are changed, when we are not in control, when we experience stress and anxiety along the way.
Mary made that leap of faith with trust in the One who made the promise to her. Because of this act of faith, the Savior of the world was born into our world, and we have the possibility of entering heaven one day. During this Advent season, we are reminded that the Yesses that we say to God when it is inconvenient can be a source of great grace and peace to us and all those around us. Advent reminds us that God is worthy of our leaps of faith!Joy Amidst Darkness
A man stopped at a garage just at dusk one evening because something about the engine needed attention. A mechanic examined the trouble while a helper stood holding a light under the hood. The helper turned away and turned off the flashlight by accident. The mechanic looked up and exclaimed, “Shine your light. What are you here for?”
In the same way, John the Baptist appears to a people who were surrounded in darkness. They did not see God, but only their difficulties and struggles. John’s purpose was to shine God’s light to them – the light of hope, in the midst of their darkness. And people responded to this light!
During this time of Advent, we are all called like John the Baptist to shine the light that Christ has given to us generously. Maybe we won’t stick out by wearing clothing of camel’s hair, but we are called to stick out by going the extra mile. By our kindness, our selflessness, our forgiveness, our charity, our faith, our presence, and our concern, we shine Christ’s light into our world.
All that is needed is a minimal amount of light to help those around us see beyond their darkness -that there is hope. As disciples, the more that we chose to stand out in this way, the more we encourage others to radiate this light.
This weekend, we light the rose-colored candle on the Advent wreath – a sign of Joy. This Joy is a byproduct of being witnesses of Christ’s light to those around us! Let us shine this light. This is why we are here!Advent: Looking for Peace
The Prophet Isaiah speaks about the supernatural peace that God is bringing into our world. “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.” It is easy to struggle with the idea that peace on earth is actually possible. If we listen to the news, in Ukraine and in the Holy Land, peace seems to constantly evade us.
The people of Jesus’ time were also looking for peace. Peace from the Roman occupation. Peace from disease and a struggling economy. They wanted a messiah anyone, to distract them from their earthly pain. When they cried to God, he listened!
Yet God wanted more for them than they were asking for. He wanted them to have the deeper peace of being in right relationship with God first. John the Baptist realized that if the people didn’t have this deeper peace with God first, solving our day-to-day problems would never satisfy us. This is why John the Baptist spoke about the need for repentance, letting go of what was not compatible in our relationship with God and others, and preparing our hearts to receive fully this guest. Many of those who heard John the Baptist looked beyond their worldly situations to see the great invitation that they were being given by God. This invitation is held before us today!
During this Advent season, we spend extra time praying, doing acts of charity, and receiving the Sacraments more frequently, especially Confession. These are the way that God uses to heal our relationship with Him and others. This is the path to the supernatural peace that the Scriptures speak about. It is a path worth choosing!Advent: Entering into the Mystery
As we begin this Advent Season, I hope that you are looking forward to this special time when we look back and count all the blessing that God has given us. It can be a difficult time for some who have recently experienced loss. The days are growing shorter, and the nights seem longer. In this time of darkness, we remember that the light shines through and brings the promise of good things to come. We begin this season of waiting and prayer in joyful hope for the time when Christ will come again. It is also a time of conversion, where we examine the depth and strength of our faith and make room for Christ in our hearts.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice…. I will enter his house and dine with him” (Rev 3:20). Amid so much “noise” and holiday sales, I encourage you as a family to consider small ways that you can “slow down” and enter into the Advent Season. In our bulletin and online (corpuschristi.org), you will find many opportunities. The Advent Season is also a time when our hearts are more open to the promptings of grace. With this, I ask you to consider inviting a relative/neighbor/friend who may be away from God and the Church to attend with you. We walk this journey through Advent together. Each week as we light another candle on the wreath, we watch and wait as the tiny flames grow into the blazing light of Christmas. Let us allow the greatest of all gifts to come more deeply into our lives and homes – the gift of Jesus Christ!
Blessings to all of you and your families this Advent Season!What to do at Adoration
Before his Ascension, Jesus said, “behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matt 28:20). No one could ever have imagined how in such an unfathomable way this promise would be fulfilled – to have the Eucharist, Jesus Sacramentally present in every tabernacle in every Catholic Church in the world until He returns!
For some, Adoration can bring forth many emotions: fear of the unknown, uncertainty about what to do, uncomfortableness with the silence. Some see it as just too far removed from their experience that they keep away. It is normal to feel a little awkward, especially the first time.
I would like to offer some thoughts on what to do when you come. First, remember that, when you come into a church celebrating Adoration, you are entering the presence of the One who loves you more than your parents or anyone else in this world. The One who created us loves nothing more than having us come into His presence!
When you enter the church in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, it is customary to reverently genuflect next to your pew. This means that we briefly go down on one knee. Genuflecting is a sacred act of recognizing that we are in the presence of God. If you are physically unable to genuflect, you can make a simple bow towards the Eucharist.
The main point of Adoration is to just “to be” in the presence of Jesus. He looks at you while you look at Him. Offering a few words of gratitude is important. Jesus didn’t want to be removed from us in “heaven” but here, very close to us.
We can pray the Rosary or write in a journal. We can let God know what is happening in our lives, and our needs for ourselves and those around us and in our world. We can just sit in God’s presence and “listen,” really listen. If you haven’t yet heard God speak to you personally, you are missing out! We can read Scriptural passages, or daily devotional books. We have some of these in our atrium area to assist you. Some people stay for a few minutes. Others stay for an hour, which we call a Holy Hour.
All of this is worship! Mass is the greatest way that we worship God. “Adoration is a prayer that prolongs Eucharistic celebration and communion, during which the soul continues to nourish itself: it feeds on love, on truth, on peace” (Pope Benedict XVI). What we do in Adoration develops in us a sacred awe in the presence of God who loves us so much!
Jesus waits for each of us to visit!Cherishing Life At All Stages
As Catholics, we are encouraged to vote, not merely as a duty but as a privilege and an opportunity to build a culture of life and hope. We all want this! To assist you in this regard, I encourage you to read and reflect upon the US Conference of Catholic Bishops: Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship [see the QR code below] for more information.
It is important as Catholics to be guided by a well-formed conscience that recognizes that not all issues carry the same moral weight. The document highlights four principles of Catholic social teaching and applies Catholic teaching to the major issues of the day. Of these issues, protection of the unborn is the “pre-eminent priority because it directly attacks our most vulnerable and voiceless brothers and sisters.” Other issues that we are also called to consider in casting our ballot include: “euthanasia, gun violence, terrorism, the death penalty, and human trafficking. The redefinition of marriage and gender, threats to religious freedom at home and abroad, lack of justice for the poor, the suffering of migrants and refugees, wars and famines around the world, racism, the need for greater access to healthcare and education, care for our common home, and more.”
We cast our vote knowing that we are not just citizens of our nation, but more importantly are citizens of heaven and disciples of Jesus who calls us to be the salt and light of the world.
I ask each of us to spend quality time in prayer before voting as together we co-create with God. God is counting on us!
Cherishing Life At All Stages
Close your eyes for a moment and think back as far as you can remember. Do you remember when your heart began to beat at 21 days, or when your brain began functioning at 40 days? Do you remember the day you were born? For most of us, the answer is no. And yet, God remembers and cherishes each of these moments. You were truly you at all these moments, and God knew you! He intended you! He loved you at every step!
Jeremiah 1:5 tells us: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Like the Prophet Jeremiah, we are consecrated by God for a special mission in our world. Only we can fulfill this special part in our world and in others’ lives and in their journey to heaven.
This weekend is Respect Life Sunday, a time to remember the great gift of life that God gives us – from conception to natural death. The life of each of us has great value, despite our struggles and sacrifices. Yet amidst these, God is with us, journeying with us, watching over us, and caring for us. As co-operators with God, we are called to care for, to protect and defend the lives of all our brothers and sisters, especially those who are most vulnerable and marginalized. In assisting them, we live out our own mission.
When we protect and cherish life at all stages, we see glimmers of the divine shining through a frail humanity, reminding us of our own dignity before God and others. It is then that we are reminded that we are loved at each stage of life. We begin to understand our own worth is based only on that we are created in the image and likeness of God and loved by Him. Our lives—all our lives—are worth cherishing and protecting!Peace From the Source of Peace
All of us long for peace! Real peace! Peace from noise, chatter, work, responsibilities. We desire peace from the pressures that we put on ourselves -to be better, stronger, more loving, more present to others, etc.
Yet peace doesn’t come from the absence of problems. Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you” (Jn 14:27). Peace then is a gift given by God, and it is given on God’s terms. The primary way that Jesus gives this peace is through the Eucharist that we receive at Mass each week.
Eucharistic Adoration compliments this. Adoration is spending quiet time before the Blessed Sacrament, especially when the Eucharist is placed before us in the monstrance. The word monstrance means “to show.” Adoration is sitting in the presence of God, letting him surround us and embrace us with his love and grace. It is an extension of our personal prayer at Mass, a foretaste of heaven!
Eucharistic Adoration provides something that we all desperately need – a place set apart to experience God in the silence. In doing so, we draw closer to God, the One who loves us perfectly. The fruit of this is peace! A peace that is possible no matter what is happening around us! Each week we offer Eucharistic Adoration on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1PM to 3PM. I invite you to come for a few minutes or spend an hour. Maybe you have never experienced Adoration. Don’t be afraid! Come for a few minutes or stay for an hour.
Bring your children. Jesus is waiting for you – to give you His peace!The Beatles: Harmony in Teamwork
The Beatles, one of the greatest bands of all time, show us the power of working together. Their collaboration, creativity, and ability to work as a team led to a new era in music. They are an example of what Ken Blanchard once said, “None of us is as smart as all of us.”
In the same way, we don’t succeed in work or at home by ourselves. We need others! This is also true in the spiritual life. God never intended us to journey to heaven by ourselves. We were created to walk together as the Body of Christ, and to assist building the Kingdom here along the way.
This weekend, we celebrate Welcome Back weekend. We welcome back those who have been away for the summer and our children to Family Faith Formation classes.
At Corpus Christi, we cannot fulfill our Vision and Mission to bringing Christ’s joy, hope and healing to others, unless we experience it first and then share it with others. Each of us brings special gifts given by God at Baptism and strengthened at Confirmation to build up our parish community. All these gifts are essential.
There will be tables set up in the Atrium to find out more about our ministries. Please consider stopping by after Mass to learn more about these.
In addition, we will have hospitality after the 9AM and 11AM Masses this weekend!Labor Day Weekend: A Moment to Reflect
This past week, I was able to go on a bus tour of Amish homes in the Lancaster area with a group of friends. It was extremely informative, as I learned how little I really understood about their way of life. One thing that struck me that day was their work ethic. As we were riding around, we noticed a young boy, probably no more than twelve years old, driving a simple carriage with five horses in the front. What is true is that all the family members participate in their work. When one member is building a barn, the other Amish families come out to help. For them, money is a tool, and success is not measured in financial gain.
They work to support their family and their local community in a simple and humble way. Their businesses are not allowed to get too big in a way that will get in the way of the priority of family and communal life. They work that all share in God’s blessings.
This weekend, we celebrate Labor Day. Amid hotdogs and hamburgers with family and friends, we slow down to remember why we work. It is easy to reduce work to merely a means to pay our bills and plan for retirement. Yet there is a great dignity to work that it is important to remember.
In the Book of Genesis, God creates Adam and Eve and put them in the garden to cultivate it. God commands us to work for six days and to rest on the Sabbath. So work is an essential piece to building up our families, our lives and God’s Kingdom. As Pope Francis recently stated, “Work is a necessity, part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfillment. Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. The broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work.” (On Care for Our Common Home, nos. 127-28).
Maybe the Amish got it right. Whether we are an employee or an employer, at home or at a business, we all have a part today to build up God’s Kingdom. All that we do is important and necessary. We all do our part to ensure that all are able to share in God’s blessings and to live a quiet and simple life with family and community as the goal!Catechists and Assistant Catechists Passing on the Greatest Gift
I have been impressed by how hard the parents of our parish work to provide the best for their children. They make sure that their children have quality educational, social and other skills so that their children will have the tools to succeed in life. Yet, what greater gift for our children’s future is there than a personal relationship with God? Each of us was created for this gift and only this gift can fulfill our deepest longings. This gift enables us to move forward in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, in prosperity and in need. It is the one gift that can give us happiness in this life and in the next.
I am truly grateful for my parents and the catechists who stepped forward to teach the Faith to me as I was growing up in Dover. I look back now with wonder and give thanks to those who planted these seeds that changed my life forever!
Right now, our parish needs catechists and assistant catechists beginning in September to help pass on the great gift of Faith to the youth of our parish. Our Minister of Family Faith Formation, Diane, and our Youth Minister, Jim, can help get you started. Training will be provided. Maybe God is tapping you on the shoulder to step forward! Our youth need your gifts and your lived experience of our Faith. We need your help to pass on this Gift!
Please contact Diane Vezzuto (Family Faith Formation) at [email protected] or Jim Murray (Youth Minister) at [email protected].The Assumption of Mary: Our Hope!
Throughout the Catholic Church’s Liturgical Year, there are many days we call special attention to – whether it is a “Memorial,” a “Feast,” or a “Solemnity.” Solemnities are celebrations of greatest importance and typically include all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
This past Thursday, August 15th, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation. We celebrated that Mary was taken body and soul into heaven at the end of her life.
With much of the economic, social, and governmental problems in our world, many people question where God is? Will God help us! Will God get us to heaven?
On the feast of the Assumption, we get our answer. By his divine power, Jesus brought Mary to the finish line of being in heaven and experiencing the Resurrection of the body. One day, Jesus will get us to the goal of our lives and the finish line of heaven, where our body will be glorified like Mary’s.
Jesus always finishes what he starts. He only needs our cooperation!
The Assumption is not just about Mary, it is about our journey!Welcome Deacon Frank Vezzuto
Deacon Frank Vezzuto is delighted to join the team at Corpus Christi as a Permanent Deacon from St. Mary’s, Dover. He has been involved with church-related activities for more than 30 years, which includes lector, Eucharistic minister, cantor, groundskeeper, decorations committee, youth group coordinator, and carnival co-coordinator.
Deacon Frank received his graduate degree in Theological Studies from Seton Hall University in May 2023, and just celebrated his one-year anniversary as a Permanent Deacon on June 10.
For the past year, Deacon Frank has been involved with wedding and baptism preparation, along with performing baptisms. He’s been responsible for recruiting, training, and scheduling a team of acolytes to serve on the altar at all masses. He has also taught confirmation preparation, and for the last 4 years has been a 2nd grade catechist. Deacon Frank is a founding member of St. Mary’s Men’s Ministry and has been involved with Bereavement Ministry as well as RCIA. He particularly loves working with children, saying he may have missed his calling as a teacher.
When not at church, Deacon Frank works full-time as a sales consultant for a company called BioVid, providing market research services for the pharmaceutical industry. He enjoys watching the NY Yankees, going to the movies and spending time with his family, especially his granddaughter, Rosanna Therese. Deacon Frank lives in Rockaway, N.J. with his wife of 30 years, Diane, Corpus Christi’s new Minister of Family Faith Formation.Searching for Something Deeper, More Fulfilling in Life?
Are you or someone you know searching for a spiritual home? Catholicism is a way of life and becoming Catholic is an ongoing journey in faith. The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is a process, rooted in history, which seeks to do more than simply give interested persons information. Becoming Catholic involves entering into a relationship with a community of God’s people. Our hope is that you will enjoy a deeper relationship with God as you also become acquainted with members of Corpus Christi and the Catholic Church throughout the world.
We have a “no strings attached” inquiry series, O.C.I.A, beginning in September. This is a safe place to learn about Catholicism and for Catholics who have not yet received 1st Communion and/or Confirmation.
For more information, contact us at [email protected] or at 972-635-0070 Ext #712.
Is God tapping you on the shoulder?A True Remedy for our Journey
According to the World Happiness Report, the U.S. has moved from the 19th spot in the world ranking of happiest countries in 2021 to the 24th spot in 2024. In part, this was due to young people feeling more anxious and less supported. I wonder if part of this decrease in happiness also has to do with a spiritual reality.
Post-Covid, most denominations in the U.S. saw a marked decrease in regular attendance each week. Maybe some got out of the habit of coming because of the lockdown and never restarted. Others began to fill their lives with other commitments and have not made the room to start back again. Others may have been influenced by the media’s critical stance toward the Church and its teachings. One study says that 2/3 of Catholics don’t believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist (CARA 2023). It is no wonder why so many have stopped worshipping at Church each week. But at what cost?
If joy is a byproduct of discipleship and the Eucharist is at the core of living out our faith, it is no wonder why so many people are feeling more anxious and unhappy today. If we really understood the reality of the Eucharist and how important it really is in our journey to heaven, people would come to Mass each day! God fed the Israelites with manna in the desert for 40 years so that they could make that journey with hope and joy. We receive the true manna from heaven, so that we can journey to heaven together through whatever life throws at us -with joy and hope! We can’t do this on our own strength!
The famous preacher King Duncan once said, “a woman read somewhere that dogs were healthier if fed a tablespoon of cod liver oil each day.
So, each day she followed the same routine. She chased her dog until she caught it, wrestled it down, and managed to force the fishy remedy down the dog’s throat. Until one day when, in the middle of this grueling medical effort, the bottle was kicked over. With a sigh, she loosed her grip on the dog so she could wipe up the mess. To her surprise the dog trotted over to the puddle and begin lapping up what had been spilled. The dog loved cod liver oil. It was just the owner’s method of application the dog objected to. Sometimes I think something like that has happened to the good news of the Kingdom of God. It has been so poorly presented to us that we have never been captured by its attractiveness and its power.”
This year and next, the Catholic Church in the U.S. is in a period of revival in terms of fostering love and devotion for the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our life as Catholics. It is not one good among others. Over the next year, I invite each of you to renew your understanding and appreciation of such a great gift. Our parish will have events and opportunities to facilitate this process. Another way to foster this is by praying before the tabernacle and spending time with Jesus in Adoration. In addition, the more we read about and grow in our understanding of the Eucharist, the deeper we can grow in our own personal relationship with our Lord.
What a great opportunity and privilege! Jesus awaits to grant us peace and a much greater happiness for ourselves and our world! Let us also pray for those away from such a great gift that God will move their hearts to be reconnected to the true source of happiness. As a parish, let us encourage each other to intentionally spend the time and energy growing closer to the One who chooses to be so intimate with us!A Personal Invitation
In 1263, a German priest, Fr. Peter of Prague, made a pilgrimage to Rome. He stopped in Bolsena, Italy to celebrate Mass at the Church of St. Christina. At the time, he was having doubts about Jesus being truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. When he recited the prayer of Consecration at Mass, blood started to seep from the consecrated host and onto the cloth corporal. Fr. Peter reported this miracle to Pope Urban IV, who sent delegates to investigate. The host and the blood-stained corporal were then placed in the Cathedral of Orvieto, where they remain to this day.
This Eucharistic Miracle confirmed the visions given to St. Juliana of Mont Cornillon in Belgium (1193-1258). St. Juliana was a nun and mystic who had a series of visions in which she was instructed by Our Lord to work to establish a liturgical feast for the Holy Eucharist. For many years, she had tried to convince the bishop, the future Pope Urban IV, to create this special feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament.
Soon after the Miracle of Bolsena, Pope Urban IV commissioned St. Thomas Aquinas to compose the arrangements for a Mass and an Office for the feast day. One year later, in August of 1264, Pope Urban IV, by means of the papal Bull Transiturus instituted the Feast of Corpus Christi for the universal Church.
What does this have to do with us? Eucharistic miracles are not new. They have happened many times over the centuries. They remind us that God is real and all powerful. He is not held bound by the laws of nature, physics, and science. Our universe and all within it are not an accident. In addition, none of our difficulties and problems are beyond His help and ability to bring good. In the Eucharist, Jesus is present to us, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Our God loves us so much that he wants to be present with us this powerfully.
Our Church on a national level is presently in a period of Eucharistic revival this year and next. Why? Even though Jesus is present to us at every Mass, so many Catholics overlook this great gift. In fact, in one survey, 2/3 of Catholics indicated that they do not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The purpose of this Eucharistic revival is to remind us that Jesus invites each of us in a personal relationship with God, and this great intimacy with Him in the Eucharist. The revival reminds us of such a great invitation to be reunited around the source and summit of our faith in the celebration of the Eucharist each week. Through the Eucharist, God desires to personally heal, renew, and unify each of us in the Church and to bring this healing into the world.Mother’s Day
As a young boy, I clearly remember the care that my mother showed me. There was a comfort knowing that all in the world was well because my mother was present. Looking back, I think this is the way that God intended it to be. I could always count on my Mother!
As we celebrate Mother’s Day, I would like to thank all the Mothers, Grandmothers, Step- Mothers, Godmothers and anyone who acts in the capacity of being a Mother, for all of their sacrifices and care! Mother’s Day can be a mixed blessing. For some it is a reminder of a loved one who has passed. For others, it is a reminder of the joy and vocation of motherhood. It can also be a day of remembering loss.
Yet, the heart of a mother reflects the love of God in an intimate and unique way. “Does a woman forget her baby…or fail to cherish the son of her womb? Yet even if these forget, I will never forget you” (Is 49:15). From bringing us into this world, to spending decades fixing meals, helping to solve our problems, picking us up when we’ve fallen, and helping us to learn to live in this world --this love continues throughout our lives!
This Sunday we express in a special way the love we have for our Mothers, those with us and those called home to God. We also pray to our Blessed Mother for her guidance, and courage and are grateful for those special neighbors, teachers, and friends who have nurtured us, supported us, and helped us become the people we are today.
Wishing you a Mother’s Day filled with unconditional love!
“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short time, but their hearts forever.”Easter: The Power to Transform Our Lives
Easter began March 30, but continues for 50 days. It is a great opportunity to spiritually tap into the power of the Resurrection made available to all of us. I would like to suggest a few ways to do so:
First, Live without Fear: If Jesus can overcome the worst that evil and sin can throw at him, we have great reason to live without fear in our lives. God is in control! God walks with us and will help us to pass through whatever difficulties we experience. “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). This is not pious talk – this is
the truth! Say NO to fear and anxiety and choose to trust in the One who is worthy of our trust!
Second, Receive Joy: When we live with the knowledge that we do not walk alone through life, we are free to let God be God. If things don’t always turn out the way we plan, we can surrender to the better plan that God has for us and our loved ones. Joy does not depend on the circumstances in our lives. How often the saints had a constant joy through all their trials. God intends for all of us to have this joy!
Third, Live Victoriously: If it is true that Jesus has conquered sin and death, all the other difficulties that come our way are in the hands of God too. We can choose to live as if we are truly children of God, with a supernatural dignity and an eternal destiny. How much joy God receives from us when we walk through life with our heads up, cheerful, thankful, and trusting in God’s providence for us. We have the greatest reason to walk with hope and courage, knowing that the ruler of the universe has got our back!
Over the next few weeks, I invite you to live boldly and with joy! We were made for this, but we need to grasp the strength and power that God offers us especially during these days of the Easter Season!The Good Shepherd
An American tourist traveling in the Middle East came upon several shepherds whose flocks had intermingled while drinking water. After a while, one of the shepherds turned toward the sheep and called out, “Manah” which means “follow me” in Arabic. The sheep immediately separated themselves from the rest and followed. Then the next shepherd called out, “Manah” and his sheep followed him. The tourist asked the third shepherd, “I would like to try that.” He put on the turban and called out to the sheep, “Manah.” The sheep did not respond, not one. The shepherd explained that it is only when sheep are sick that they will follow any voice.
Today Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd. What an appropriate image for His relationship to each one of us. In a world where we can sometimes feel like part of the crowd, Jesus knows each of us by name. He knows us better than we know ourselves. A good shepherd can close his eyes, and with his hands touch the face of each sheep and know that they are part of his flock. Jesus can tell when each of us is healthy, when we are in need and when we are thriving!
In a world where we are promised much, but are led to dry and arid areas, Jesus leads us to places of true pasture where we can flourish. A shepherd knows that their job is to provide for all the sheep’s needs. Each day, Jesus never neglects what is truly good for each of us. Every decision that He makes for us is with our best in mind.
Although we are free to move away from the flock, our shepherd leaves the rest and searches us out when we are lost. He doesn’t chastise us but puts us on his shoulders and brings us back home.
At night, the sheep are led into a protected area called a “sheepfold.” Sometimes there are many flocks that stay together at night. There is only one way in and out. The shepherd then lies in this open space. No sheep can get out and no wolf can get in. In this way, the shepherd is the door that protects the sheep where they can stay, protected from all harm. In a dangerous world, Jesus is not like others. He cares so much that he gave his life for each one of us.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He gathers us together in the Church, where we are called by name, united, nourished, healed, and protected from the storms of life. The Good Shepherd is the One in our lives who truly knows and cares more about us than anyone else. We don’t have to have all the answers or need to be in control. We just need to listen to the Good Shepherd and follow his voice. Jesus, the Good Shepherd tells us, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” There is no better way, no greater truth, no happier life! On Good Shepherd
Sunday, this is the reason for our hope!The Easter Season: Plugging into Gods Power
Easter reminds us that death has been conquered and the universe has forever been remade! The blooming flowers and trees remind us of this new life all around us. We are like the two men on the road to Emmaus who realized that they had been in the presence of the risen Christ. We too are called to rush out and share the good news with our family and friends. Our mission is to tell that Jesus has triumphed over the worst that life could throw at us - death. We don’t have to be fearful or afraid anymore. With God’s help, there is nothing that we can’t conquer together!
It is interesting that Jesus after the Resurrection usually appeared to the disciples gathered together. This is no accident! The Eucharist, the gift that he left us on Holy Thursday, was meant to be the font from which we continually go back to each week to find healing, strength, and resolve for our mission. Jesus knew that our good intentions and good will can only bring us so far in life. As persons made of body and soul, when we are plugged into the Eucharist each week, we can feel God’s power flowing through us.
When the Israelites were traveling through the desert for 40 years, they were fed by God with “manna,” a food that they did not understand. As we spread the Easter joy, we are all called to dig deeper into the mystery of the Eucharist in our lives. The Eucharist is our “food for the journey,” the true “Manna from Heaven.” I invite you to spend time reflecting on this: when we receive the Eucharist, we are receiving Jesus’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity! There is a wealth of joy, hope and strength that we can all access when we dig deeper into this mystery, and reflect on what we do each week and why we do it.
God never intended for us to run on our own power – the Eucharist each week is worth plugging into. It will take us where we cannot go on our own!Divine Mercy Sunday
Sr. Maria Faustina Kowalska was born in Poland in August 1905. At an early age, she entered the convent. In her convent, Faustina was described as “no one special with no discernable qualities.” No one had known that Jesus had chosen her to be His special instrument to bring a unique message into the world. Jesus appeared to her many times, which she recorded in her diary. The message – to bring Jesus’ Divine Mercy into a broken world. Faustina died a year before Germany invaded Poland, and soon after WWII began. Yet the message of Divine Mercy began to spread all over the world, with the help of (then) Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, who would later become Pope John Paul II. As Pope, he established the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday.
Through the message of Divine Mercy, it seems as if God was preparing our world for His Second Coming. In his homily on Divine Mercy Sunday in 2001, Pope John Paul II called the mercy message given to St. Faustina, “The appropriate and incisive answer that God wanted to offer to the questions and expectations of human beings in our time, marked by terrible tragedies.... Divine Mercy! This is the Easter gift that the Church receives from the risen Christ and offers to humanity at the dawn of the third millennium.” Pope John Paul II felt as if this message was to be the ‘spark’ to bring this fire of God’s Mercy into the world. Now we are invited to be the receivers and carriers of this Mercy into our corner of the world!
In his meetings with Faustina, Jesus promised profound graces to those who would celebrate this Feast of His Divine Mercy. This grace is the forgiveness of all sins and the removal of all punishment due to sin. In addition, our practice of this devotion would help to bring others who are distant from God, healing and conversion, especially to those who are approaching death.
To observe the Feast of Divine Mercy, it is asked that we: sincerely repent of our sins, receive Confession within one week before or after Divine Mercy Sunday, venerate the image of Divine Mercy, and place our complete trust in Jesus in our lives.
This Sunday, April 7th, after the 9AM Mass, we will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday with the chaplet and veneration of the Divine Mercy image. Please feel free to join us!
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is easy to learn, and it only takes 5 minutes to do. It is an easy way each day to allow God’s mercy to flow through us all year. You can find the chaplet and the Diving Mercy Image online at CelebrateMercySunday.org.The Reason for our Joy!
From the early days of the Church, Christians have shared the joyous news about the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. “We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25). Easter reminds us that we have been reconciled with God the Father. Together we share in this victory!
Amid all the difficulties in our world, God is in control. No matter what is happening in our lives, this is the reason for our joy and hope!
These days of Easter challenge us to recommit our lives to Christ and his Church. The Church is not composed of perfect people. We are people who are in the process of being perfected by the steadfast love and mercy of God. Easter can be a time of spiritual renewal and a time to begin again in our relationship with God!
Maybe you consider yourself strong in faith. Maybe you are struggling with aspects of your faith. Maybe you are somewhere in between. All are welcome at Corpus Christi Parish as together we strive to live by His example and to be fed by the gifts that He gives us.
As we celebrate Easter, I’d like to thank the many people who have shared their time and worked so hard behind the scenes to decorate the church and to organize and run our Holy Week liturgies. We are grateful!
I also extend a warm welcome to those who are visitors to Corpus Christi Parish! We are so very happy you chose to celebrate Mass with us. We also extend an invitation to you to become a regular part of our parish family. Corpus Christi is Christ’s Joy, Hope and Healing received and shared.
A Happy and Blessed Easter to all of you!Palm Sunday and the Beginning of Holy Week
This weekend we receive the palms at the beginning of Mass. They are blessed and then the priest enters the church to begin the procession. This reminds us of Jesus, at the end of his ministry, entering Jerusalem and the beginning of his journey towards his Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
It is easy for us to lose the impact of what happened 2000 years ago. Yet, if we look closely at the Passion story, it is not to highlight the cruelty of the Romans and the leadership of the Temple. It is rather to recall why Jesus chose to go through this ordeal, not only freely, but with a sense of fulfillment. How often there is injustice in our world, and how seldom others risk their own comfort to change things for the better, to right a wrong, to challenge the establishment, to bring peace. Not so with Jesus! Out of love for each one of us, Jesus walked this path of unimaginable suffering. It is hard to fathom such total self-giving for others!
During this time of uncertainty, we are called to reflect on how committed God has been to us. If we were the only person who ever lived, Jesus would have gladly gone through this ordeal for us alone! We are asked now, during Holy Week, to journey with Jesus in our own lives. To let our toughened hearts be touched again by such a great love. We follow Jesus into the uncertainty of our own lives and our world, trusting that Jesus will see us through to the other side, where all will be well!
Please consider journeying with Corpus Christi this week with all the Holy Week events especially on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. This information is found on our website (corpuschristi.org). A journey worth making!Emptying to be Filled
John Newton was the captain of a slave trade ship. One night in 1748, his ship was caught in a vicious storm. Waves crashed over the bow and the ship was tossed about like a toy. He had been reading the Bible and had a profound conversion experience, where he saw his life clearly and the errors of his ways. Newton saw the hand of God getting him and his crew through the storm. He would later pen the hymn, Amazing Grace. “Amazing grace/ How sweet the sound / That saved a wretch like me / I once was lost, but now I’m found/ Was blind, but now I see.”
As a disciple in relationship with Jesus, John Newton was willing to leave behind his lucrative slave trade. His relationship with God eventually led him to devote his life to actively lobbying against slavery.
As we come close to the end of Lent, Jesus speaks tenderly to each of us. Jesus loves us too much to have just a casual relationship with us. Jesus wants a relationship with us built on mutual commitment and sacrifice. Lent is a good time to ask ourselves, “What are we willing to sacrifice for this relationship?”
During Lent, we are called to let go of those things in our hearts that don’t belong there. Maybe it is the sin of pride, anger, selfishness, jealousy, materialism, power, position, unforgiveness. We let Jesus help us by taking away our sins in confession. On Monday, March 18, we will have a penance service at 7:30 PM. In addition, there will be confession at our parish and in all the Catholic parishes in Morris County on Monday, March 25th from 7PM to 8:30 PM. Don’t be afraid!
Being emptied of these things that take up space in our hearts is only the first step. Lent is then about allowing Jesus to fill our hearts. Our hearts were made for this. In doing so, we remember who we are and to Whom we belong!Elvis and the Rosary
Elvis Presley was a devout Christian, who used to read the Bible, pray before shows and would regularly look for guidance from God. He sang many gospel songs and although he wasn’t Catholic, he recorded a song called “Miracle of the Rosary.” The song was written by his childhood friend, Lee Denson. Denson had a conversion after experiencing a miracle involving the rosary of Our Lady of Fatima and eventually converted to Catholicism. This song was about his conversion and the help he received from our Blessed Mother. Elvis Presley did not include this song in an obscure gospel album, but his 1972 gold-selling pop album. To Elvis, faith was more than a private endeavor.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus communicates this same message to a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jewish people who had witnessed many things that Jesus had said and done and began to believe in him. Yet, he wanted to learn more about Jesus before he could risk anyone knowing. So, he visits Jesus at night to question him further.
Nicodemus reasoned that Jesus had to be from God to do all the miracles that he did. Yet, when speaking with him, Jesus challenges him to move beyond his own logic, his own reasoning, and his own way of seeing faith. Nicodemus needed to first let go of how he thought God “should” act. This process of surrender was for Nicodemus very difficult, but he stuck with it.
Over time, we can see the grace of God growing in his life. Nicodemus began to walk in the light. The next time we hear about Nicodemus, Jesus was on trial. He reminded his colleagues in the Sanhedrin that the law requires Jesus to be heard before being judged. After the crucifixion, Nicodemus assisted Joseph of Arimathea in preparing the body of Jesus for burial, a very public act!
Somewhere along the way, Nicodemus could no longer keep his faith in Jesus private. He realized that faith was not following a list of teachings, but a personal relationship with a God who loved him more than he could ever imagine.
When something is so good in our lives, we want to share it with others. Nicodemus came to realize that he could not keep this joy to himself. He needed to make changes in his life so that others could share in this same relationship. Nicodemus moved from a faith hidden in the shadows to a mature and public faith. During this Lent, we are called to look at our journey. How can we be more like Nicodemus? How can we invite others to experience this same joy? The Rosary and our Blessed Mother can help us to make great strides, to take us where we cannot go on our own!Spring Cleaning in Lent
Today Jesus enters the temple and begins to drive out the money changers and those selling animals for sacrifice. The temple was the place where heaven and earth met. It was where God’s people offered worship and sacrifice. Over time, many people’s hearts moved from right worship to their own pursuits. Jesus wasted no time driving these out with the use of a whip, overturning their tables. How radical! This does not sound like the Jesus we know! But it demonstrates how important right worship is in God’s mind and heart!
As we journey through Lent, we are called to stop and look honestly at our lives and how we worship. Over time, we all can drift and let worship move from the center of our lives. Do we come early to pray and prepare ourselves for Mass? Do we come late or leave early? Do we participate fully by actively listening, responding, and singing? Do we watch Mass online when we can find a church somewhere close by? Life is imperfect. There are times when sickness, weather, children, and other circumstances legitimately cause us to come late or not come at all. Yet, do we allow these to become the norm?
Worship is a sacrifice and a duty that we make each week. It is a sacrifice because we have to say No to other good things, especially when we are tired and have other obligations. Yet, we say Yes to these sacrifices weekly because we know that God always puts us first! Virtue is making these decisions especially when it is inconvenient.
Although it is a sacrifice and a duty, right worship is God’s gift to us. Right worship is something for which we are hardwired. We can all tell when we miss Mass on Sunday that there is something off in our lives. Worship is a gift because during the week we allow other good things to move into first place in our lives. But right worship each week allows God to move back into first place and allows all the other good things to take their rightful place around and after God. If we try to fit God in after these other things, God won’t fit. This is the way God designed us!
Maybe this past year our right worship of God has drifted. Lent is about refocusing. When right worship is a part of our lives, we express our love for Him and how much we value Him in thanksgiving for all that we have received. In addition, we posture ourselves in such a way to receive God’s love and all His blessings in full! As St. Augustine said, “our hearts are restless, until they rest in God.” Right worship leads us to experience this rest now!Transformation
The Italian violin maker Stradivarius made the most prized violins ever. These precious instruments were not made from treasured pieces of wood. They were carved from discarded lumber. Stradivarius was poor and could not afford fine materials like others. So, he got most of his wood from the harbors where he lived. He would take those waterlogged pieces of wood to his shop, clean them up, and from those pieces of lumber he would create instruments of beauty.
We know now that the wood that floated in those dirty harbors contained microbes that ate into the wood at the center of the cells. This left a fibrous infrastructure of the wood that created resonating chambers for the music. From wood that nobody wanted, Stradivarius produced violins that everybody wanted.
The violins of Stradivarius can teach us something about Christian transformation. The dazzling display of light that Peter, James, and John witnessed surrounding Jesus is a preview of what we will one day experience. Yet God wants to begin this profound transformation now.
During Lent, by our actions, we give God permission to begin to change us inside and out. How does he do this? The Eucharist is the main way that this happens. When we receive each week, the Eucharist causes us to grow deeper into the Body of Christ in a way that nothing else in this life can. During Lent, we are asked to go to Confession so that God can heal us and remove obstacles in a way that we can’t elsewhere. We focus more on prayer, fasting, almsgiving, forgiveness, and charity. And we take advantage of the many opportunities to encounter Christ in serving others. (See QR code below or our website) This process is not easy and this is why we do it together. As we journey with Jesus through the desert, the words that the Father addressed to Jesus are also addressed to us, “This is my beloved in whom I am well pleased.”Journeying Together
On this first Sunday in Lent, after his baptism Jesus is driven out into the desert for 40 days. The desert was a difficult place where one was confronted with the harsh realities of life. Jesus chose to go there because he wanted to confront himself. This desert allowed him to look and ask the deepest questions about his purpose on this earth without being distracted.
It is easy to look at Lent as a time to lose weight or to just give something up for God. While these are good, Lent is about more than this. Lent is a decision to allow ourselves to be changed by God, to change our course. During Lent, we make this same journey with Jesus into the desert -- to look at ourselves and honestly see how we are living, who we are living for, and where God fits into our lives. We are all tempted to keep doing what we do for the rest of the year and avoid these questions.
When we use all that the Church provides for us during this season, we journey with Jesus into the desert to make great progress. Extra prayer, giving to the poor, using Confession, reading the Bible more, trying to reestablish relationships that are broken, and fasting. All these practices help us together to move out of our routines. We allow God to move back to the center of our lives, and to put all other relationships/things in their proper place again. We turn from sin and learn how to love more deeply and authentically like Christ.
Making this journey is not easy. It requires self-denial, patience, and trust, knowing that we are not in control of the process. This is why we make this journey together. We support and challenge one another knowing that God will reward our efforts. For every step that we take towards God and others, God takes two. Jesus invites each of us to personally journey with him and one another for these 40 days! We make this journey in response to such a great love that we have received from God.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity. Where it leads us is worth the effort!Ash Wednesday and Our Lenten Journey
This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent can be one of the most grace-filled times in the Church calendar if we choose. It is a time to reflect on God’s care for us. God loves us so much that he is 100% committed to our well-being. Lent is about us reflecting on our own personal commitment level in response to such a great love!
Over the year, our hearts and minds lose focus. We allow God to move out of the primary place in our life, and let other lesser goods become our focus. We all sin and do things that hurt our relationship with God and others. It is easy to feel comfortable and justify wherever we are in our spiritual journey. Lent helps us together to refocus our hearts, our actions, and our lives, to be totally honest before God, ourselves, and others. To return to our first Love!
On Ash Wednesday, when we receive ashes on our foreheads, we are told to “turn from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” To do this, we focus more on prayer, penance, and helping the poor. As adults, we are asked to fast and abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2024, and Good Friday, March 29, 2024. Additionally, we abstain from meat on all Fridays during Lent. The norms of fasting are for those from age 18 to age 59. The rule of abstinence from meat is for Catholics aged 14 and onwards. Those who are ill as well as pregnant or nursing women are asked to do a good work in place of this. (see the Guidelines for Fasting and Abstinence during Lent on page 3) We are also invited to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) during Lent to heal us from the effects of our sins. Our parish offers Confessions on Mondays in Lent in the Church from 7 PM to 8:30 PM. We also pray more and open our hands more to those who are poor to remind us that we are indeed our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. It is appropriate to think of something that we can give up or something good that we can do for others, to remind us that our lives are not just about us.
In doing so, together we journey with Jesus towards Easter, and we allow ourselves to be transformed. As we make this journey, we remember that all these intentional practices have one purpose in mind -- to empty our hearts and lives to make room for God’s great love, to allow God to remove the obstacles, so that we can experience God’s joy, hope and healing and share it with others!Blessing of Throats: St. Blaise
This weekend we receive the blessing of our throats through the intercession of St. Blaise. St. Blaise was born into a noble family in the 3rd century where he received a Christian education and was later consecrated a bishop of Sebaste (now Armenia). He was also known to be a physician who would visit people in their homes at all hours to comfort, cure, and advise them. St. Blaise was ordered to worship the pagan gods but refused. He was later tortured and beheaded.
Blaise's connection with the blessing of throats comes from the tradition that he revived a boy who was choking on a fishbone. The candles used during the blessing are derived from the candles brought to Blaise in prison by the grateful mother. From the eighth century he has been invoked on behalf of the sick, especially those afflicted with illnesses of the throat.
The following blessing is said at Mass: “Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop, and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
This blessing of our throats reminds us that God cares for our ailments. He cares deeply for all that makes life difficult, even those hidden wounds that only God can see. The blessing of throats is a sign of our faith in God's protection and love for us in all the areas of our lives. Our God wants nothing less for us than our wholeness!
A Perfect Plan
Recently it was brought to my attention that we needed a repair done to one of the handbell table covers in our church. I wasn’t sure what to do with this, when a parishioner stepped forward to say that she had experience fixing this type of tear. The willingness of this thoughtful parishioner, with the right skill set, reminded me of God’s perfect plan for us.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).
St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians reminds us that it is God who chooses us, who gives us specific gifts, and who empowers us. It is God who works through us to build God’s Kingdom here in Chatham Township, in our homes and in our lives. The Kingdom exists wherever someone seeks to put God first in all parts of their lives, and who shares their gifts to assist others in our common journey to heaven.
In Corinth, there were believers who were apostles, prophets, and some with the gifts of healing and tongues. Most people there, though, didn’t have these special gifts. Many felt that they couldn’t contribute in a meaningful way to the community of faith. So, they chose not to use their gifts. Maybe we feel the same way at times. Maybe we feel as if our contributions to our church and world are too small to make a difference. We would be wrong!
With each person doing their part and using their gifts, the body of believers at Corpus Christi builds itself up in love. You don’t need to be a priest, deacon, or parish minister: Those who give time to lector, serve as ushers, Eucharistic ministers, catechists, and helping with hospitality. Those who keep our church clean and decorated. Parents sacrificing for their children, and helping them to grow in faith. Spouses putting family first. Maybe it is encouragement, helping, listening, empathy, nurturing, mentoring, protecting, or organizing. Maybe your gift is sharing faith or unassuming service.
One group that the Church relies upon is the homebound and those who are infirmed. The best of programs will never be fruitful without a lot of prayers behind them. Our homebound and those who are infirmed play an important part in offering their prayers and difficulties for this purpose.
Maybe you are unsure of your gift? Then I invite you to commit this week to praying and asking the Lord to show you where He wants to use you to help build up the body here at Corpus Christi. The staff at Corpus Christi can help!
Each of us receives gifts at baptism, given not just for ourselves and our family. In God’s eyes, none is more important than another. No one can say that they are not needed, whether you are a child, a single person, a senior, or homebound.
The Truth is that all our gifts are different, and all are necessary for the Holy Spirit to work through each of us to become who we were baptized to be – the Body of Christ! This is not a pious thought, but a reality that our world needs. God will make it happen when we realize that it is not the extravagance of our gifts that matters, but the willingness of each of us to let the Holy Spirit work through what we have been given. It is then that God’s strength and goodness can powerfully change hearts and minds. God knows what He is doing -- God’s perfect plan!2024 New Year Resolutions: Family Life
“The Family that prays together, stays together!” This phrase was made famous by Fr. Patrick Peyton, an Irish-born priest, who repeated this everywhere he went. Prayer had been ingrained in him from childhood, as each night his father would kneel and lead the family in the rosary. Fr. Peyton was so successful in spreading this message that in 2001, his cause for canonization was opened.
Fr. Peyton realized that prayer is the life-breath of the spiritual life for each of us. It makes sense that it would be the life-breath of family life too. Parents demonstrate to their children how to walk, talk, eat, and take care of themselves. In the same wa y, for something so important as faith to take root, it must be witnessed to children repeatedly by their parents.
Prayer is all about intimacy with our God and one another. Prayer strengthens lasting family bonds better than any other popular activities. It helps them to learn and affirm forgiveness, mercy, and cooperation. It plugs them into the power of God and teaches them to tune their ‘spiritual ears’ to come to know when God speaks. Through prayer, your family can learn to focus outwards and develop a deeper love for all people. Why wouldn’t we want to share this with our children!
There are many reasons why families don’t pray together. Maybe they never learned to do this when they grew up. Maybe they are afraid of their children’s reaction. Maybe they think that prayer is the church’s “job.”
Yet when you pray with your family, you demonstrate to them that it is a priority in your life. Children need to know that you need God, that you don’t have to be in control of every situation and that you know that there is a source of hope for any situation. Actions speak louder than words.
If you feel awkward about starting to pray as a family, know that you are not alone. It is normal to feel this way. Start simply and early. Gather as a family and pray before each meal, thanking God for the food and all the blessings in your life. As you pro gress, try having a prayer card that you can take turns saying. You can invite each member of your family to add an intention or something that they are thankful for. This can expand to other times: to bedtimes, conversations in the car, and in difficulties where you can teach them to trust in God. Even if your children are older, start to pray with them. Teach them that prayer doesn ’t have to be long or formal. Let it be brief, honest, casual, and respectful. There are many age-appropriate resources on the internet to help!
Emphasize that praying together is about their relationship with the God who loves them. It is about growing in that relationship, more than just asking for something. It is about teaching them to become comfortable inviting God into all the parts of their lives.
While Mass is the most important way we pray, praying as a family can powerfully benefit them their whole lives, in ways that sports and other good activities cannot. It is easy to understand why: families that pray together, stay together! Corpus Christi can help: Reach out to a staff member that you know or ask a priest for an idea; invite your extended family to Mass for a special celebration; try a new program this Lent to deepen your faith. See our bulletin and website for more ideas.New Year Resolutions
Recently I read about New Year’s resolutions from a group of senior citizens. They said, “I will don an Oculus headset and beat my grandchild at their favorite game.” “I will eat dessert first at every meal.” “I will not act my age.” “I will use every single senior discount offered this year.” “I will adopt five cats and become the crazy cat lady.” “I will binge-watch my favorite show while eating a pint of ice cream all by myself!”
Whatever our resolutions are, as we begin 2024, we have a clean slate from which to begin to improve our lives and to get back to what is most important. Consider adding a resolution - to intentionally grow closer to God. Here are a few easy ways to do this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) is a great way to get to know the Bible more deeply and what it means for our lives. You won’t regret it. Only about 20 minutes of listening per day. The Hallow App: is only $1 till Easter (see QR code on page 3). It offers audio-guided meditation sessions to help us grow in our spiritual lives and how to find peace in God. There are over 10,000 different sessions on contemplative prayer, meditation, Catholic Holy Bible readings, music, and more. There is something for everyone!
Eucharistic Adoration: is available on Mondays and Wednesdays at the parish from 1-3 PM. Spend a few minutes or an hour in the presence of Jesus. Besides Mass, there is no greater way to get to know the One who loves us unconditionally. You can sit in silence or use one of our guide booklets. You will quickly benefit from carving quiet time into your life each week.
Praying as a Family: You can begin by saying a prayer before every meal. You can advance to praying a decade of the rosary together. There are many simple resources on the internet to help. The long-term benefits to your family will vastly outweigh any initial awkwardness.
Practicing Gratitude: Each day asking God to increase our awareness of how we are blessed. Meditating on these gifts regularly. Expressing our gratitude back to God by our worship and charity. Journaling is also a great way to assist in this process, of seeing how God is working in our lives.
We also have many other opportunities on our website and in our bulletin. It is all about starting habits that will truly help us to walk the road of a deeper relationship with God. The more we grow in our relationship with God, the more we lead those around us to do the same. Let’s resolve to be generous with God and make this space for Him in 2024!Epiphany: Our Journey
With all our technology, with all our affluence, with the power we have shown to dominate the forces of nature, we are convinced that we can find ways to ensure world peace and happiness. Yet peace evades us! In the same way, each of us searches for peace. Despite our best efforts, peace often evades us too. Maybe we too look in the wrong places, like Herod, who looked for security in his position, his treasure, his connections.
On Epiphany, the three wise men show us in story form the true path to peace. The wise men were willing to leave behind their fears and all that they clung to. They were willing to reach out to go where God was sending them, without completely understanding or knowing the way. Along this path, they rested in God’s providence, knowing that they could not make the journey on their own. They noticed and followed the signs that God gave them. They offered their gifts in thanksgiving, and then took a different path home.
The three wise men show us that to follow the path to truth and peace, we must journey into the unknown with God leading. There is no other way! The Scriptures and the teachings of the Church lead us along the way, beyond our sight. We encounter the child Jesus in the Eucharist, whom we adore with our lives. This intimacy allows our hearts to beat in rhythm with God. We share our time, our gifts, and our possessions in thanksgiving. In this encounter, we are transformed and are led together to our true home in heaven.
Today, the wise still seek the child!The Feast of the Holy Family
The 30 years that Jesus lived in Nazareth with his family are often called the “hidden years.” Yet during this quiet, uneventful time, Jesus learned what it means to love sacrificially, how to be intimate with God and how to live a life of faith. It was Mary and Joseph who demonstrated this to him. In our own lives, the family is the “school” where we learn the love of God, how to be people of faith and how to be people who love selflessly. Although our families are imperfect, God continues to nurture and form us through our families. From here, we learn to be family within the Church and in society. Jesus calls us to expand our family to include others, especially those around us in need and those without family.
This weekend, we honor the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph for their example. No matter what has happened in the past, we can make our family a priority, and nurture these relationships. In doing so, we allow God through us to change our little piece of the world!
The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Our Masses for this Solemnity will be on Monday, January 1st at 7:30 AM (livestreamed), 9:00 AM and 7:30 PM (livestreamed). Start the New Year with the help of our Blessed Mother!Joy Amidst Darkness
A man stopped at a garage just at dusk one evening because something about the engine needed attention. A mechanic examined the trouble while a helper stood holding a light under the hood. The helper turned away and turned off the flashlight by accident. The mechanic looked up and exclaimed, “Shine your light. What are you here for?”
In the same way, John the Baptist appears to a people who were surrounded in darkness. They did not see God, but only their difficulties and struggles. John’s purpose was to shine God’s light to them – the light of hope, in the midst of their darkness. And people responded to this light!
During this time of Advent, we are all called like John the Baptist to shine the light that Christ has given to us generously. Maybe we won’t stand out by wearing clothing of camel’s hair, but we are called to stand out by going the extra mile. By our kindness, our selflessness, our forgiveness, our charity, our faith, our presence, and our concern, we shine Christ’s light into our world.
All that is needed is a minimal amount of light to help those around us see beyond their darkness-that there is hope. As disciples, the more that we choose to stand out in this way, the more we will encourage others to radiate this light.
This weekend, we light the rose-colored candle on the Advent wreath – a sign of Joy. This Joy is a byproduct of being witnesses of Christ’s light to those around us! Let us shine this light. This is why we are here!Advent: Looking for Peace
The Prophet Isaiah speaks about the supernatural peace that God is bringing into our world. “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.”
It is easy to struggle with the idea that peace on earth is actually possible. If we listen to the news, in Ukraine and in the Holy Land, peace seems to constantly evade us.
The people of Jesus’ time were also looking for peace. Peace from the Roman occupation. Peace from disease and a struggling economy. They wanted a messiah, anyone, to distract them from their earthly pain. When they cried to God, he listened!
Yet God wanted more for them than they were asking for. He wanted them to have the deeper peace of being in right relationship with God first. John the Baptist realized that if the people didn’t have this deeper peace with God first, solving our day-to-day problems would never satisfy us. This is why John the Baptist spoke about the need for repentance, letting go of what was not compatible in our relationship with God and others, and preparing our hearts to receive fully this guest. Many of those who heard John the Baptist looked beyond their worldly situations to see the great invitation that they were being given by God. This invitation is held before us today!
During this Advent season, we spend extra time praying, doing acts of charity, and receiving the Sacraments more frequently, especially Confession. These are the way that God uses to heal our relationship with Him and others. This is the path to the supernatural peace that the Scriptures speak about!
It is a path worth choosing!Advent: Entering into the Mystery
As we begin this Advent Season, I hope that you are looking forward to this special time when we look back and count all the blessings that God has given us. It can be a difficult time for some who have recently experienced loss. The days are growing shorter, and the nights seem longer. In this time of darkness, we remember that the light shines through and brings the promise of good things to come. We begin this season of waiting and prayer in joyful hope for the time when Christ will come again. It is also a time of conversion, where we examine the depth and strength of our faith and make room for Christ in our hearts. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice,….I will enter his house and dine with him” (Rev 3:20). Amid so much “noise” and holiday sales, I encourage you as a family to consider small ways that you can “slow down” and enter into the Advent Season.
In our bulletin and online (corpuschristi.org), you will find many opportunities. The Advent Season is also a time when our hearts are more open to the promptings of grace. With this, I ask you to consider inviting a relative/neighbor/friend who may be away from God and the Church to attend with you. We walk this journey through Advent together. Each week as we light another candle on the wreath, we watch and wait as the tiny flames grow into the blazing light of Christmas. Let us allow the greatest of all gifts to come more deeply into our lives and homes – the gift of Jesus Christ!
Blessings on all of you and your families this Advent Season!A Reason to Give Thanks!
A very popular hymn sung during the holiday season is Now Thank We All Our God written by Martin Rinkart in 1636. He wrote this song during the 30 Years’ War, as he was one of the only clergy left alive in his city of Ellenburg, Saxony, at that time. Because of disease and famine, he was performing forty to fifty burials per day. It was during this difficult time that he wrote this hymn of thanksgiving. Being thankful sounds good in theory but is not always easy.
In 1620, the first pilgrims, who landed at Plymouth Rock during the winter, lost half of their number in that first year. Yet despite all their difficulties, they stopped to give thanks to God. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made the last Thursday of November “a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
As we gather with our families during this Thanksgiving Day, it is good to reflect on how important it is to give thanks to God. All that we have is a gift from God. Our faith reminds us that it is our loving God who watches silently behind the scenes, guiding us, protecting us, and providing for us on our journey through life. God doesn’t want us to just live, but to thrive. As we are seated with family and friends, we take rest from our work and recommit ourselves so that we may share in God’s providence for all. Thanksgiving raises our hearts and minds to recognize how good our lives are now. We have great reason to hope no matter what is happening in the world. On behalf of the staff and clergy at Corpus Christi Parish, we are grateful for all of you!Update on Corpus Christi Capital Repairs
I want to keep you updated on some of the ongoing projects at the parish:
-The refurbishing of the Atrium ceiling windows has begun. It will take approximately one more week to complete. This past week we received a substantial amount of rain and the areas of the Atrium that usually leaked did not leak.
-The church roof replacement has been completed. The diocese will be here soon to inspect the work that has been done.
-Scaffolding is up around the church bell tower. They are restoring the brickwork and the rusted embedded structural steel. It is turning out to be more involved than they had first thought.
-The area around the Prayer Garden was relandscaped. The dying bushes along the walkway were replaced. Sod has been put down around the areas that were empty, and mulch was added.
-We purchased four major HVAC units that will replace units which are over 30 years old. The total cost is $775,000. The cost to the parish will be $183,858.00 through the Direct Install Program through the State of NJ. The price includes the units, parts, and labor. There is no upfront out of pocket cost rather it will be paid over five years. It will cost the parish approximately $3,100 per month at no interest. The units will arrive around June of 2024.
-We are currently working on a proposal to have the flat roof over the office and the gym roof replaced. This will happen concurrently with the installation of the HVAC units. More information on that will follow in the coming months.
We appreciate your generosity and your contributions to help maintain our parish home.
Thank You for your care for Corpus Christi Parish!Congratulations and Thank You Father Michael!
Change is a fundamental aspect of life. Some changes are unexpected, while others can be anticipated. There are changes we would rather avoid, and others are bittersweet. In the life of a young priest, there comes a moment when he is ready to accept a leadership role as a Pastor. Fr. Michael felt he was ready to take on this challenge and opportunity.
This past week, Fr. Michael was asked by Bishop Sweeney if he would be willing to become the new administrator of St. Luke’s Parish in Long Valley. I knew that it wouldn’t be long before someone as talented as Fr. Michael would be asked to fill a leadership position and as expected, Fr. Michael accepted.
Fr. Michael has been a priest for seven years and for the past two plus years he has served at Corpus Christi. During his time here, he has done so much to help build up our parish community. We are so grateful for his love, care, and commitment in everything that he did. He has left a mark on our parish and will be missed by us all!
Bishop Sweeney has been in touch with me and is actively looking for a replacement parochial vicar for our parish. I will share more information on this soon.
We will have a farewell Mass for Fr. Michael on Sunday, October 1st at 11:00 AM, followed by a small reception in the gym to thank him and to wish him well in this next stage of his journey!Update on Staffing at Corpus Christi Parish
In March, Alexandra Carroll was hired to be our new Minister of Evangelization. She was initially brought on as a part-time employee, with the intention of transitioning her to a full-time role. Since joining our parish family, she has done much to build up our parish and has spent a great amount of time getting to know all of you and addressing the needs of our community.
Beginning September 1st, Alexandra will become a full-time employee with our parish. Her talents and skills align with our parish’s vision and will contribute to its realization. That being said, I am happy to inform you that Brigette Vohden, our current Director of Religious Education (DRE), will be going on maternity leave this upcoming Fall. We extend our best wishes to her as she begins her new life adventure as a mother. During Brigette’s maternity leave, Alexandra will serve as our interim DRE.
Brigette and Alexandra have been working closely together for the past few months, and we anticipate a smooth transition. As your Pastor, I want to let you know that I am confident in Alexandra’s abilities as interim DRE. We look forward to Brigette returning to her position at our parish. At that time, Alexandra will return to her position as our full-time Minister of Evangelization.
More information will be coming concerning this transition.Update on Corpus Christi Capital Repairs
After a lot of research and bid gathering, many of our capital repairs are in progress. Our church roof replacement is scheduled to begin on September 6. In mid-September, the outside brickwork repair surrounding the stain glass window behind the altar will begin. The contractor will also repair multiple issues with brick repointing around our campus. We were also able to schedule the atrium windows’ renovation in mid-October. Deposits have been given for each of these projects. Scaffolding will be going up soon!
We originally thought that the roof replacement above the parish offices would be a simple fix. After much research, this project will be more complicated and much more costly to repair. The two original roof layers will have to be taken off. The HVAC unit for this area will have to be replaced. The duct work is rusted and will also have to be replaced. In addition, the piping of the water runoff will have to be overhauled for this section of the building. More to come on this project.
The trees in front of the church on Southern Boulevard and along the driveway entrance have been trimmed. The trees in front of the rectory on Robert Drive have also been trimmed.
Some smaller work has also been done. The carpets in the church and in other rooms were cleaned and many stains were removed. A new water fountain was installed in the atrium near the restrooms. The pews and chair cushions in the church and atrium were cleaned. The tiles in the atrium were also cleaned. In two weeks, the atrium tile grout will be reconditioned.
We will let you know more about these and the other projects that will be happening in the coming months!The Assumption of Mary: Our Hope!
Throughout the Catholic Church’s Liturgical Year, there are many days we call special attention to – whether it is a “Memorial,” a “Feast,” or a “Solemnity.” Solemnities are celebrations of great importance and typically include all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
This Tuesday, August 15th, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation. We celebrate that Mary was taken body and soul into heaven at the end of her life.
With much of the economic, social, and governmental problems in our world, many people question where God is? Will God help us? Will God get us into heaven?
On the feast of the Assumption, we get our answer from God. By his divine power, Jesus brought Mary to the finish line of being in heaven and experiencing the resurrection of the body. One day, Jesus will get us to the goal of our lives and the finish line of heaven, where we will have our bodies glorified like Mary. Jesus always finishes what he starts. He only needs our cooperation!
I invite all of you to take a break in your routine on this important day to remember where we are heading and how we will get there. The Assumption is not just about Mary, it is about us!Mass times that day are 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM and 7:30 PM.Passing On the Greatest Gift to Our Youth
I have been impressed by how hard the parents of our children work to provide the best for their children. They make sure they have quality educational, social and other skills so that their children will have the tools to succeed in life. Yet, what greater gift for our children is there than a relationship with God? Each of us was created for this gift and only this gift is able to fulfill our deepest longings. This gift enables us to move forward in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, in prosperity and in need. It is the one gift that has the ability to give us happiness in this life and in the next.
I am truly grateful for my parents and the catechists who stepped forward to teach the Faith to me as I was growing up. Whether in Religious Education class, or later in Catholic schools, these men and woman gave me a gift I came to appreciate more and more over time. I look back now with wonder and give thanks for those who planted these seeds that changed my life forever!
Right now, our parish is in need of catechists beginning in September to help pass on the great gift of Faith to the youth of our parish. Our Director of Religious Education, Brigette, and our Youth Minister, Jim, can help get you started. Training will be provided. Maybe God is tapping you on the shoulder to step forward! Our youth need your gifts and your lived experience of our Faith. We need your help to pass on this Gift!
Please contact Brigette Vohden (our DRE) at [email protected] or Jim Murray (our Youth Minis-ter) at [email protected].Corpus Christi Carnival 2023: Follow Up
Our Carnival is a wonderful parish tradition for our community and this year was no exception! It was great to see the tremendous turnout of parishioners and people from the local community. Each night was full of life and with the help of our prayers, the rain held off on Friday and Saturday in the early afternoon.
As well as being a “fun” raiser and helping us all to come together, the carnival helps to fund our mission throughout the year. This year we budgeted to make $35,000. The actual revenue for the carnival was over $37,000.
The list of people to thank is long as an event likes this involves the time and talents of many of our parishioners and staff. I would like to give a special shout out to both Hugo Barth and Dawn Chiodo, our co-chairs. They did an incredible job, and we are very thankful. We are grateful also to all those who came out and supported the carnival by purchasing the food, games and rides.
We look forward to many successful carnivals in the future, as we continue to spread Christ’s Joy, Hope and Healing to one another and the community at large!Heaven
Ever since my mother, Jeanette, passed away 11 years ago, I have given much more time and thought to the notion of heaven. As a young boy, I remember not liking the notion of heaven that I heard – that we would be floating around in the clouds in the presence of God. How boring! Yet heaven and getting ready for heaven is the reason we are on this earth and everything else is secondary!
Concerning heaven, St. Therese of Lisieux said, “Our Lord does not come down from heaven every day to lie in a golden ciborium. He comes to find another heaven which is infinitely dearer to him—the heaven of our souls, created in his image, the living temples of the adorable Trinity.” St. Thomas Aquinas wrote and taught many things. Toward the end of his life, he had a vision of heaven. It was so beautiful that afterward, he said that it made all his writing—some of the greatest writing in the history of the Church—seem like “straw.”
There is much we don’t know about heaven. Yet we do know the secondary things we will experience in heaven. We will find our true identity. We will no longer desire anything other than worshipping and praising God. That emptiness within us in this life will be filled beyond our expectations. We will be reunited with our loved ones. There will be much laughter (Luke 6:21). We will not become angels, but we will have a glorified body, which means we will no longer have pain and suffering. There will be no imperfections in our body. They will shine like the sun, just like Jesus’ body did at the Transfiguration (Mt. 13:43). Our joy and peace and happiness and fulfillment will continue to grow and grow.
Yet the main focus of heaven is much greater than these. Heaven is really about the Beatific Vision. Moses was told by God, “You cannot see my face, for no man can see Me and live! (Ex 33:20) Coming face to face with the Trinity is to share in the nature of God. In other words, we will share in God’s divinity. What an awesome image! We will share in the attributes of Almighty God. We will share in the perfect joy, peace, happiness and fulfillment that God experiences.
Yet heaven begins when we were baptized. The more that we make God first in our lives, the more we turn from sin and love our neighbors, especially the poor, the more we begin to get glimmers of the joy, hope and healing of heaven. This is what spurred the saints on. God wants us to receive this gift now and in eternity. By practicing our faith, we create within ourselves the capacity to receive this gift. It is all about being faithful disciples!Thank You! Restricted Building Fund Initiative
Thank you to all who were able to participate in the parish Restricted Building Fund initiative. The initiative formally ended on June 30, 2023. During the course of the campaign, we have collected approximately $230,000 in-house and have pledges totaling $60,000. This brings the total anticipated monies received from this Initiative to close to $300,000. These funds are restricted and will only be used for capital repairs and expenses associated with them and are segregated from our normal operational funds.
We have been busy working with the Diocese and various contractors and the fruits of this work will soon be visible. Starting this summer and continuing into the fall, these needed repairs will be done in phases. The Church roof replacement contract has been signed and the church roof will be replaced in July or early August depending on the availability of the shingles and the contractor. You will soon see the scaffolding going up around the Church. The trees around the parish campus will be trimmed. The landscaping around the parish property will be upgraded. The Church stained-glass windows have been surveyed and repairs will soon be done to them as well. The Atrium roof windows will be repaired as we finalize bids. We are gathering information for the replacement of HVAC units around the campus. We continue to gather bids on brick repair work around the church campus. As good stewards, we will continue to keep you updated on all the upcoming projects needed to ensure that our parish continues to thrive.
Thank you again for your sacrifices as we fund our vision to bring Christ’s Joy, Hope, and Healing to all those who come through our doors for another 33 years and beyond! Together we celebrate the past and prepare for the future!Growth in the Summer!
Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, there have been many different styles of prayer outside of Mass. Some are more intellectual, some more affective, some more practical. All are designed to help us grow in our awareness of and closeness to God, based on our unique personalities.
One type of prayer stands out from all the others throughout the centuries, Eucharistic Adoration. St. John Vianney once told a story of a man that he found in the Church just staring at the tabernacle. St. John Vianney asked him what he was doing, and the man said, “I look at him (Jesus) and he looks at me.” This was a turning point in St. John Vianney’s understanding of adoration.
This type of prayer has been practiced by so many of the saints because it is so effective in leading one into a much deeper relationship with Jesus. This prayer of contemplation is a loving awareness of God’s presence. How wonderful it is to know that Jesus waits for us--to just be in his presence. To speak with him or just to be with him! If heaven is where Jesus is, then coming to adoration is entering the presence of heaven. This is no pious thought – it is the truth!
Join us every Monday and Wednesday throughout the summer. We have Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction from 1pm to 3pm.
I invite you to come for a few minutes or spend an hour. Maybe you have never experienced Eucharistic Adoration… Don’t be afraid! Come and see! Jesus is waiting for you – to bring you joy, hope and healing!Father’s Day
“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable” (Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet).
Fathers and those who act as father figures share in the creative power of God in a unique way. In the verb form, the word, “father” means “the founder, to be the foundation, to author.” Fathers are called to walk on sacred ground where God has allowed them to stand in a role that they could not possibly fill without His help, love and wisdom. A father fulfills this role when he himself recognizes his need of God. It is a proven fact that fathers who actively practice their faith with their family have children who later practice their faith.
Whether it is teaching, mentoring, providing for, and especially, leading their children in the ways of faith, a father’s presence and example is invaluable. As with St. Joseph, this foundation is usually formed in a quiet way. This foundation allows their children to grow physically, emotionally and spiritually, and all without counting the costs.
Generations from now, it is possible that our accomplishments will be forgotten. Yet the way that fathers live their vocation will directly affect not only their children, but their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We should never underestimate the power of a father’s influence!
This Sunday we express in a special way the love we have for our fathers and those who act as father figures, those with us and those called home to God. Wishing you a Father’s Day filled with gratitude!Corpus Christi (The Body and Blood of Christ) and the Embrace of God
In 1263, a German priest, Fr. Peter of Prague, made a pilgrimage to Rome. He stopped in Bolsena, Italy to celebrate Mass at the Church of St. Christina. At the time, he was having doubts about Jesus being truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. When he recited the prayer of Consecration at Mass, blood started to seep from the consecrated host and onto the cloth corporal.
Fr. Peter reported this miracle to Pope Urban IV, who sent delegates to investigate. The host and the blood-stained corporal were then placed in the Cathedral of Orvieto, where they remain to this day.
This Eucharistic Miracle confirmed the visions given to St. Juliana of Mont Cornillon in Belgium (1193-1258). St. Juliana was a nun and mystic who had a series of visions in which she was instructed by Our Lord to work to establish a liturgical feast for the Holy Eucharist. For many years, she had tried to convince the bishop, the future Pope Urban IV, to create this special feast in onor of the Blessed Sacrament.
Soon after the Miracle of Bolsena, Pope Urban IV commissioned St. Thomas Aquinas to compose the arrangements for a Mass and an Office for the feast day. One year later, in August of 1264, Pope Urban IV, by means of the papal Bull Transiturus instituted the Feast of Corpus Christi for the universal Church.
What does this have to do with us? Eucharistic miracles are not new. They have happened many times over the centuries. They remind us that God is real and all powerful. He is not held bound by the laws of nature, physics, and science. Our universe and all within it are not an accident. In addition, none of our difficulties and problems are beyond His help and ability to bring good.
On this our patronal feast day, let us thank God for loving us enough to want to be present with us. We don’t have a God who watches us from afar from heaven. We don’t have a God who loves us casually. No, we have a God who wants to be so intimately close to us that He changes Himself under the appearance of bread to achieve this. God causes the miracle of bread changing into His Body and Blood at every Mass throughout the world. The Eucharist is God’s embrace of each of us!Trinity Sunday
Legend holds that St. Augustine was walking by the seashore one day contemplating the mystery of the Trinity when he saw a little child running from the water to a spot on the seashore. He was using a shell to carry water from the ocean and pour it into a small hole in the sand.
St. Augustine came up to him and asked him what he was doing. “I’m going to pour the entire ocean into this hole,” he said. “That is impossible, my dear child, the sea is so great, and the shell and the hole are so little.” “That is true,” the boy said. “It would be easier and quicker to draw all the water out of the sea and fit it into this hole than for you to fit the mystery of the Trinity and His Divinity into your little intellect; for the Mystery of the Trinity is greater and larger in comparison with your intelligence than is this vast ocean in comparison with this little hole.” The child then vanished.
At times, we describe God as creator, provider, friend, redeemer, and counselor. These describe how God acts, but God is more than these. At the core of God, God is a Trinity of three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Russian Orthodox Iconographer, Rublev, created an icon that sheds light on this mystery. In the icon above, there are three Persons sitting around a table. In front of the table, facing us, is an empty spot. The three people represent the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three sitting around the table represent the love shared between the Persons of the Trinity. A love that has existed for all eternity. Each Person only thinks about and loves the other. There is joy and peace and perfect harmony. This is what heaven is all about. It begins now!
In the middle of the table is food in a bowl. It is an image of the Eucharist, the divine food which draws us into the very life of God. This is why it is so important to receive. The Eucharist allows us to enter into this divine mystery. The empty spot is facing us for a reason. God has waited for all eternity to invite each of us to sit at this table, to share in the very life of the Trinity.
In order to sit in this spot, God asks us one thing. If he reserves a spot in his life for us, we must reserve a spot in our lives for others. We must make room in our hearts for others and see them as made in the image and likeness of the Trinity: the poor, the outcasts, the difficult to love, our enemies. We must open our hands in sharing ourselves and what we have to be a part of the solution of making a better world, a world worthy of the dignity of the Trinity.“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short time, but their hearts forever."
As a young boy, I remember the great care that my mother showed me. There was a comfort knowing that all in the world was well because my mother was present. Looking back, I think this is the way that God intended it to be. I could always count on my MOM. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, I would like to thank all the Mothers, Grandmothers, Step-Mothers, Godmothers and anyone who acts in the capacity of being a Mother, for all of their sacrifices and care!
Mother’s Day can be a mixed blessing. For some it is a reminder of a loved one who has passed. For others, it is a reminder of the joy and vocation of motherhood. It can also be a day of experiencing loss.
Yet, the heart of a mother reflects the love of God in an intimate and unique way. “Does a woman forget her baby... or fail to cherish the son of her womb? Yet even if these forget, I will never forget you” (Is 49:15). From bringing us into this world, to spending decades fixing meals, helping to solve our problems, picking us up when we’ve fallen, and helping us to learn to live in this world. That love continues throughout our lives.
This Sunday we express in a special way the love we have for our mothers, those with us and those called home to God. We also pray to our Blessed Mother for her guidance, and courage and are grateful for those special neighbors, teachers, and friends who have nurtured us, supported us, and helped us become the people we are today.
Wishing you a Mother’s Day filled with unconditional love!The Good Shepherd
An American tourist traveling in the Middle East came upon several shepherds whose flocks had intermingled while drinking water. After a while, one of the shepherds turned toward the sheep and called out, "Manah" which means "follow me" in Arabic. The sheep immediately separated themselves from the rest and followed. Then the next shepherd called out, "Manah" and his sheep followed him. The tourist asked the third shepherd, "I would like to try that.” He put on the turban and called out to the sheep, “Manah.” The sheep did not respond, not one. The shepherd explained that it is only when sheep are sick that they will follow any voice and not that of their shepherd.
Today Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd who calls us to follow him. What an appropriate image for His relationship to each one of us.
In a world where we can sometimes feel like part of the crowd, Jesus knows each of us by name. He knows us better than we know ourselves. A good shepherd can close his eyes, and with his hands touch the face of each sheep and know that they are part of his flock. Jesus can tell when each of us is healthy, when we are in need and when we are thriving. In a world where we are promised much, but are led to dry and arid areas, Jesus leads us to places of true pasture, where we can flourish. A shepherd knows that their job is to provide for all the sheep’s needs. Each day, Jesus never neglects what is truly good for each of us.
Although we are free to leave the flock, our shepherd leaves the rest to seek us out when we are lost. He doesn’t chastise us but puts us on his shoulders and brings us back home.
At night, the sheep are led into a protected area called a “sheepfold.” Sometimes there are many flocks that stay together at night. There is only one way in and out. The shepherd then lies in this open space. No sheep can get out and no wolf can get in. In this way, the shepherd is the door that protects the sheep where they can stay, protected from all harm. In a dangerous world, Jesus is not like others who have no concern. He cares so much that he gave his life for each one of us.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He gathers us together in the Church, where we are called by name, united, nourished, healed, and protected from the storms of life. The Good Shepherd is the One in our lives who truly knows and cares more about us than anyone else. We don’t have to have all the answers or always be in control. We just need to listen to the Good Shepherd and follow his voice. Jesus, the Good Shepherd tells us, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." There is no better way, no greater truth, no happier life. On Good Shepherd Sunday, this is the reason for our hope!The Easter Season: Plugging into God’s Power
Easter reminds us that death has been conquered and the earth has forever been remade. The blooming flowers and trees remind us of this new life all around us. We, like the two men on the road to Emmaus who realized “This is the Christ,” are called to rush out and share the good news with our family and friends. Our mission is to tell that Jesus has triumphed over the worst that life could throw at us – death.We don’t have to be fearful or afraid anymore. God can and will help us with the rest!
Yet as Easter Sunday passes, many of us realize that some things have not changed in our lives and that we still have difficulties. In light of Easter, how do we move forward with these?
It is interesting that after the Resurrection Jesus mainly appeared to the disciples gathered together as they worshipped and lived life in community. This is no accident. It is together as a community of faith that we receive the greatest gift, the Eucharist. It is this gift that he left us on Holy Thursday that was meant to be the font from which we continually go back to each week to find healing, strength and meaning in our life. Jesus knew that our good intentions and good will could only keep us moving forward for a limited time. As persons made of body and soul, when we are not plugged into the Eucharist as part of a community of faith, we feel that emptiness.
When the Israelites were traveling through the desert for 40 years, they were fed by God with manna, a food that they did not understand. As we spread Easter joy with those around us, we are all called to dig deeper into the mystery of the Eucharist in our lives. The Eucharist is our “food for the journey.” I invite you to spend time reflecting on the fact that we receive Jesus’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity at each Mass. There is a wealth of joy, hope and strength that we can all better access when we dig deeper into this mystery. In every Mass, heaven is made present. God wants to be forever with us in the Eucharist, in an intimacy that we can find nowhere else! This is the source of our joy this Easter Season!Easter: The Power to Transform Our Live
Easter began last weekend but continues for 50 days. It is a great opportunity to spiritually tap into a power made available to all of us. How do we do this? I would like to suggest a few ways:
First, Live without Fear: If Jesus can overcome the worst that evil and sin can throw at him, we have great reason to live without fear in our lives. God is in control. God walks with us and will help us to pass through whatever difficulties we experience. “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). This is not pious talk – this is the truth. Say “no” to fear and anxiety and choose to trust in the One who is most trustworthy.
Second, Receive Joy: When we live with the knowledge that we do not walk alone through life and don’t always have to have the answers, we are free to let God be God in our lives. If things don’t always turn out the way we plan, we can surrender to the better plan that God has for us and our loved ones. Joy does not depend on the circumstances in our lives. How often the saints had a constant joy through all their trials. God intends all of us to have this joy!
Third, Live Victoriously: If it is true that Jesus has conquered sin and death, all the other difficulties that come our way are in the hands of God too. We can choose to live as if we are truly children of God, with a supernatural dignity and an eternal destiny. How much joy God receives from us when we walk through life with our heads up, cheerful, thankful, and trusting in God’s providence for us. We have the greatest reason to walk with hope and courage, knowing that the ruler of the universe has our back!
Over the next few weeks, I invite you to live boldly and with joy! We were made for this, but each day we need to grasp the power that God offers us during these days of Easter!The Lord is truly Risen, Alleluia!
From the early days of the Church, Christians have shared the joyous news about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. “We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25). Easter reminds us that we have been reconciled with God the Father. Together we share in this victory!
In the midst of all the difficulties in our lives and in history, God has the last word. As for Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, this is the reason for our joy and hope!
These days of Easter challenge us to recommit our lives to Christ. The Church is not composed of perfect people. We are people who are perfected by the steadfast love and mercy of God. Easter can be a time of spiritual renewal and a time to begin again in our relationship with God!
Maybe you consider yourself strong in faith, maybe you are struggling with aspects of our faith. Maybe you are somewhere in between. All are welcome at Corpus Christi Parish as together we strive to live by His example and to be fed by the gifts that He gives us in the Church.
As we celebrate Easter, I’d like to thank the many people who have shared their time, talent, and treasure who worked so hard behind the scenes to decorate the church and prepare for the Easter liturgies.
I also extend a warm welcome to those who are visitors to Corpus Christi Parish. We are so very happy you chose to celebrate Mass with us. We also extend an invitation to you to become a regular part of our parish family. Corpus Christi is Christ’s Joy, Hope and Healing received and shared.
A Happy and Blessed Easter to all of you!Palm Sunday and the Beginning of Holy Week
This weekend we receive the palms at the beginning of Mass. They are blessed and then the priest enters the church to begin the procession. This reminds us of Jesus, at the end of his ministry, entering Jerusalem and the beginning of his journey towards his Passion, Death and Resurrection.
It is easy for us to lose the impact of what happened 2000 years ago. Yet, if we look closely at the Passion story, it is not to highlight the cruelty of the Romans and the leadership of the Temple. It is rather to recall why Jesus chose to go through this ordeal, not only freely but with a sense of fulfillment. How often there is injustice in our world, and how seldom others risk their own comfort to change things for the better, to right a wrong, to challenge the establishment, to bring peace. Not Jesus! Out of love for each one of us, Jesus walked this path of unimaginable suffering. It is hard to fathom such total self-giving for others!
During this time of uncertainty, we are called to reflect on how committed God has been to us in saving us. If we were the only person who ever existed, Christ would have gone through this ordeal for us alone! We are asked now, during Holy Week, to journey with Jesus in our own lives. To let our toughened hearts be touched again by this great love. We follow Jesus into the uncertainty of our own lives and our world, trusting that Jesus will see us through to the other side, where all will be well!
Please consider journeying with Corpus Christi this week with all the Holy Week events especially on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. This information is found on our website and in our bulletin.Becoming Fully Alive
In the Gospel, Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” What does this mean? St. Irenaeus once said, “The Glory of God is a human being fully alive.” All of Christianity can be summed up in this phrase. What gives God happiness and glory more than anything is when we are fully alive. In contrast, what saddens the heart of God more than anything? Is when we allow sin/death to reign in us at any level -spiritually, emotionally, or psychologically. When sin dwells in us, God is grieved.
In the first reading from the Prophet Ezekiel, God says, “I will open your graves and have you rise from them.” Whatever grave that we are in, maybe it is a hatred for someone else, resentment, jealousy, or an inability to forgive. Whatever is limiting our life, the image of a grave is a suitable symbol. It is here that we are constricted and held bound. Lazarus has been placed in a tomb and has been inside for four days. His sister Martha says, when Jesus tells them to move the stone, that there will be “a stench.” St. Augustine says that Lazarus in the tomb stands for that spiritual rot that has not only started to express itself in our words and actions but has now established itself as a habitual part of our lives. Now our anger, our resentment, has become such a part of our life that it affects others negatively. It is in these places that we may have begun “to stink.” Lazarus symbolizes this worst kind of sin/spiritual rot. How important it is for us during Lent to look at how sin affects us and others. Yet the heart of this story is that Jesus comes to the grave of Lazarus. He brings him back to life, even in this dirtiest, awful type of rot. It is from here that Jesus also invites us back to life.
It is sad to hear people say, “what I have done is so bad that it can’t be forgiven.” The Gospel today is telling us NO. Nobody is beyond the reach of God. At other times, maybe we have grown comfortable with the rot in our lives. At the end of the story, Jesus approaches Lazarus’ tomb and he groans. He groans because it is God’s deepest pain to see us in our woundedness. God hates when we back ourselves in a corner, where we can’t flourish. Jesus groans with a deep desire to get us out of this situation. It breaks God’s heart when we are not fully alive.
During this season of Lent, we listen within to hear the Lord groaning. Can we see him weeping because he sees us not fully alive? Jesus commands them, ‘take away the stone.’ Lazarus is in his grave and they have rolled the stone across the front. Maybe we feel stuck, in darkness, unable to change our situation.
Yet even in our worst situations, Jesus has come to bring us life and to bring it to the full. Jesus’ power is greater than any sin or situation that we find ourselves. This is the good news. Today, he says, “Lazarus come out.” Today Jesus addresses us by name and says, “Come out.” Lent is about inviting God into our own situation. We were made to be fully alive. Do you believe this?The Man Born Blind
Part of the journey of life for all of us is the realization that we are weak. Our culture tells us that we need to hide this at all costs. Cover your weakness over with accomplishments, looks and possessions. Keep up the appearance of being perfect. Yet eventually life will powerfully point out to us where our weakness is. For some, this weakness may be easy to see. For most of us, it is an internal weakness or flaw that time-to-time rears its ugly head. If we are honest, none of us is exempt.
Today Jesus and his disciples encounter the man born blind. They discuss whether he or his parents’ sin caused his blindness. Jesus says neither. He says this weakness was allowed in this man’s life to show God’s glory. This realization may be in a certain sense helpful in our walk with God and achieving our purpose in this life. What the Lord told to St. Paul, He says to all of us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Because the man born blind listened and cooperated with Jesus, he was healed. And over time, he was healed of a worse problem, his spiritual blindness. He started by seeing Jesus as a miracle worker, then as a prophet, then as someone coming from God, then he worshipped Jesus. In the end, most of the people that were watching were also healed of their spiritual blindness.
What does this have to do with you and me? We are all the man born blind. Our purpose in life is to become saints. For much time, we are blind to this. Like the Pharisees, we may only care about externals. Yet our weakness can be an invitation to lean fully on Jesus in our lives. Lent helps us to do this more effectively. When we walk humbly, leaning on Jesus’ strength daily, we begin to “see” ourselves and our journey as it truly is. We begin to see and treat others as made in God’s image. We see our lives in reference to our goal of heaven. This is the path of holiness, of joy and peace. This is the path of “seeing” like God sees!Thirst
In 1992, the Washington Redskins won the Super Bowl with a victory over the Buffalo Bills. Seventy-five thousand people gathered on the mall between the Capitol and the Washington Monument to cheer their team and coach. Several days later, there was a request to see if any player could attend a rally at a prison the next day. None of them were available, so coach Joe Gibbs volunteered to go. After winning the Super Bowl, he could have opened any door, but he chose to go to a penitentiary to speak about his faith. There he said to the over 500 prisoners, “A lot of people in the world would probably look at me and say: Man, if I could just coach in the Super Bowl, I'd be happy and fulfilled... But I'm here to tell you, it takes something else in your life besides money, position, football, power, and fame. The vacuum in each of our lives can only be filled through a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Otherwise, I'm telling you, we'll spend the rest of our lives in a meaningless existence. I've seen it in football players' eyes, and I've seen it in men who are on their deathbed. There's nothing else that will fill the vacuum" (Chuck Colson 1992).
Today, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well. She is drawing water by herself at the middle of the day. She is at the well because she is thirsty and empty. Thirsty not just for water, but for love and respect and peace. Empty because of the consequences that her sins had caused in her life. Jesus doesn’t just happen to come upon her. He intentionally went to the middle of nowhere to meet this woman where she was. It was only after confronting her sin and changing, that she was able to move on with her life. A thirsty Jesus comes to the well because he thirsted for her love and her wholeness, not to condemn her. There is a sense of joy that returns to her life, as she is forgiven and transformed.
As we celebrate this 3rd Sunday in Lent and continue to journey with Jesus through the dessert these 40 days, we are reminded of the love of our God who seeks us out personally. He comes to meet us in those spaces where we are empty and “thirst” for more. Jesus also calls us to do our part in being honest about our sin and how it has affected our life. When we do, we allow Jesus to do the same for us and allow our deepest thirsts to be quenched.Lent: Buried Treasure
It was one of the most amazing and unexpected events in all the Scriptures, and we hear about it today in the Gospel! “His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.” Jesus is surrounded by Moses and the Prophet Elijah, while Peter, James and John watch. It says that Peter is at a loss of words as to what to do. He suggests making three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Yet Jesus doesn’t respond.
It is easy to think this has nothing to do with us. Yet to get the full impact of the transfiguration we must understand the context of what comes before. In Matthew’s Gospel just before this, Jesus reveals that he will suffer greatly, be rejected, be killed and then rise after three days. He adds that we must be willingto follow him. The disciples were in shock and anxious as this did not fit in with their idea of following Jesus. We may feel the same way!
The transfiguration was meant to give Peter, James, and John a background of hope as they would later see these difficult events transpire. The transfiguration was the ring-side seat view of the future of heaven where Jesus is in glory, and we see the perfect light of God. Here we will all share in this perfect light where there is no longer any pain and suffering. The transfiguration gave Peter, James, and John hope after the resurrection of Jesus and in their struggles to spread the Gospel.
The transfiguration is our privileged preview that beyond our struggles, our difficulties, our hopes not coming to pass, in the end Jesus will triumph. Jesus will get us through all that happens to us – even when life throws some difficult situations at us, when there seems only darkness and questions. It is at these moments, that all we need to do is keep our eyes focused on Jesus, our God!Lent: Buried Treasure
A few years ago, archaeologists at a dig in the biblical city of Eshtemoa dug up 62 pounds of 15th century jewelry. The gems and silver, taken separately, are worth about $7,000. But the jewelry, the combination of the silver and the gems, has an estimated worth of over five million dollars! It was buried about 18 inches beneath the dirt floor of a cottage that has been continuously inhabited for 500 years. People had been living within reach of this, but for centuries they did not know that it was there. How many people are living the same way today with the treasures that Christ offers us?
Over the last several decades, the practice of going to confession has declined. There are a lot of reasons why this is the case, but maybe one of the most popular is the notion that it is acceptable to confess our sins directly to God. Why the need for a middleman (a priest)? This seems easier than going to confession. Yet a better question is, “how does God normally work in our lives?” Through Noah, creation was established after the floor. Through Abraham, we receive the promises of Faith. Through Moses, the Israelites were led out of Egypt. Through David’s line, the Messiah would be born.
In our lives, God brings us into the world through our parents. We are formed through our teachers, protected through firefighters/police officers, represented through our legislators, and healed through nurses and doctors. God always works through others when helping us. This reflects the truth that we are created in the image of a Trinity of three Persons. We are wired to be intimately connected with one another. When God interacts with us, he respects this truth.
In taking away our sins, God acts in the same way. Jesus chose the apostles personally and gave them authority on his behalf to forgive sins. In John 20:21-23, Jesus breathed on the Apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” In Confession, we know with 100% assurance that our sins are forgiven. We are reconciled with Christ and his Church. The grace from the Sacrament heals us from the damage of sin and helps us overcome future sins. Self-knowledge is increased because we receive objective feedback. Today with an increase of people going to psychologists for help, there seems to be a recognition that there is greater healing when we share our inner life with another. Does all of this happen when we “confess” directly to God? It does not!
This Lent, Confessions are available every Monday from 7PM to 8:30 PM in every church in the diocese of Paterson (Morris, Sussex, and Passaic Counties), in addition to Corpus Christi Parish. We will also have a communal Penance service here on Monday, March 20 at 7PM.
During Lent, God peals back the truth for us and reveals the healing that can be ours if we choose to do things God’s way. It is worth the simple and honest dig just below and beyond our way of seeing and doing things! Don’t be afraid!Ash Wednesday and Our Lenten Journey
This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent can be one of the most grace-filled times in the Church calendar if we choose. It is a time to reflect on God’s care for us. God loves us so much that he is 100% committed to our well-being. Lent is about us reflecting on our own personal commitment level in response to such a great love.
Over the year, our hearts and minds lose focus. We allow God to move out of the primary place in our hearts and lives, and let other lesser goods become our focus. We all sin and do things that hurt our relationship with God and others. It is easy to feel comfortable and justify wherever we are in our spiritual journey. Lent helps us together to refocus our hearts, our actions, and our lives, to be totally honest before God, ourselves, and others.
On Ash Wednesday, when we receive ashes on our foreheads, we are told to “turn from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” To do this, we focus more on prayer, penance, and almsgiving. As adults, we abstain from meat on the Fridays of Lent (see the Guidelines for Fasting and Abstinence during Lent here). We are also invited to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) during Lent to heal us from the effects of our sins. Our parish will offer Confessions on Monday evenings in Lent in the Church from 7 PM to 8:30 PM. We also pray more and open our hands to those who are poor to remind us that we are indeed our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. During Lent, it is appropriate to think of something that we can give up or something good that we can do for others.
In doing so, together we support one another as we journey with Jesus towards Easter and we allow ourselves to be transformed. As we make this journey, we remember that all these intentional practices have one purpose in mind -- to empty our hearts and lives to make room for God’s great love, to experience this joy, hope and healing and to share it with others!The Greatest Game
It is estimated that 192.9 million US adults will tune in to the Super Bowl this year. 103.5 million plan to throw or attend a party. The total amount spent on food, drinks, apparel, decoration and other purchases for the day is expected to be $16.5 billion, which is about $86 per person. The half-time show features Rihanna, among others. The commercials promise to excite our imaginations, with an approximate cost of $7 million per 30-second spot.
This Sunday, it is shaping up to be a great match up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles which will be held in Glendale, Arizona. The Eagles are headed to their first Super Bowl since the 2017 season when they beat the New England Patriots. The Chiefs will be appearing in their third Super Bowl in four years.
These two teams remind us that not any one person is responsible for them making it to the Super Bowl. There are many exceptional players on each team. The coaches are all seasoned and talented. Yet beyond these, it is each of them working together as one that brings out the greatness in each team. Working with a single focus in mind, they move beyond their individual dreams and their individual struggles.
This is no mere metaphor but is a living reality for each of us. As we gather today for Mass, we are reminded that Jesus joins us together as the Body of Christ. Together we welcome, worship, and grow in relationship with Christ, who leads us to serve and invite others to this kind of discipleship.
At our deepest level, this is who we are. Together we are joined for the greatest game, the game of life. As we journey together towards heaven, a great crowd of witnesses cheers us on!Pass the Salt!
A teacher asked her student to define what salt is. He hesitated and then said, "Salt is what makes French fries taste bad when you don't sprinkle it on." Salt, one of the most abundant minerals in the world. It is used as a preservative. When put on food, it brings out the natural flavor of the food.
It seems strange that Jesus would use salt to describe his followers. Salt is not eaten for its own sake, but is put into foods – to preserve it, to spice it up, and to make it taste better. Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth... but if salt loses its taste, it is no longer good for anything.” We lose our saltiness – our distinctiveness as disciples – when we simply blend in with the world… when we look and sound and act like everybody else.
We were each created by God for a special purpose – to make a difference in the world. Through our baptism, we are made members of Christ’s Body and given gifts and abilities to make other’s lives better. We don’t just help others because it is a good thing to do. And we don’t just try to help others meet their physical and day-to-day needs. We help them to see past the darkness around them and see how much God loves them. We help them know hope and joy in their lives and thus lead them to the One who can satisfy all their needs now and in eternity.
This is what drove the saints to help others, to really live out their faith with their particular gifts. They knew that God was thirsty for these people’s love and that our actions could help them to walk the road to eventually loving God in return.
It isn’t enough to be a follower of Jesus. He wants us as his followers to get out of our salt shakers and to flavor the world!Joy: The Road Less Traveled
Some look at Catholicism as a religion of rules -- rules that don’t always seem relevant to our daily lives. In the old days, Catholics weren’t supposed to eat meat on Fridays. Today we are asked to get ashes on Ash Wednesday. Sunday Mass is obligatory. One might ask why we would want to be a part of a faith that is so restrictive? Yet this may be a superficial way of looking at our beautiful faith.
The Bible is a collection of divinely inspired books that tell the story of our good God revealing himself to his people. God wants us to know definitively who he is and who we are. He wants us to know how much he loves us and how much he wants to share life with us. Lastly, he wants to teach us how to love others in light of our common destiny, and how to properly love him in return. We may think these truths are self-evident, yet many of them are not.
Often these teachings are difficult because God’s intent is to move us beyond our own plans, our own opinions, our own priorities and our wanting to love our way. They move us beyond the weaknesses and sin that affect every one of us. Many today give up on our Catholic faith because they feel that these teachings/rules are too difficult or there doesn’t seem to be a payoff from living them out.
This weekend we hear the Beatitudes. Jesus tells us some very counterintuitive things. Blessed are the poor. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek. What is Jesus talking about? They are the opposite of what our society tells us. Yet, below the surface there is a wisdom that looks beyond the surface to see what will bring true peace and joy into our hearts and into our lives. Blessed are the poor because they recognize their true poverty before God and allow themselves to lean on God and find true stability. Blessed are those who mourn because they allow themselves to love deeply. Blessed are those who are meek because they find that thinking less about themselves and more about others is the difficult path that leads to wholeness.
The Beatitudes help us to see with the eyes of God and allows Him to lead us beyond our feelings, our plans and our will to something much, much better. This is the path of holiness, the path of the saints, the road less traveled. Those who follow this path are the most joyful of all people!Cherishing Life at All Stages
Close your eyes for a moment and think back as far as you can remember. Do you remember when your heart began to beat at 21 days, or when your brain began functioning at 40 days? Do you remember the day you were born? For most of us, the answer is no. And yet, God remembers and cherishes each of these moments. You were truly you at all these moments, and God knew you! He intended you! He loved you!
Jeremiah 1:5 tells us: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Like the Prophet Jeremiah, we are consecrated by God for a special mission in our world. Only we can fulfill this special part in our world and in others’ lives and in their journey to heaven.
This weekend is a time to remember the great gift of life that God gives us – from conception to natural death. The life of each of us has great value, despite our struggles and sacrifices. Yet in the midst of these, God is with us, journeying with us, watching over us, and caring for us. As co-operators with God, we are called to care for, to protect and defend the lives of all our brothers and sisters, especially those who are most vulnerable and marginalized. In assisting them, we live out our own mission.
When we protect and cherish life at all stages, we see glimmers of the divine shining through a frail humanity, reminding us of our own dignity before God and others. It is then that we are reminded that we are loved at each stage of life. We begin to understand our own worth is based only on that we are created in the image and likeness of God and loved by Him. Our lives—all our lives—are worth cherishing and protecting!Seeing God in the Ordinary
I don’t know about you, but it is tough to see the beautiful Christmas decorations being put away. For me, there is a sense of excitement and anticipation that surrounds the Christmas season. Now we push this aside as we get back to ‘regular’ life.
This season between the greatest feasts of the Church, Christmas and Easter, that we have entered is called Ordinary Time. During this time, at Mass the normal color is green. Green is the color of life and growth. It is a time to mature and grow deeper in our love for God and others. To help us do this, the readings during these 34 weeks contain the rest of Jesus’ early life and ministry and the major events that mark our common spiritual history: the parables, the miracles, the Sermon on the Mount, the bread of life discourse, etc. These events have much wisdom to share with us and to help us to see God actively working in the midst of our ordinary lives. The goal that all of history is directed is represented in the final Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
We can use this Ordinary Time to grow by looking at our habits. Maybe this is a good time to begin reading the Scriptures. Maybe we can allow ourselves to push through those distractions to reach a new level of prayer. We can cultivate the attitude of being grateful for all that we have and share more with others. We can practice being in the presence of God throughout our day. We can recommit ourselves to being together on Sunday each week to receive the greatest gift offered to us in this life, the Eucharist. We can spend more time eating with family and less time on our smart phones.
There is power in this season to help us to grow--if we unlock it and live it!The Epiphany of the Lord
Mother Teresa once visited a poor man in Melbourne, Australia. He was living in a basement room, which was in a terrible state of neglect. There was no light in the room. He did not seem to have a friend in the world. She started to clean and tidy the room. At first, he protested, “Leave it alone. It is all right as it is.” But she went ahead anyway. As she cleaned, she chatted with him. Under a pile of rubbish, she found an oil lamp covered with dust. She cleaned it and discovered that it was beautiful. And she said to him, “You have got a beautiful lamp here. How she said to him, “You have got a beautiful lamp here. How come you never lighted it?” “Why should I light it?” “No one ever comes to see me.” Will you promise to light it if one of my sisters comes to see you?” “Yes,” he replied. “If I hear a human voice, I will light the lamp.” Two of Mother Teresa’s Sisters began to visit him regularly. Things gradually improved for him. Every time the Sisters came to visit him, he had the lamp lighted. Then one day he said to them: “Sisters, I will be able to manage myself from now on. Do me a favor. Tell the first Sister who came to see me that the light she lit in my life is still burning.”
With all our technology, with all our affluence, with the power we have shown to dominate many forces of nature, we are convinced that we can find ways to ensure world peace and happiness for everyone – yet peace evades us! In the same way, each of us searches for peace and peace evades us. So often we look in the wrong places, like Herod who found security in his position, in what he had built up around him, and was willing to do whatever he needed to maintain it.
On Epiphany, the three wise men today show us in story form –the true path to peace in our world and in our lives. The wise men received peace because they were willing to leave behind their fears and all that they clung to. They were willing to reach out to go to those whom God sent them. They were willing to journey without completely understanding. They were willing to journey without knowing the way. They followed the signs that God gave them along the way.
Peace comes to us when we can brag about how much we’ve given freely to others, not how much we stored for ourselves. Peace comes not when we rest our hope in our economy but when we rest securely in God’s providence. Peace comes from ordering our lives around the Child Jesus, His teachings through the Scriptures and His Church, when we love the Way God loves and beat with the same Heart as God. The wise men show us that we cannot create true and lasting peace apart from leaving our comfort and our plans to follow where God leads us --- to reach out to those in need. Today, the wise still seek the child. The wise follow the signs and seek those in need!With a Little Help from Our Mother…
It seems strange that we begin the new year celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
A little history: The title “Mother of God” comes from the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. Jesus’ nature as both fully human and divine is something that we take for granted today. Yet back then it was very much debated. The Bishop of Constantinople, Nestorius, said that Christ had two closely united natures, and so Mary was only the mother of the human part of Jesus. The council refuted this and gave her the title “Mary, Mother of God,” in Greek “Theotokos.” They said that Christ indeed has two natures, a divine nature and a human nature definitely united in one divine person. Since these two natures form one single person, Mary is the mother of the whole person, Jesus. Not that she came before God or is the source of God, but that the Person she bore for nine months was indeed true God and true man. When we honor Mary with this title, we are mostly honoring and affirming who Jesus is below the surface.
This feast comes at the end of the Christmas season. We remember that the Father could have sent Jesus into the world any way he wanted, yet he chose to go through the Blessed Mother. It was through Mary’s “yes” to God that our savior came into the world. It is through her that the door to heaven was opened for us. Just as God invites each of us to live out our vocation as disciples and works through us, God has and continues to work through Mary in an extraordinary way.
On this Solemnity, Jesus invites us to ask Mary, Mother of God, to journey with us. This experienced guide has walked this journey of discipleship to heaven already and has helped many to do the same. She knows the pitfalls, the sideroads and the dead ends along the way. She is there to powerfully intercede for us in all the areas of our lives if we choose. As we begin this New Year, I pray that you will invite her to walk this journey with you. Have a blessed New Year!Christmas Joy
In his book, Joy, William Schutz talks about how the birth of his son Ethan inspired him to write on this subject. He and his wife receive joy from Ethan’s birth. Then Ethan experienced joy from seeing and touching and tasting things for the first time. Over time, Ethan begins to lose this joy like many of us. Schutz wrote the book to help others get reconnected with this joy that we should all have in our lives.
These days of Christmas remind us that we were made for joy. Our God didn’t want us to search aimlessly throughout our lives for it. He shows us that He is our source of joy. God tore open heaven and became one of us so that he could physically be with us and share His joy with us. How comforting to know that whatever we are going through in our lives, no matter how difficult things may seem, no matter how dark our world may appear, God is with us! He comes as a little baby, totally approachable and humble, wanting to be embraced and loved.
Reflecting on this past year, you, the parishioners of Corpus Christi Parish, are one of my greatest joys. I hope that you will find hope, peace, and joy not only during this Christmas season, but also in 2023. We know this is possible because the source of joy has come to us, to be with us and to walk with us at every moment of our days.
On this Feast of Christmas, we need not fear. We need not be in control. God is. He is Emmanuel, God with us!Advent: Waiting with Hope
The days are getting shorter, and light is receding. With the leaves gone, the bare trees remind us that together we have moved into a new season. Advent is all about waiting. The waiting of Advent is not a passive waiting for things to just return to what they were before. It is an active waiting for something better!
We prepare ourselves by consciously being aware of the three comings of Christ. We meditate on the coming of Christ 2000 years ago as a baby to save us from our sins. We look forward to the end of time, when Christ will return and bring us who remain to heaven forever. The middle coming is the hidden coming of Christ in our lives each day. This usually happens in the darkest moments, when we think that God is absent and uncaring, and we cannot see a path forward.
We have been preparing through more prayer, going to confession and doing works of charity for others. I invite you this Advent to continue to use the remaining opportunities offered at our parish. You can find these on our website at corpuschristi.org.
Our God does not come to us with bells and whistles announcing his coming. Like a thief in the night, he comes in the stillness and quiet when we make room to listen. He reveals himself if we take the time to reflect, prepare, watch, and wait.
Jesus comes to bring us hope and peace in the uncertainty and brokenness of our and our family’s lives – a peace which the world cannot give. He comes to remind us of the only One who can fill our hearts and to give meaning to all that has and will happen to us. This is the peace that is held out to us – if we are willing to wait and walk in hope!Joy Amidst Darkness
A young family traveled on vacation to a nearby cavern to see the natural rock formations. They descended over 350 steps to get to the lowest point allowed on the traditional tour. All in the group were asked to stand closely with their family members. The lights were turned off for only a minute. Yet it seemed like an eternity. The absolute darkness caused them to lose their bearings and become disoriented. Their eyes could not adjust to the darkness. Someone pulled out a cell phone and a minimal amount of light from it allowed all to quickly readjust their vision. Once again, they could see each other and the beauty of the rock formations around them.
In the same way, John the Baptist appears to the people around him who were clouded in darkness. They did not see God, but only the difficulties in their lives and around them. John’s purpose was to point out to them where the light was – this light of hope, in the midst of their darkness. He stood out because of his words, his actions of kindness and the way he presented himself with camel’s hair clothing. And people responded to this light!
During this time of Advent, we are all called like John the Baptist to point to the light that Christ has brought into our world. We are not asked to wear clothing of camel’s hair, but we are called to radiate this light by standing out. Standing out by our kindness, our selflessness, our forgiveness, our charity, our faith, our presence and our concern.
All that is needed is a minimal amount of light to help those around us see beyond the darkness-that there is hope. As disciples, the more that we chose to stand out in this way, the more our lives will radiate this light. This weekend, we light the rose-colored candle on the Advent wreath – the sign of Joy. This joy is a byproduct of being witnesses of light to those around us. Where can we bring our light!Advent: Looking for Peace
The Prophet Isaiah speaks about the peace that God is bringing into our world. “Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together…”
It is easy to struggle with this idea that peace on earth is actually possible. If we listen to the news, peace seems to constantly evade us. Where is this peace? The people of Jesus’ time were also looking for peace. Peace from the Roman occupation. Peace from disease and a struggling economy. They wanted a messiah, anyone, to distract them from their earthly pain. When they cried to God, he listened. Yet God wanted more for them than they were asking for. He wanted them to have the deeper peace between them and God first.
John the Baptist realized that if the people didn’t have this deeper peace with God first, solving our day-to-day problems would never satisfy us. This is why John the Baptist spoke about the need for repentance, letting go of what was not compatible in our relationship with God and others, and preparing our hearts to receive fully this guest. Many of those who heard John the Baptist looked beyond their worldly situations to see the great invitation that they were being given by God.
During this Advent season, let us see the extra prayer, acts of charity and using the Sacraments, especially Confession, as a means of receiving God fully and with him the true peace that the Scriptures speak about!
Advent: Entering into the Mystery
As we begin this Advent Season, I hope that you are looking forward to this special time of the year when we can look back and count all of the blessings that God has given us. It can also be a difficult time for some who have recently experienced loss. The days are growing shorter, and the nights seem longer. In this time of darkness, we remember that the light shines through and brings the promise of good things to come.
We begin together this season of waiting and prayer in joyful hope for the time when Christ will come again. It is also a time of conversion, where we examine the depth and strength of our faith and make room for Christ in our hearts. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice, I will come in to him” (Rev 3:20). In the midst of so much “noise” and “holiday sales,” I encourage you as a family to consider small ways that you can “slow down” and enter into the Advent Season.
In our bulletin and online (corpuschristi.org), you will find mass times and other opportunities. The Advent season is also a time when peoples’ hearts are more open to the promptings of grace. With this, I ask you to consider inviting a relative/neighbor/friend who may be away from God and the Church to attend with you. We walk this journey through Advent together. Each week as we light another candle on the wreath, we watch and wait as the tiny flames grow into the blazing light of Christmas. Let us allow the greatest of all gifts to come more deeply into our lives and homes – the gift of Jesus Christ!
It is a wonderful gift for me to serve as your pastor. Blessings on all of you and your families this Advent, and throughout this holy season!To Which Kingdom Do We Belong?
There was an interesting article in National Geographic about the Mbuti people of central Africa, also known as Pygmies. These people have a unique way of making music and reinforcing social bonds. They whittle musical pipes out of soft wood. But each pipe is only able to play a single note. One may whittle a pipe that can play an A flat; another may whittle a pipe that plays a D, another plays an F sharp. Because each can only play one note, all must work together to create music. If one is missing from the group, the music is noticeably different, lacking in harmony and richness that results when all are playing together.
An appropriate image for this weekend as we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. King is an awkward title for Jesus. Most of us don’t have good images of early kings. Yet it is an appropriate title as we mark the end of the liturgical year. It sheds light on God’s end goal for us and our world!
Jesus is our friend, but he is also our King. He came 2000 years ago not just to let us know how much he loves us. Neither was it just to save us from our sins and open the door to heaven for those who wish to accept the invitation. He also came to establish here a kingdom that will continue into heaven. As the Scriptures say, it is a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace. Some will say that these are just pious words, or wishful thinking. This cannot possibly happen here. Just settle for being a good person and watch out for yourself!
Yet when God wants something to happen, it will happen! The question is whether or not we would like to be a part of this kingdom here, in our lives, in our family, and in our work. Like the Mbuti people, imagine that every member of our parish and family has a flute that plays one note. The only way Jesus can produce a symphony would be if every member shows up and does his or her part. What would our world look like if each of us used our time, talent, and treasure to work with Jesus on this most important goal. God created us for this purpose! And we pray for this in the Our Father each week.
How beautiful a melody it would be!Last Things… in November
This month we remember those who have died and made it to heaven, the saints. We also remember those who have left this world and have not yet reached heaven, as we pray for them. As a church, we also are moving towards the end of the liturgical year, and we remember that all creation is moving towards its ultimate end. Considering these, it seems reasonable to take a moment to think about our own mortality and how we should prepare for this day. One of the ways that we can do this is to prepare beforehand the arrangements for when this moment comes.
We have all been to many kinds of funerals and services for those who have passed. For a Catholic, ideally one should have a funeral Mass in Church with the body present. It is more than just about having the personal preferences of the deceased observed. When a loved one dies, we want to implore for them the maximum grace to help them on their journey to their eterna l reward. No other kind of ceremony comes close in providing our loved ones with grace and spiritual support beyond this world . Nothing else is even close.
The funeral Mass reminds us that our loved one's life and death are an important part of something much greater than them. The Mass is the sacred moment where our loved one's life and death are brought into the larger context of God's plan to save us all. At every Mass, we enter in the Paschal Mystery, that is, we share more deeply in the death and Resurrection of Jesus and come to share His gift of eternal life. At the funeral Mass, we are present with those who have passed before us, those who have prayed for us, and those who received our loved one who has died. The funeral Mass also reminds us that here is not our true home! In addition, as we are made body and soul, the body is equally important as the soul. Our culture can often send the message that the body is just a shell, holding the "real" part of us, the soul. This could not be further from the truth. Having the bod y at the funeral Mass reminds us physically that we are still connected with our loved one, even in death. It also facilitates the gr ieving process for those who remain.
After the funeral, the body is buried in a sacred place, or the body is cremated and then the cremains brought to a sacred place. This has been traditionally in a cemetery or mausoleum, where they are gathered with all others waiting for the day of the Resurrection of the Body sometime in the future. This also allows us the opportunity to make needed visits to honor and pray for our loved ones. At the same time, it allows us to continue to move through the grieving process.
I recommend that you consider having your wishes clearly spelled out in your will. I have come across many faithful Catholics, who when at death, their children, who may not practice their faith, sometimes withhold these gifts and support for the deceased and those who remain.
Without being overly morbid, these are important things to think about and work out beforehand.Our Greatest Gift
When my mother, Jeanette, was in hospice in North Carolina in 2010, I was given permission to move to Goldsboro and live in a parish there. I worked part-time in the parish and was able to be with my mother each day. Her Parkinson’s disease had greatly progressed. I would stop and buy things for her each day to make her life a little better, from unusually long straws to flowers to brighten her room. After a while, I could no longer buy anything she needed, and I could no longer do much to help her. I realized that the only thing I had left was my presence to her each day. Although this made me feel helpless at times, I came to understand that this was the most important thing I could offer her!
We can provide nice homes, a good education, and many opportunities to our children. Yet the greatest gift parents can give to their children is their presence. This is true in all our relationships.
In a few weeks, we will celebrate Christmas. God has always showered great gifts to his children: life, home, family, friends, work, and a social life. Yet the greatest gift that God gives to us is His presence. He cared enough for his children to come down out of heaven to be physically with us. In comparison, all other gifts pale. Our greatest gift back to God is not our prayers, our finances, or our good intentions. It is our presence. This is why being present at Mass in-person is so important to God!
Texting, emailing, livestreaming and phone calls are great ways to keep connected. Yet our most important relationships need more. They need our presence to grow. This is true in our relationship with God. If heaven is all about us spending eternity physically together in the presence of God, then Mass each week is a getting ready for this way of living.
For those who because of physical or emotional reasons are not able to come in-person, God gives them special graces. Yet for the rest of us, this coming together each week at Mass is at the heart of our relationship with God, and with all those we will be spending eternity.
Our presence each week in-person at Mass is the greatest gift that we give back to the God who loves us so much!One Plate at a Time
The last few years have seen many pressures on the global food system, including the war in Ukraine, fuel costs, shortages in the labor market and other natural disasters. In addition, the outbreak of avian flu has driven up the cost of poultry and eggs. The effects of these have increased food prices sharply. From August 2021 to August 2022, dairy product rose +16.2%, eggs rose +39.8%, flour rose +23.3%, butter and margarine rose +29.3%, just to name a few.
As food prices has increased, those at the lower end of the income ladder have been hit the most. Lower-income households typically spend a higher share of their income on food items comparted to middle or high-income families. For people on a budget, these price increases can be very difficult and lead to them cutting back on healthier foods and products, which tend to be more expensive, leaving them buying lower quality and lower nutrition foods. Those who are struggling the most are often hidden from our sight.
While these increases have had a rippling effect that touches all our lives, it is times like this that show us how connected we are as humans, and how powerful we can be when we work together and support each other to make a real difference. As Mother Theresa used to say that we don’t need to feed the world, just try feeding one person. Each of us can make a difference by choosing to place ourselves in the shoes of those who are really struggling to make ends meet.
I encourage those who can, to make a conscious decision to bring a food item to our parish each time you come to Mass on the weekend. In addition, the annual Diocesan Ministries Appeal will take place next weekend, October 29-30 at all Masses. The Diocese of Paterson, one of the smallest dioceses in the country, is one of the most organized and effective in helping the poor. Other dioceses around the country have modeled their Catholic Charities program on our programs. Yet our diocesan charities cannot continue to do the great work they do each day without our support.
Together we each can make a huge difference when we each give from what we have been blessed - one plate at a time!Loved at Each Stage of Life
Close your eyes for a moment, and think back as far as you can remember. Do you remember when your heart began to beat at 21 days, or when your brain began functioning at 40 days? Do you remember the day you were born? For most of us, the answer is no. My first memory is when my younger brother, Christian, was brought home from Morristown Memorial Hospital. And yet, God remembers and cherishes each of these moments. You were truly you at all these moments, and God knew you. He intended you. He loved you. Jeremiah 1:5 tells us: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” What an awesome thing to reflect on. God knows and loves us thousands of years before our parents even met. Throughout our lives, no matter what happens to us along the way, God is with us, journeying with us, watching over us, caring for us.
The Prophet Jeremiah was consecrated in the womb with a special mission in our world. In the same way, we are consecrated by God at baptism for a special mission in our world. Only we can fill in one particular piece in other’s lives, and in the world around us. Our life is of great value, despite our struggles, our sacrifices, our yearnings, which often no one else can see. God sees, knows, loves us and watches over each moment of our lives as we live out this sacred mission.
This month, October, we celebrate Respect Life Month. It is a time to remember the great gift of life that God gives us – from conception to natural death. We are called to care for, protect and defend the lives of all our brothers and sisters especially those who are most vulnerable and those marginalized and to help others in their sacred mission. When we protect and cherish life at all stages, we see glimmers of the divine shining through a frail humanity, reminding us of our own dignity before God and others, and the supernatural mission that we each participate in. It is then that we are reminded that we are loved at each stage of life. In imitation of God, we are called to love and journey with others in each stage of their lives!Parish Life Survey Results for Corpus Christi
I wanted to hear your perspective and feelings about our parish as we move into a new phase as Corpus Christi Parish. Although I wanted to meet with you each individually, I knew this would not be practical, hence the need for this survey.
In May of 2022, our parish conducted a Parish Life Survey to measure the effectiveness of our programs and to assess the greatest needs of our parish community. This was an opportunity for all of those who come to this parish to make their needs and opinions known. The survey was conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, a nationally recognized Catholic research center. In the end, our parish collected 673 responses.
I am happy to announce that the results have been received. Here are the major themes:
Positive: parishioners indicated that they were happy with the clergy and staff. Corpus Christi is a welcoming parish. This was evident in the comments section where we received 18 pages of single-line comments.
Areas for Growth: parishioners indicated a need for more volunteers and more programs. There were concerns as to how to bring more people back to active participation in the Church, especially the youth.
The executive summary is included in the following pages of this week's bulletin and is also available on our website at corpuschristi.org.
For a more in-depth look at the findings, a CARA representative, Jonathan Wiggins, will offer a report summarizing our results on Tuesday, October 18th at 7:00 PM in the Church. There will be time for discussion and questions about the survey. This will be livestreamed and can be viewed later.
The newly-formed Parish Council, which begins its regular meetings on November 19, will assist Fr. Kevin in the process of applying the results of the survey to the present and future needs of the parish. As we move on to this next chapter for our parish, we are encouraging our parishioners to become more engaged in growing together in faith and living our vision of bringing Christ’s joy, hope, and healing to others.Update: Parish Pastoral Council
Over the past three years that I have served here as pastor, I have heard many parishioners ask how they could be more involved in what happens at Corpus Christi Parish. In the past, there was a pastoral council at Corpus Christi Parish. At the beginning of this year, in union with our staff and the parish finance council, we started the process of envisioning how this body could be reactivated in our parish. I am happy to say that after much work and consideration this body will begin again here in November 2022.
The parish staff and finance council helped to pick the starting members of this new parish council from a broad demographic. The voting members are: Bill Cashin, Valerie Coffey, Brian Duemling, Kelly Falcone (Chairperson), Paul Landolfe, Cristin McKenna and Alexandra Rigal. The Ex Officio members are: Fr. Michael Szwarc, Msgr. Jim Mahoney, Carol Scala (our business manager), Brigette Vohden (our DRE), Mark Kapsky (parish trustee), Bobbie Veeder (parish trustee) and me. In the future, this newly formed group will work out a system of electing new members moving forward. In addition, a summary of each of the meetings will be available publicly within two weeks of each meeting.
These new members will be your representatives, to listen to your wants and needs for our parish. This advisory (not governing) body will meet with me five times a year, beginning on November 19th. Their mandate: to be the voice of all parishioners as we look to chart the course of the parish for the next five years. I want to be informed of your hopes, your dreams and your wants. This past June at our carnival, I recognized the importance of our community coming together again for a common purpose, to worship together, to serve together, to share life together. It is my hope that this new body will help to facilitate this at our parish.
In addition, with the results of our June parish survey which will be made available to parishioners in the next few weeks, the Parish Pastoral Council will assist me in using this important information as we evaluate our programs and priorities to best meet the needs of our parishioners and to live out our vision and mission: to bring joy, hope and healing to all who come through our door, and then to bring this to our families, our work and our community! Now it is time to get to work on behalf of our parish community!Prayer Can Change Our World
St. Teresa of Avila, a mystic of the 16th century, was known in prayer to spontaneously go into raptures, which sometimes involved levitation. The other sisters would have to hold her down. In modern times, St. Pio of Pietrelcina was known to be at two places at the same time while in prayer. These gifts during prayer are extremely rare in the history of the Church.
Maybe these won’t happen when we pray, but we can expect certain other things to happen. Prayer invites the Holy Spirit into our lives, which allows God to help us to change, to grow and to love more deeply. It helps us see more clearly who God is and where God is working in our lives. It helps us to move in the direction that God is leading us and to avoid the temptations to deviate from this path. If we stick with prayer past the dryness at times, we begin to receive answers to how God responded to previous prayers. Prayer can move mountains, as it gives us strength to face the difficult challenges in our lives, like Daniel in the lion’s den.
Prayer softens our hearts and others, to open doors and to draw others to himself. Pray for your children. Your spouse. Your coworkers. Your neighbors. For those who are difficult. For those who have done wrong to you. For your pastor and priests. Pray with your children. Pray as a family. Prayer reminds us that we need each other and that we don’t get to heaven by ourselves. It should be our first resort, not our last.
Prayer, in combination with the Eucharist and the teachings of the Church, allows us to move more and more in alignment with God’s plan for our world and shows us how we fit our lives into the Kingdom that he is building. One of the hallmarks of this Kingdom is seeing all others as made in God’s image and likeness, from conception to natural death. This is challenging for all of us! Yet prayer is the key that helps all of us to move from where we are to where God wants all of us to be, to loving with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, -- to love more like Jesus.Treasures in Plain Sight
It all started in 2017 in Portugal, a homeowner discovered fragments of fossilized bones in his backyard. A research team launched an initial excavation to investigate. They discovered that it was the remains of the largest sauropod dinosaur to ever be found in Europe, and possibly in the world. This dinosaur would have been 39 feet tall and 82 feet long. Its ribs are each around 10 feet long.
Sometimes the familiar around us contains much more than meets the eye. This is true in terms of our faith.
I have heard some people tell me that they don’t get anything out of Mass. It can be boring. Why can’t we just pray to God in our way? Yet if we dig deeper, we see that there is much more to the story.
When we worship at Mass each week, we stand naked before our Creator. Worship helps us to recognize reality and face ourselves at the deepest level --- that we are not equals with God, but his creatures, made by Him, for Him. The perfect bright light of God’s love shines into our being. It makes us realize that God and we belong together. Our faith is not primarily about doctrine and rules. It is a love story, a relationship with a living person, Jesus Christ. This is the privileged place where we allow God to heal and continue creating us to be who we were destined to be. Here, at the intersection of faith and questioning, we have decisions that we have to make. Do we accept this offer of relationship or not? Do we lean primarily on God or ourselves? Do we choose to walk the road of faith on God’s terms or on our own? These are more than just pious thoughts. These choices define who we are at our very core! This process doesn’t happen on our own.
This is the context of why we are asked by God to worship at Mass each week in-person or, for serious reasons, online. It is not so much a duty as an invitation, the greatest of opportunities. At Mass, we enter the presence of God and stand before Him at the Last Supper and at Calvary. At Mass we touch heaven, as we are fed. Spending time investigating below the surface is worth the dig!Sharing Our Gifts
On December 14, 1996, a 763-foot grain freighter, the Bright Field, was heading down the Mississippi at New Orleans, Louisiana, when it lost control, veered toward the shore, and crashed into a shopping mall. One hundred sixteen people were injured, parts of the wharf were demolished, as well as significant damage incurred to neighboring shops, restaurants, and hotels.
After investigating the accident for a year, the Coast Guard reported that the freighter had lost control because the engine had shut down. The engine had shut down because of low oil pressure. The oil pressure was low because of a clogged oil filter. And the oil filter was clogged because the ship’s crew had failed to maintain the engine properly.
In the same way, we don’t succeed in work or at home by ourselves. We need others! This is true in the spiritual life. We don’t walk to heaven by ourselves. God created us to be this way.
At Corpus Christi, we cannot fulfill our vision to bring Christ’s joy, hope and healing to others, unless we experience it and share it with others. Each of us brings special gifts given at Baptism and strengthened at Confirmation to build up our parish community.
Next weekend, Sept. 10th & 11th, we will have our Welcome Back weekend. This is to celebrate all those who have been away for the summer and are returning. Part of this will be our Ministry Fair here after all the Masses. There will be tables set up in the atrium to find out more about our ministries and how to get more involved. In addition, we will have hospitality after the 9 am and 11 am Masses.
This is not about assuming a new task to help the parish. It is more! It is about each of us exercising the gifts that God has given – to be used for all. Ministry is about receiving God’s joy and sharing it. In this process, we usually receive more than we give.
Next weekend, please consider stopping after Mass to learn more.Looking for Peace?
According to a recent poll from the American Psychological Association, a large majority of Americans are reporting high stress levels due to financial concerns, inflation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Americans have been doing their best to persevere over these past two tumultuous years, but these data suggest that we’re now reaching unprecedented levels of stress that will challenge our ability to cope,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, the association’s CEO (March 10, 2022).
All of us long for peace. Peace from noise, chatter, pressure, work, our responsibilities. We also want peace from the pressures we put on ourselves - to be better, stronger, prettier, thinner, better parents, etc.
Yet peace doesn’t come from an absence of problems. Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you” (Jn 14:27). Peace then is a gift given by God but is given on God’s terms. The primary way that Jesus gives this peace is through the Eucharist at Mass each week. Yet so great is this gift that we need time to absorb it.
This is where Eucharistic Adoration comes in. Eucharistic adoration is spending quiet time before the Blessed Sacrament, especially when the Eucharist is placed before us in the monstrance. The word monstrance means "to show." Eucharistic adoration is just sitting in the presence of God, letting him surround us and embrace us with his love and grace. It is a foretaste of heaven.
Eucharistic adoration provides something that we all desperately need – a place set apart to experience God in the silence that we crave. In doing so, we draw closer to God and go deeper into our spiritual lives. The fruit of this is peace! This is the kind of peace that we can cultivate and commit too, regardless of what is going on around us.
Each week we offer Eucharistic Adoration on Monday and Wednesday from 1PM to 3PM. I invite you to come for a few minutes or spend an hour. Maybe you have never experienced Eucharistic Adoration. Don’t be afraid! Come and see! Jesus is waiting for you – to bring you peace!Passing On the Faith
Pope Francis once said, “Even if at times it may be difficult and require a great deal of work, and although the results are not always what we hope for, teaching the faith is something beautiful! It is perhaps the best legacy we can pass on: the faith! To educate in the faith, to make it grow. To help children, young people and adults to know and love the Lord more and more is one of the most exciting aspects of education. It builds up the Church!” (Audience 9/27/13)
I am truly grateful for my parents and the catechists who stepped forward to teach the Faith to me as I was growing up. Whether in Religious Education class or later in Catholic schools, these men and woman gave me a gift that I came to appreciate more and more over time. I look back now with wonder and thanks for those who planted these seeds. After they began to grow, these seeds forever changed my life.
There are no perfect catechists! Each of us comes with a limited understanding of the Faith. When we share that piece and help our young to learn the basics of our Faith, we grow in our understanding too. I know it can be intimidating to come forward to teach religious education. Some may be thinking, “I am not worthy, or I am not qualified.” Well, none of us is worthy or perfectly qualified. Yet our directors of catechesis here, Brigette and Jim, can help get you started. Don’t be afraid. Our kids need your gifts and your lived experience of our Faith. Maybe God is tapping you on the shoulder to step forward! We need you!
Please contact Brigette Vohden (our DRE) at [email protected] or Jim Murray (our Youth Minister) at [email protected].The Assumption of Mary: Our Hope
Throughout the Catholic Church’s Liturgical Year, there are many days we call special attention to – whether it is a “Memorial,” a “Feast,” or a “Solemnity.” Solemnities are the celebrations of greatest importance and typically include all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. Feasts are of second importance and are celebrated on a particular day. However, they are not days of obligation for Catholics. And lastly are Memorials, which typically commemorate a saint or saints.
This Monday, August 15th, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. We celebrate that Mary was taken body and soul into heaven at the end of her life.
With much of the economic, social and governmental problems in our world, many people are questioning whether God is here to help us? Will God get us through this? Whether God will get us finally into heaven? On the feast of the Assumption, we get our answer from God. By his divine power, Jesus brought Mary to the finish line of being in heaven and experiencing the resurrection of the Body. One day, Jesus will get us to the goal of our lives and the finish line of heaven, where we will have our bodies glorified like Mary. Jesus always finishes what he starts!
This Solemnity is not an obligation this year because it falls on a Monday. Yet I invite all of you to take a break in your routines on this important day to remember where we are heading and how we get there. The Assumption is not just about Mary, it is about us!
Mass times that day are 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM and 7:30 PM.Update on Our Ukrainian Sponsorship
The Ukrainian family that our parish had been sponsoring earlier this year in Poland has been set up in an apartment of their own. With our funds, they received bedding materials, items for the kitchen, including a new microwave, furniture, and all that they needed to begin to live on their own. Also, their deposit and first month’s rent were paid by our parish. The mother and daughter were able to get jobs, so they are now able to support themselves moving forward.
Because of a greater need, our parish is now sponsoring Ukrainians that are now living in a Catholic seminary in the Archdiocese of Warmia in Osztyn, Poland. The seminary received a hundred Ukrainian refugees, mostly mothers with children. They provide housing, food, toiletries, and items for young children. To date, our parish has provided $15,024.00. in support.
Fr. Hubert Tryk, the rector of the seminary, wrote thanking us for our generosity. The Ukrainian community there prays for us and all donors at every Thursday evening Mass, at 11:30 am our time.Searching for Something Deeper, More Fulfilling in Life?
Are you or someone you know searching for a spiritual home?Catholicism is a way of life and becoming Catholic is an ongoing journey in faith. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process, rooted in history, which seeks to do more than simply give interested persons information. Becoming Catholic involves entering into relationship with a community of God's people. Our hope is that you will enjoy a deeper relationship with God as you also become acquainted with members of Corpus Christi and the Catholic Church throughout the world.We have a “no strings attached” inquiry series, R.C.I.A., beginning in September. This is a safe place to learn about Catholicism and for Catholics who have not yet received 1st Communion and/or Confirmation.Please contact Fr. Kevin at [email protected] or 972-635-0070 Ext 712 or Fr. Michael at [email protected] or 973-635-0070 ext. 728.
Is God tapping you on the shoulder?Looking Back in Time: The James Webb Space Telescope
This past week, we witnessed the first images from the $10 billion dollar James Webb Space Telescope. Launched on December 25, 2021, it is the most complex telescope ever developed. Its goal was the impossible task of looking back as far as possible to the very beginning of the universe. It didn’t disappoint! The picture above looks like a regular cluster of stars, no different than what we see when we look up at the night sky. Yet, this image is different because in this image we are getting a glimpse to the ancient past.
When we look at the sky, the closest star to us is named Proxima Centauri. Since light travels at 186,000 miles per second, when we look at the light from this star, it is really the light that began its journey from the star four years earlier. In the same way, when we look at the first image from the James Webb telescope, we see the faint light from stars that began its journey from those stars 13.5 billion years ago. It is literally looking back in time almost to the beginning of the universe, 13.8 billion years ago. Until this week, the light from these stars was only available to us through our imaginations.
These images show us the majesty and power of God. Before God created the universe, he had each one of us in his mind and heart. He knew and loved us, looking forward to the time when we would come into being. He thought about his plans for us, to love us, to teach us about himself, to prepare us for his coming, to send his Son, Jesus, to redeem us, and to look forward to the day when we would be gathered into one in our permanent home in heaven.
The light that came from those first stars when God created the universe, and thought of us, has been traveling towards us for billions of years. As we glimpse this dim light, it is a gift and reminds us that God will never leave or abandon us. More than this, it is a symbol of God’s ageless love for each of us.CORPUS CHRISTI: Generous Hearts
Thanks for your support and generosity to our Parish Family!
Your generosity allows our parish to not only get by, but to flourish!
We would like you to consider E-Giving through PushPay, our E-Giving partner. E-Giving allows Corpus Christi to receive steady, consistent support for the parish ministries you care about most in the months ahead—even if you’re out of town during summer weekends. These warm-weather adventures will be joyful times for our parish families—but a fun, fast-paced summer can reduce our offertory when people give with checks and envelopes and not electronically.
We prayerfully request that you consider signing up for E-Giving from your computer, smartphone, or tablet. The more parishioners we have signed up for E-Giving, the more consistent and predictable our offertory will be each month. You can sign up directly on our website—click Corpuschristi.org and follow the Give tab in the upper right hand corner This will direct you to a page where you can set up recurring contributions. If you need assistance, please reach out to Terri in the Parish office for assistance at 973-635-0070 ext. 710.
As always, we appreciate your generosity and support!Thank You – Corpus Christi CARNIVAL
I want to thank all those who helped to plan, organize, and implement our carnival this year! A special thanks to our carnival committee, led by Hugo Barth. Thanks to the Corpus Christi staff who worked throughout the last months behind the scenes. Thank you to all the volunteers who came out to support our parish and worked quietly behind the scenes. Thanks also to those who came out and enjoyed the food and rides.Confession: A Different Way of Looking at It
Over the last several decades, the number of people regularly going to confessions has declined. There are a lot of reasons why this is the case, but maybe one of the most popular is the notion that it is acceptable to confess our sins directly to God. Why the need for a “middleman” (priest)? This seems easier than going to confession. Yet does God usually use “middle men” in his interactions with his people? Through Noah, creation was established after the flood. Through Abraham, we receive the promises of Faith. Through Moses, the Israelites were lead out of Egypt. Through Mary, the messiah was born. Through St. Paul and others, we receive the New Testament.
In our lives, God brings us into the world through our parents. We are formed through our teachers, protected through firefighters and police officers, governed through legislators/mayors, and healed through nurses and doctors. There seems to be a pattern in the way that God works – mostly through others. This might reflect the fact that we are created in the image of the Trinity. Therefore, we are wired to be intimately connected with one another. When God acts, he remembers and respects this truth about us.
With Confession, God acts in the same way. Jesus chose the apostles personally and gave them authority on his behalf to forgive sins. In John 20:21-23, Jesus breathed on the Apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” In Confession, we know with 100% assurance that our sins are forgiven. It is then that we are reconciled with Christ and his Church. The grace from the Sacrament heals us from the damage of sin and helps us overcome future sins. Self-knowledge is increased because we receive objective feedback.
Today with an increase of people going to psychologists for help, there seems to be a recognition that there is greater healing when we share our inner life with another. Does all of this happen when we “confess” directly to God?
There is a method to the way that God asks us to find healing. It is more beneficial for us -- than our way!Waiting for You!
Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, there have been many different styles of prayer outside of Mass. Some are more intellectual, some more affective, some more practical. All are designed to help us grow in our awareness of and closeness to God, based on our unique personalities.
One type of prayer stands out from all the others: Eucharistic Adoration. St. John Vianney once told a story of a man that he found in the Church just staring at the tabernacle. St. John Vianney asked him what he was doing, and the man said, “I look at him (Jesus) and he looks at me.” This was a turning point in St. John Vianney’s understanding of the Eucharist. This great spiritual giant learned this profound truth from a farmer.
This type of prayer has been practiced by many of the saints because it is so effective in leading one into a much deeper relationship with Jesus. This prayer of contemplation is a loving awareness of God’s presence. How wonderful it is to know that Jesus waits for us--to just be in his presence. To speak with him or just to be with him! If heaven is where Jesus is, then coming to adoration is entering the presence of heaven. This is no pious thought – it is the truth!
Join us every Monday and Wednesday throughout the summer. We have Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction from 1 pm to 3 pm.
I invite you to come for a few minutes or spend an hour. Maybe you have never experienced Eucharistic Adoration… Don’t be afraid! Come and see!
Jesus is waiting for you – to bring you joy, hope and healing!The Feast of “Corpus Christi”: The Body and Blood of Christ
In 1263 a German priest, Fr. Peter of Prague, made a pilgrimage to Rome. He stopped in Bolsena, Italy, to celebrate Mass at the Church of St. Christina. At the time, he was having doubts about Jesus being truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. When he recited the prayer of Consecration at Mass, blood started to seep from the consecrated host and onto the cloth corporal.
Fr. Peter reported this miracle to Pope Urban IV, who sent delegates to investigate. The host and the blood-stained corporal were then placed in the Cathedral of Orvieto, where they remain today.
This Eucharistic Miracle confirmed the visions given to St. Juliana of Mont Cornillon in Belgium (1193-1258). St. Juliana was a nun and mystic who had a series of visions in which she was instructed by Our Lord to work to establish a liturgical feast for the Holy Eucharist. For many years, she had tried to convince the bishop, the future Pope Urban IV, to create this special feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament.
Soon after the miracle of Bolsena, Pope Urban IV commissioned St. Thomas Aquinas to compose the arrangements for a Mass and an Office for the feast day. One year later, in August of 1264, Pope Urban IV, by means of the papal Bull, Transiturus, instituted the Feast of Corpus Christi for the universal Church.
What does this have to do with us? On this our patronal feast day, let us thank God for loving us enough to want to be present with us throughout our lives in the gift of the Eucharist!Thank You - CC Carnival 2022!
After a three-year hiatus and with much prayer and hard work, this year’s carnival went off without a hitch. On Thursday morning, the first day, we heard that there would be showers all evening. Our prayers were answered with it only raining a half hour before the carnival started. The next two days were two of the most pleasant days in recent memory.
One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is joy. After speaking with many parishioners and guests these nights, I encountered joy everywhere. Yes, the food was good, the rides were exhilarating, and the community building was evident. Yet I could see God working through this event, bringing joy, hope and healing to all those who came, after these two difficult years.
I want to thank all those who helped to plan, organize, and implement our carnival this year! A special thanks to our carnival committee, led by Hugo Barth. Thanks to the Corpus Christi staff who worked throughout the last months behind the scenes. Thank you to all the volunteers who came out to support our parish and worked quietly behind the scenes. Thanks also to those who came out and enjoyed the food and rides. This was a team effort as we live out our parish name, the Body of Christ!Pentecost: Receiving the Holy Spirit
Today is Pentecost Sunday – it is the end of the Easter Season. Today we hear about the disciples locked in the upper room. They were all afraid. They knew that Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven. Yet they still had much in their lives that caused them fear, especially fear of the future. Coming out of over two years in Covid lockdowns, it is easy for us to sympathize with them. We also know that Jesus is risen, but we still carry in our lives sources of stress, anxiety and fear. Today the Holy Spirit comes to the disciples locked in their fear and made them fearless. The only sign given of the Holy Spirit’s presence were tongues of fire and the sound of a mighty wind. They spontaneously speak in other languages about God and the great things that God is doing through their lives and in the world.
In our spiritual life, many of us are familiar with the Father and Jesus. Yet many of us do not personally know the Holy Spirit. And if we don’t know the Holy Spirit, we are really missing out!
How do we come to know the Holy Spirit personally? The Holy Spirit is given to us at Baptism and at Confirmation. Yet we need to follow the example of the disciples to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Today the disciples were gathered together as a community of faith. This is the context where the Holy Spirit is most effective. Gathering each week in-person, and online for those who physically can’t, we receive most powerfully the gift of the Holy Spirit at Mass each Sunday to help our souls to grow and flourish, in a way that we can’t do on our own.
The disciples also prayed for the Holy Spirit to come into their lives and their difficulties. We need to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives, our families, our difficulties. The Holy Spirit won’t come when he is not invited. The disciples had to actively wait for the Holy Spirit to come to them. They waited ten days. Sometimes God makes us wait too. God’s plan for us is perfect and so God’s timing for us is perfect too. This waiting reminded the disciples in the first century and us that all that God does for us is a pure gift. We don’t earn it. We don’t deserve it. We cooperate to receive it, but it is a pure gift to be received.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are filled with joy. This joy cannot remain with us. It will bubble over to those around us. The more that we share with others what God has done through us, the more the Holy Spirit works through us, to fill us and to make us whole. Pentecost is not about 2000 years ago. It is about today!
Come Holy Spirit!The Ascension: The Reason For Our Hope
The Ascension is one of the most important events that we celebrate during the Easter Season. After spending forty days with the disciples after the resurrection, Jesus ascends. He does not travel into the clouds and then into space. No, Jesus moves into a different and higher dimension in his glorified body. The disciples were used to relating to him in a very human way. Now Jesus begins a new way of relating with them where they no longer see him physically, but he begins to be present to them in a much deeper and intimate way. Instead of seeing Jesus, he dwells within them and us through the Holy Spirit. He touches them and us through His Word and Sacraments.
At each Mass, this new dimension where Jesus now lives is made present to us, inviting us to enter it more deeply. This happens as we follow Jesus’ mandate to “Go make disciples, baptizing and teaching them.” This is the path, through the Church, where each day we follow Jesus more deeply and ascend with Him into this new dimension. Heaven begins now! Do not think of it as something that happens at one moment when we die. It is a process that begins now and continues till then. This is the reason for our hope and is what gives us courage to want to spread this Good News no matter what is happening in our lives!
Note: This feast day is typically celebrated on Thursday. The Catholic bishops of New Jersey have recently moved the Feast permanently to Sunday.Easter Peace
For many, Easter Sunday has come and gone. We all have heard the story of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection so many times that it seems as if it is just another historical fact with no real impact in our lives. Yet if we look closely below the surface at what really happened and what God intends for us, it is amazing! From all eternity, the Father and the Son shared a bond of supernatural love and intimacy together. This is the stuff that heaven is made of. God wanted to share this love with us and so created the world and all of us.
When we had lost this relationship of intimacy with God because of Adam and Eve, God promised to restore it at all costs, even to sacrificing his only Son. The Gospels after Easter speak of the Apostles spreading the Faith and inviting all to share in this divine intimacy through Baptism, thus becoming part of the community of faith. In reality, they were inviting them and us to enter more deeply into this divine love and intimacy between the Father and the Son. This is the place where true peace is found, the beginning of heaven now on earth!
Yet there are millions of people around the world who do not have this peace in their lives. This is where the active practice of our faith comes into play. The more that we live, pray and act as disciples, the more deeply we enter this communion of life and love and have peace. This is why the saints were such happy people, even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Sharing in the life and love of God is available to all of us no matter what we have done in the past or where we are in life. Easter season is about grasping a hold of this offer and coming to enjoy true joy, hope and healing now and forever!The Easter Season: Food for the Journey
Easter reminds us that death has been conquered and the universe has forever been remade. Flowers and trees now blooming remind us of this new life all around us. Like the two men on the road to Emmaus who realized, “This is the Christ,” we are called to rush out and share the good news with our family and friends. Our mission is to tell that Jesus has triumphed over the worst that life could throw at us – death. Therefore, we don’t need to be fearful anymore. God will help us with all our difficulties on the way!
Yet even after Easter, many of us realize that some things have not changed in our lives and that we still have difficulties over which we are powerless. In light of Easter, how do we move forward?
It is interesting that, after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared mainly to the disciples gathered together. This is no accident. Community—being with each other—is essential to the Christian faith. The Eucharist, the gift that he left us on Holy Thursday, is meant to bring us together, to form us as the Body of Christ. The Eucharist each week is meant to be the font from which we continually find joy, hope and healing in our lives. Jesus knew that our good intentions and goodwill could only keep us moving forward for a short time. As persons made of body and soul, when we are away from the Eucharist, we become “disconnected” from God.
When the Israelites were traveling through the desert for 40 years, they were fed by God with “manna,” a food whose purpose they did not understand. As we spread Easter joy, we are all called to delve deeper into the mystery of the Eucharist in our lives. The Eucharist is our “food for the journey,” the true “Manna from Heaven.” I invite you to spend a few moments reflecting on this fact: we receive Jesus’s Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity at each Mass. Each time we receive the Eucharist, we come to realize that God is thinking of us and wants to be ever present to us, now and forever!“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short time, but their hearts forever” - (anon).
As a young boy, I remember the care that my mother showed me. There was a comfort knowing that all in the world was well because my mother was present. Looking back, I think this is the way that God intends it to be. I could always count on my Mom.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day, I would like to thank all the Mothers, Grandmothers, Step Mothers, God Mothers and anyone who acts in the capacity of being a Mother for all of their great sacrifice and care!
Mother’s Day can be a mixed blessing. For some it is a reminder of a loved one who has passed. For others, it’s a reminder of the joy and vocation of motherhood. For others it can be a day of remembering real loss.
Yet, the heart of a mother reflects the love of God in an intimate and unique way. “Does a woman forget her baby…or fail to cherish the son of her womb? Yet even if these forget, I will never forget you” (Is 49:15). From bringing us into this world, to spending decades fixing meals, helping to solve our problems, picking us up when we’ve fallen, and helping us to learn to live in this world. That love continues throughout our lives!
This Sunday we express in a special way the love we have for our mothers, those with us and those called home to God. We also pray to our Blessed Mother for her guidance and courage and are grateful for those special neighbors, teachers, and friends who have nurtured us, supported us and helped us become the people we are today.
Wishing you a Mother’s Day filled with unconditional love!Easter Joy
Happiness is something that all of us crave in our lives. Aristotle saw it as the goal of our lives. For most of us, it is the lens through which we make our big decisions -- where we will live, what we will do with our time and resources and how we live our day-to-day lives. Yet happiness is elusive. The more we try to plan it into our lives, the more it evades us. Sometimes we experience it profoundly, but most of the time we get frustrated that we cannot grasp onto it, and it quickly flees.
Our God, though, offers us something better. He offers us joy. Joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and is a byproduct of a life order rightly in God’s eyes. Joy is something more permanent than happiness, something that we do have some control over. Over the last two thousand years, the Church has held up many kinds of saints as examples to follow. What all of them had in common was joy. At some point in their lives, they each recognized that God offers us the path to true joy in the living out of the promises of Baptism. When we choose to live as our Lord reveals through Scripture and Tradition, we put ourselves in the path where we are most fully human, fully alive and we open ourselves to the joy that God wants us to have.
In the end, so essential is joy to our lives that St. Thomas Aquinas said that we cannot live without it. Maybe we all need a reminder to seek joy, not apart from God and what God wants, but in and through God’s plan for us. As we journey through Easter, when we choose to be an active disciple, joy will follow us! It is then that we can share it with those around us!Easter The Power to Change Our Lives
Easter began last weekend but continues for 50 days. It is a great opportunity to spiritually tap into a power made available to all of us. How do we do this? I would like to suggest a few ways:
First, Live without Fear: If Jesus can overcome the worst that evil and sin can throw at him, we have great reason to live without fear in our lives. God is in control. God walks with us and will help us to pass through whatever difficulties we experience. “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). This is not idle church-speak – this is the truth. Say “no” to fear and anxiety and choose to trust in the one who is most trustworthy.
Second, Receive Joy: When we live with the knowledge that we do not walk alone through life and don’t always have to have the answers, we are free to let God be God in our lives. If things don’t always turn out the way we plan, we can surrender to the better plan that God has for us and our loved ones. Joy does not depend on the circumstances in our lives. How often the saints had a constant joy through all their trials. God intends all of us to have this joy!
Third, Live Victoriously: If it is true that Jesus has conquered sin and death, all the other difficulties that come our way are in the hands of God too. We can choose to live as if we are truly children of God, with a supernatural dignity and an eternal destiny, or we can choose to live as if we are in the hands of fate. How much joy God receives from us when we walk through life with our heads up, cheerful, thankful and trusting in God’s providence for us. We have the greatest reason to walk with hope and courage, knowing that the ruler of the universe has our back!
Over the next few weeks, I invite you to live boldly and with joy! We were made for this, but each day we need to grasp the power that God offers us during these days of Easter!