May
18, 2008
We
are One Body of Christ
A
jubilee to remember
Thank you all who participated in my 25th Anniversary celebrations.
I was so moved by the presence of hundreds of people at the Anniversary
Mass and the reception on Sunday, and the
ice-cream social on Monday.
The music, the singing, the praying at Mass was like being in heaven.
The buffet at the reception was outstanding -- there was food cooked
(with love) from every corner of the globe. What a feast to see all
kinds of ethnic and regional foods which people brought to share with
each other! Thanks too, to all of you who have told me of your prayers
for me at this special milestone in my life (please, keep ‘em
coming) and for all who wrote such encouraging and uplifting words.
(I’m still opening the cards and letters so everyday I’m
uplifted even a bit more.)
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past
Columns:
May 18: Trinity,
It's About Unity
May 11: We are
One in the Spirit
May 4: Who's in
Your Top Twelve?
April 27: Now
that he's gone...
April 20: Yay
Deacons!
April
13: Here comes the Pope
April 6: Fresh Oil
March 30: What are you doing
for Easter?
March 23: Can Easter come
too early?
March 16: Which crowd is
yours?
March 9: We believe, yet...
March 2: Oil or Mud
February
24: What are you thirsting for?
February 17: Who are You
Wearing?
February 10: Just Say No
February
3: The January
20: Being Safer
January 13: Conversations
in 2008
January 6: Matthew's Magi
December 30:
What's
Next?
Christmas
2007 Homily
Columns
from 2007
Columns
from 2005
Columns
from 2004
Columns
from 2003
Columns from 2002
Today
we celebrate “Corpus Christi”, or as it is known in English,
“The Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.” This
feast is the last of the big “post-Easter” feasts and next
week we return to “ordinary time” in our Sunday celebrations.
But this feast is so important that we, at St. Brigid’s, begin it
this week with the Sunday liturgy and will celebrate it communally at
a parish gathering NEXT
Sunday, June 1st from 4pm to 5:54pm in Code Auditorium in the school.
The theme of our gathering is: “We are One
Body of Christ.” It will be an informal and enjoyable
afternoon in which we, as members of the parish of Saint Brigid’s
-- and we as members of the Body of Christ -- will be able to get to know
one another a bit more and grow as a relational parish.
You see, being a member of the
Body of Christ is both devotional and relational. Devotional -- we are
devoted to Jesus Christ. and today we take special care to recognize that
he is really with us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. He loves us so
much, that he didn’t leave us with a mere symbol of his presence
-- no, he’s here! He lives in the Eucharist and he lives in us when
we receive communion. Even the word “communion” tells us what
this is about -- “common-union”. We are one with Jesus.
But Jesus wants us to be more than individuals devoted to him. He also
wants us to be relational -- that is, in common union with one another.
But that’s not easy to do when we don’t know each other. This
parish is so large (6,700 registered families -- plus, I know there are
many more who haven’t registered) that it seems almost impossible
to be one with each other. Yet it happens every time we gather for Eucharist
and every time we gather for parish celebrations of other kinds too.
So I hope you’ll come next
week to celebrate our unity as the Body of Christ. Babysitting will be
available -- if you’d like to bring your children for babysitting,
please arrive by 3:45pm so we can get them settled and we can then start
on time at 4pm. Please feel encouraged to bring someone along to join
us in this joyful afternoon of unity.
