Corpus Christi Homily

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I’ve been a lurker on these boards for a while now, and I find myself in agreement with many posters who express their concern with the lack of emphasis on the fundamentals and traditions of the Church. I’ve often thought that our Pastor, who seems to be well versed in his history and theology, is afraid of “losing his audience” if he spends too much time instructing or correcting. Well, this past Sunday, I think he decided enough was enough.

Unfortunately, I can’t quote him verbatim, but the themes that he stressed were:
  • The Eucharist is not a symbol, or an allegory, or a cute ritual. It IS the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Respect it. Genuflect when the Blessed Sacrament is present. When the priest or EMHC says “The Body of Christ”, don’t mumble a quich “amen” and try to rush back to your seat or out the door.
  • How dare anyone say they “get nothing out of going to mass”. Even if the homily is the worst you’ve ever heard, the choir is terrible, the seats are uncomfortable, and the people are unfriendly (none of which is even remotely true at our parish), if you received the Eucharist, you did not get nothing out of it. You got EVERYTHING out of it.
I’m afraid Father might have thought I was going crazy or on drugs or something, because I was grinning from ear to ear as he spoke. I just hope and pray that other people heard him and understood what he was saying as well. Maybe it’s because I’m only recently returned to the faith, and things are fresher and “less routine” to me, but I feel very discouraged when I see people going through the motions. I would love to see a more educated and active faithful, andI hope Father will continue this approach and not shy away from the things that people need to hear.

—Ben

 
Nice,
I had a similar experience at Mass last Sunday.

The Priest explained how we are receiving Christ in the Eucharist.

It was about a 5 minute homily but sometimes that is much better than everyone forgetting what you said during the first 10 minutes of the homily.

My birthday this year happened to fall on Thursday and I went to Mass on my birthday. So I had two good homilies on Corpus Christi. The Thursday Mass, (my first TLM) and the Sunday Mass.

In Christ
Scylla
 
Please do not discuss the EF (TLM) in the L&S forum. Take any such discussion to the Traditional Catholicism forum. Thank you all.
 
I am still digesting it so I can give a good clear post on my first experience.

As someone who grew up in the 80’s and lives in California, Latin is akin to profanity over in these parts. So even I was against any part of Latin in the Mass a couple years ago, since I bought into all the silly arguements against it. I found out that the arguements against Latin are similar to Protestant arguements against Catholicism, based upon lies and ignorance.

I have become more friendly to Latin and tradition over the last couple years and finally on my Birthday last week went.

I will make a post later on when I have time to properly and clearly post about my experience. There was a nice Corpus Christi Homily at the EF Mass, very clear and focused on Christ, as expected.

In Christ
Scylla
 
God bless your pastor. Our pastor tried doing that at our parochial school jr.high mass. The 7th and 8th graders have no clue what is going on…do not partipate in the mass,rarely attend a weekend liturgy, fool around before and after mass, but they all march up to communion. He tried to touch them at the very root of their souls, however they didn’t even blink when he asked them to respond to the acclamations. Their teachers are just as blank stared too…so my question is, why do they go to Catholic school? He even asked the confirmation class that received confirmation just one week prior if they bothered unwrapping the gifts of reverence and awe at all, or were they left on the shelf to become dusty. I don’t get it at all. :confused:
 
Pope Calls Eucharist History’s Greatest Revolution
Says It Breaks Down National, Economic and Social Barriers

VATICAN CITY, MAY 22, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says the Eucharist brought history’s deepest and most profound revolution.

The Pope affirmed this today in his homily for the feast of Corpus Christi in the Basilica of St. John Lateran. After the Mass, he led a Eucharistic procession through the streets of Rome to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

The Eucharist has brought a social revolution, he affirmed, since believers gather before it, leaving aside differences in economic or social class, political convictions, sex and even preferences.

His listeners were living proof of his words: The congregation included Missionaries of Charity, boy scouts, cardinals, Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, pilgrims from around the world, and even some homeless people curious about the celebration.

Meditating on the Eucharistic mystery, the Holy Father cited the phrase from St. Paul: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Truth and strength

“In these words,” said the Pontiff, “is perceived the truth and the strength of the Christian revolution, the deepest revolution of human history, which is experienced precisely gathered around the Eucharist. Here people of different ages, sex, social condition and political ideas gather.”

“The Eucharist can never be a private event, reserved to people chosen on the basis of affinity or friendship,” he added. "The Eucharist is a public worship that has nothing of esotericism or exclusivity.

"We have not decided with whom we want to gather; we have come and found ourselves together with each other, gathered by faith and called to become one body, sharing the only Bread that is Christ.

“We are united beyond our differences of nationality, profession, social class, political ideas: We open ourselves to each other to become one in him.”

In fact, Benedict XVI affirmed, “from the beginning, this has been the characteristic of Christianity, visibly fulfilled around the Eucharist. And it is necessary to keep watch always so that the temptations of particularism, even if with good intentions, do not head in the opposite direction.”

The feast of Corpus Christi, he concluded, “reminds us above all: To be Christians means to come together from all parts to be in the presence of the only Lord and to be one in him and with him.”
 
Our homily was heavy on St. Theresa’s we are the hands and feet of Christ. No reference whatsoever to Communion and the Blessed Sacrament.
 
I am hoping that we are experiencing the turning of the tide. Our pastor gave a very poignant homily on the Body and Blood of Christ AND he wrote article in the bulletin emphasizing the REAL PRESENCE.
 
The homily at my parish on Corpus Christi was excellent (as usual, I have yet to hear a bad homily from my priest). He emphasized on what the Real Presence was and also talked about John 6 when many of the disciples left Jesus.

He also taught us how to say transubstantiation (did I spell that right?)
 
I heard about how the Catholic Church uses the Eucharist as a line of division or separation or exclusion, since we do not allow Protestants to receive, and that “we still have a long way to go”. Yay.
 
We don’t even allow Catholics who are not in grace to receive the Eucharist or those who are not in a sacramental marriage may they receive, or those who have not fasted for one hour prior to receiving the Eucharist. The reason is not punitive, but rather because it is so integral and necessary to respect and revere.
We are all sinners…but we need to strive to become holy as our Lord is holy…and without us respecting the need to be holy, Jesus body and blood become nothing more than just a ritual…rather than a sacrament, where we meet Christ. Instead of feeling left out…all people should consider joining our faith.
 
We don’t even allow Catholics who are not in grace to receive the Eucharist or those who are not in a sacramental marriage may they receive, or those who have not fasted for one hour prior to receiving the Eucharist. The reason is not punitive, but rather because it is so integral and necessary to respect and revere.
Correction: we don’t allow those who are in an INVALID marriage to receive. They can be in a non-scramental marriage and still receive.
 
Correction: we don’t allow those who are in an INVALID marriage to receive. They can be in a non-scramental marriage and still receive.
A non-sacramental marriage that has received a dispensation.
 
This thread has gone off topic. Please take any side discussions to new or existing threads in the appropriate fora. Thank you all.
 
I ended up only going for the Mass to which the procession for which the pastor peached. His homily was Corpus Christi-ish: touching on the last and final giving of Jesus to us in Holy Communion (the summation of he life of giving), a very Patristic “doubt not his word, he is all powerful and can do it” and the relation of the reception of the Body of Christ to our daily actions. The only thing was I felt slightly like giggling when the pastor began gesturing for “the bread is broken and the grapes are squeezed and so Jesus…” when speaking of the appropriateness for bread and wine to become Body and Blood.

Now last year, I remember the homily almost made me fall off my seat. Apparently, a Protestant had given some person a tract which he showed to the priest. The topic of the homily was “Body of Christ born of the Virgin Mary” with a lot of focus on Mary and the Mass. In the course of the homily, the priest quoting Christ form the Gospels said something to the effect of “and all those that deny these doctrines, and propagate the lies, who is their father? Their father is the devil.” And this was the only ad-libber priest (admittedly pious ad-libs) of the parish .
 
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