Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves” (Mt 11:28-29).

The Lord invites us to find peace and joy in Him this Sabbath as we set aside time to worship and rest.

Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God.
— Exodus 20:8-10

Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word “Shabbat”, which literally means “to stop.” Keeping holy the Sabbath is not just a commandment, but an invitation. An invitation from the Lord to stop our work, stop our worrying, stop our striving. An opportunity to fid rest and to be renewed. A chance to refocus on the things that truly matter - the Lord, family, community. In our culture, Sunday has become a day to “catch up” on everything that didn’t get done during the week, and any time left over is often seen as an opportunity just to “get ahead” for next week. But we Christians have a chance now to remember what it means to keep the Sabbath. During this pandemic the Lord is calling us back to Himself, offering us a chance to reclaim the gift of the Sabbath, reminding us again what it means to “keep it holy.”

A basic principle for observing the Sabbath is only to do things that can be considered “rest” or “worship”. Here are a few ideas to consider to begin more to enter into the Sabbath. Maybe pick just one thing to focus on this Sunday, then next Sunday keep that practice in addition to a second one. And then the next Sunday add a third, to slowly over time begin to enter into this great gift of the Sabbath more and more.

  • Keep the Lord at the center - read the Mass readings ahead of time, participate in Mass, make more time for prayer, spend some extra time in silence focusing on the Lord

  • Try not to work - resist the urge to check your email, or catch up on a few things, and leave it for Monday

  • Plan ahead - take care of what needs to be done before Sunday, so plan the rest of your week to make sure you get the laundry done, have gone grocery shopping, etc.so you don’t have to do any of it on Sunday

  • Spend the day “screen free” - try to stay off social media, internet news, and your phone as much as possible. If you can’t make it the whole day try to go for at least a few hours

  • Be intentional with others - if you live with others (ie. family, roommates), is there something you can do together like play a game or go on a hike? If you live alone, can you reach out to a good friend and catch up?

  • Leisure, not entertainment - try to do things that are life giving; binge-watching a favorite show or playing video games for hours rarely leaves anyone with a new zeal for life. Read a good book, go on a long walk, develop a hobby.

 

PARTICIPATE

“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Each Sunday we are called to “keep holy the Sabbath” and although that may look different for right now we will still come together as a St. Ann community through the gift of technology.

MASS READINGS

 

GIVING

Take a few minutes to give to St. Ann Parish. Please give generously and sacrificially as an act of faith during these difficult times. You can give online: 

After giving, offer ways to be generous of your whole self during this trying time for our world.

Each must do as already determined without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.
— 2 CORINTHIANS 9:7-8
 

PROCESS

“While they were eating, He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.” (Mark 14:22-24)

Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose bread and wine to contain His presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist? These mysterious signs of His presence lead us to the mystery of our faith. Listening to the interpretation of the early Christians we can begin to comprehend what it is and how we are to respond to this incredible gift. 

St. Ignatius of Antioch, who was taught by St. John the Apostle, noticed in the reception of the Eucharist a reception of who He was supposed to become. Traveling to his martyrdom, he wrote, “I write to the Churches, and impress on them all, that I am glad to die for God… Allow me to be the food of wild beasts that I may come to God. I am God’s wheat and I shall be ground by the teeth of wild beasts that I may become Christ’s pure loaf(bread)… Pray to Christ for me so that by these means I may become a sacrifice to God.” (Ad. Rom, 4). St. Ignatius saw the Eucharist as the "source and summit" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324) that all Christians are not only called to partake in but also imitate. This is the true worship we offer to God in receiving Him in the Eucharist. 

Not too much longer after Ignatius, around the year 150 — St. Justin who later was to give his life as a Martyr, wrote, “We call this food Eucharist; and no one else is permitted to partake of it, except one who believes our teaching to be true and who has been washed in the washing which is for the remission of sins and for regeneration, and is thereby living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by Him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nourished, is both the flesh and blood of that incarnated Jesus” (First Apology, 66). It is striking not only how similar our liturgy is, which we still celebrate, with what he describes but also how seriously he takes it. No one should "partake of it" except one who is baptized and is "living as Christ has enjoined", living out the Eucharistic faith they are receiving. St. Justin practiced what he preached in imitating Christ by laying his own life down as a witness to the truth of what he had been given. 

We are also called to become what we receive. We are called to be a cup of refreshment for a weary world in union with Christ. We cannot do this alone or by ourselves. Many grapes are crushed to make wine. It would be to our benefit, we who have many individual preferences, to reflect on if some of these preferences need to be "crushed" so that we can better come together in Christ as an offering to the thirsty. Many grains are crushed to make bread. We who have so many things pulling us in so many different directions need to think about "crushing" some of these so that we can offer a witness to others of the incredible satisfaction of Jesus. To do this we have to spend time focusing on and contemplating on the one who gave us Himself through this great mystery. Through the procession of the Eucharist this weekend we show that we follow the life of the Eucharistic Lord, giving up our paths to follow His. Will you follow Him this week? Will you adore Him and become what you receive?

Practice

Our practice this week is to grow in devotion to our Lord, truly present in the Eucharist, by taking the opportunity to be physically with Him. Consider one of the following ways this week to make a visit to the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament:

  • Eucharistic Procession - Saturday, June 5 at 6:30pm. Meet in the Courtyard and then join us for a procession around the grounds of St. Ann to reopen the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapel.

  • Eucharistic Adoration - The Eucharist is placed in a beautiful gold vessel called a “monstrance,” allowing us to truly “see” Jesus, present in the Blessed Sacrament. This opportunity is now again available 24 hours a day/7 days a week in the “PEA Chapel” (located in the ‘back’ of the St. Ann center, where there is a large wooden door facing the inner parking lot). 

  • Visiting the Chapel - The Eucharist is reserved in the tabernacle (an ornate gold box) in the St. Kilian chapel located across from the St. Ann Welcome Center in the main church area. This chapel is open 7am-9pm every day.

  • Daily Mass - Mass is offered at St. Ann Monday - Friday at 7am and 12pm, on Saturday at 8am, and in Spanish on Thursday at 6:30pm. Daily Mass is held in the St. Kilian chapel, located inside the main church building.

As you take some time to be in the Eucharistic presence of our Lord spend some time speaking with Him, maybe asking Him to increase your desire for Him, or even praying the traditional prayer of: “O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.” Then take some time in silence to listen for what He wants to speak to your heart. Our Lord humbles Himself to come to us in the Eucharist to be near to us! Let us continue to draw near to Him.

Discussion Questions

Think about how you can continue to reflect on God’s word to you this week, and how you can invite others into the conversation. You can use the questions below for personal reflection, or to grow with others. Be creative! You could consider gathering with friends and family, or starting a group text, or a group FaceTime, to discuss the questions below. 

  1. What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?

  2. Did you get a chance to find a way to serve this past week? 

  3. In the first reading we see the people of Israel twice saying they will do all the Lord asks, but we know that they don’t actually remain faithful. Can you relate to this in any way?

  4. What do you think might have been the reaction of the Apostles at the Last Supper, hearing Jesus words about giving them His body and blood?

  5. It can be hard sometimes to understand the Catholic teaching that the Eucharist is not a symbol but is actually Jesus - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Is there anything about this you struggle with? Or have ever struggled with?

  6. It can seem unfathomable that the God of the Universe would humble Himself to come to us in the Eucharist, veiled under the appearance of a piece of bread. Why do you think our Lord has chosen to do this? 

  7. Do you feel your attitude towards Jesus in the Eucharist has changed any way because of the pandemic? Maybe lessening devotion due to change of habits? Or maybe more devotion due to a new appreciation?

  8. Following the suggestions in the practice, what is one thing you can do this week to be near to our Lord, truly present in the Eucharist?

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Feast of the Holy Trinity