Pause now and
reflect; think back now to January. And
March. And even the early weeks of
May. Then, step outside of that
air-conditioned church/home/car, look up at those bright green leaves radiant
with life in the light of the sun against the blue sky. Feel the humidity embrace you, sink into your
clothes and your hair, and soften every sound that might try to interrupt your
reverie. Wait for the first beads of
sweat to form and roll down onto your collar.
And know ye: It is not winter! Give thanks to God, who makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the
just and on the unjust. (Mt 5:45b) So
even in that moment we find reason to give thanks.
Also, this weekend,
we of our Archdiocese have other reason to give thanks: we receive seven new
priests. Give thanks to God for Father
Tony D’Souza, Father Charles Luckett, Father Ken Gill, Father Aaron Qureshi,
Father Cesary Kozubek, Father Christopher Seith, and Father Tim Daniel.
Why should we
bother? What does it have to do with
you? On this great solemn day dedicated
to the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, let us see what Saint John Vianney
has to say about the most Blessed Sacrament, and the priesthood, and the
relationship of the two.
"All
the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom
is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the
Mass is the sacrifice of God for man."
"Without
the Holy Eucharist there would be no happiness in this world; life would be
insupportable. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive our joy and our
happiness. The good God, wishing to give Himself to us in the Sacrament of His
Love, gave us a vast and great desire, which He alone can satisfy. In the
presence of this beautiful Sacrament, we are like a person dying of thirst by
the side of a river — he would only need to bend his head; like a person still
remaining poor, close to a great treasure — he need only stretch out his hand.
He who communicates loses himself in God like a drop of water in the ocean.
They can no more be separated,"
At
the sight of a church tower, you may say, "What is there in that
place?" "The Body of Our Lord. " "Why is He there?"
"Because a priest has been there, and has said holy Mass. "
"Without
the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the
priest who continues the work of redemption here on earth...What use would be a
house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door? The priest holds
the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the
steward of the good Lord; the administrator of His goods...Leave a parish for
twenty years without a priest and they will end by worshiping the beasts there...
The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you."
So give thanks, early
and often; give thanks especially for God’s presence in our midst, for the
hands that feed us this food of immortality, and for the sunshine that reminds us
of the omnipotent God who gives us every good gift.
Monsignor
Smith
