This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, or the Body and Blood of Christ. This solemnity honors the heart of the Catholic faith, the Eucharist. From the Eucharist flows the graces and love of God into our hearts and souls.
For some reason, there are clergy and churches that believe we should gate-keep who can receive the graces afforded in the Eucharist. They believe that they are called to keep people who are “unworthy” from receiving that grace. By doing this, they deny the power of the Triune God, and they deny that grace exists in this sacrament.
That denial comes from their unwillingness to accept that we are called to reach out in love to everyone we meet. They would rather claim that God is powerless to protect themselves, than to open their hearts to those most in need of love.
Our obligation to the Divine is to open our hearts, our arms, and the altar to all those in most need. Grace pours from the Eucharist into our hearts and lives and changes our lives for the better. Through that grace, we can learn to love others as commanded by Jesus.
It also changes us in other ways. We start to see everyone we meet as children of God. We start to look for ways to help those most in need, to help those in poverty and dealing with homelessness. It can also help us to be a beacon of light and hope in the world.
The Eucharist has the power to transform our world. But only if we have enough faith to open this sacrament to all who wish to receive it.
Here at Saint Francis Parish and Outreach, we deny no one the sacraments. All are welcome to receive the graces of these sacraments. We hope you will join us this Sunday to receive those graces.
Pax et Bonum,
Bishop Greer