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SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST (CORPUS CHRISTI)




How much of ourselves do we give to the Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist?

A priest I heard of, if he sees people leave early, stops them and reminds them that only one person left the Last Supper early! 

Well, I am not going to do that, but I am tempted to do what St. Philip Neri did: He saw someone leaving church right after Communion and he sent servers with candles and bells to accompany the man. 

The guy stormed back into the church and confronted the priest. "What kind of joke is this?" he demanded. 

St. Philip Neri said, "It's no joke. The rules of the liturgy say the Blessed Sacrament should be treated with reverence. You left the Church immediately with no prayer of thanksgiving. You were carrying the Blessed Sacrament within you. So, I asked the boys to accompany you to honor Him." 

After Communion, you and I are tabernacles - the physical presence of Jesus continues in us for a brief time. That's why we have the Communion hymn, a time of silence, the Communion Prayer - and even the announcements - to build up the Body of Christ in practical ways.  I encourage you to use well the time after Communion to say thanks, to express your gratitude. (Fr. Phil Bloom) 

Through the Blessed Sacrament, our Lord Jesus is telling us that he wants to be fully present to us. The least we can do is to reciprocate: Try to be as fully present to him as possible, too. 


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