What is the greatest gift that you have ever received? This Sunday as Catholics we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), a reminder of the greatest gift we have ever received - the Eucharist. The Second Vatican Council instructs us in Lumen Gentium that the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life.” (LG 11) It is through the Eucharist that we experience a 
profound and intimate encounter with God. All that we do as a Church is centered around the Eucharist - the Body of Christ - which allows us all to truly be the body of Christ. The Eucharist is a sign of God’s love for us, a sacrament of great healing and a reminder of Jesus’ desire to remain with us until the end of time. 

Although the Church has always believed in the real presence of Jesus, the feast of Corpus Christi has been celebrated in the universal church since the year 1264 under Pope Urban IV. St. Thomas Aquinas even wrote hymns for the feast which we know as the Pange Lingua and Adoro te Devote. The celebration often included adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as well as processions with the host in the monstrance around towns and villages. 

In our parish, we are blessed to have a perpetual adoration chapel and an opportunity to encounter the Eucharistic Lord in quiet prayer and reflection. Our Lord waits most eagerly for us in the Eucharist, and the Lamb of God Chapel is always glad to have adorers. We also will celebrate this great Solemnity with a procession following the 11:30AM Mass at St. Thomas More Church. Please come out to walk with our Lord around the campus and spend time in thanksgiving and praise for the gift of Jesus’ presence among us. 

June 19th is also Father’s Day, and I wish a very blessed and Happy Father’s Day to all our dads. Fathers demonstrate to us the love of God the Father and remind us of the great care, compassion, guidance, and protection that God our Father gives to us. May we this day honor our Fathers living and deceased with gratitude to God the Father for the gifts that we have received from them. God bless you all. See you in Church!         – Fr. Mike