Dear friends,
I wish you all a very happy Fourth of July! As I celebrate my first Independence Day, I am so grateful to God for the privilege to serve you as a fellow countryman. We are Catholics. We are Americans. We are proud to be both, grateful for the gift of faith which is ours as Christian disciples and grateful for the gift of liberty which is ours as American citizens. From Our First, Most Cherished Liberty: A Statement on Religious Liberty, developed by the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in 2012, the teaching of our Catholic faith “obliges us to work together with fellow citizens for the common good of all who live in this land. That is the vision of our founding and our Constitution, which guarantees citizens of all religious faiths the right to contribute to our common life together.” Let us cherish the gift of freedom and use it to further the noble intentions of our Founding Fathers.
During this hurricane season, please make the necessary preparations to protect yourselves and continue to pray through the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor to avert the deadly storms and spare us from harm:
“Our Father in Heaven, through the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, spare us and our homes from all disasters of nature. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Also, I recommend that we pray Psalm 91 in appeal for God’s protection, verses 11 and 12: “For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways. With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”
As we enter the summer months of leisure and relaxation, I ask that you read a few paragraphs each weekend from Section Two, Article 3 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Sacrament of the Eucharist, as we reflect together and begin to more fully appreciate this precious and invaluable gift.
ARTICLE 3: THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST
- WHAT IS THIS SACRAMENT CALLED? 1330 The memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection.
The Holy Sacrifice, because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior and includes the Church's offering. The terms holy sacrifice of the Mass, "sacrifice of praise," spiritual sacrifice, pure and holy sacrifice are also used ( Heb 13:15; cf. 1 Pet 25; Ps 116:13, 17; Mal 1:11), since it completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant.
The Holy and Divine Liturgy, because the Church's whole liturgy finds its center and most intense expression in the celebration of this sacrament; in the same sense we also call its celebration the Sacred Mysteries. We speak of the Most Blessed Sacrament because it is the Sacrament of sacraments. The Eucharistic species reserved in the tabernacle are designated by this same name.
1331 Holy Communion, because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes us sharers in his Body and Blood to form a single body (Cf. 1 Cor 1016-17). We also call it: the holy things (ta hagia; sancta) (Apostolic Constitutions 8,13,12:PG 1,1108; Didache 9,5; 10:6:SCh 248,176-178)- the first meaning of the phrase "communion of saints" in the Apostles' Creed - the bread of angels, bread from heaven, medicine of immortality (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Eph. 20,2:SCh 10,76), viaticum. . . .
1332 Holy Mass (Missa), because the liturgy in which the mystery of salvation is accomplished concludes with the sending forth (missio) of the faithful, so that they may fulfill God's will in their daily lives.
Be Blessed!
With love, Fr. John