We have kind of passed the graduation period. Although I still have some open houses I probably won’t get to. We are now into wedding season. We congratulate Michelle Mary Goedtke and Jared Michael Schrempp who were joined in Holy Matrimony this weekend at St. Gabriel’s. Keep them in prayer. May they have a long faithful marriage dedicated to helping each other and children, God willing, grow in holiness. Also, this weekend Greyson Lemley was Baptized into the family of God. Please pray for him and his parents, Gina and Ezra.
By the time you read this Father Jeff Dobbs and I will still be in San Diego. I want to thank Father Pick for being available to allow me to take this time off.
This Sunday is a great day. This Sunday we celebrate Corpus Christi Sunday or the Body of Christ Sunday. We celebrate that Jesus has not left us. (Matthew 28:20) Even though He is in heaven with God the Father, we commune with Him, we take Him Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity into our physical bodies whenever we receive the Eucharist. This is a great and holy thing to do. Out of reverence for not what the Eucharist is, but who the Eucharist is, the Church asks us to refrain from eating or drinking anything (other than water) an hour before receiving the Eucharist. Also, if we have committed a mortal sin, then we should go to Confession first so that we can receive the Eucharist worthily. (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)
How do we know that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus? Because He said so. (John 6:22-71, especially 53) Jesus said if we want to have eternal life, if we want to go to Heaven , we have to eat His Body and drink His Blood. What a great gift that God Himself, the Creator of all things, wants to be so personal with us. That is how much He loves us.
Throughout history there have been Eucharistic miracles. Probably one of the most famous one is the Miracle of Lanciano. In the eighth century, a priest was doubting the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. At the consecration, the consecrated bread and wine turned into human flesh and human blood. This miracle is still on display in Lanciano, Italy. There have been many others. Just Google Eucharistic miracles.
Know that you are in my prayers.
God bless,
Father Vogel
Father Andrew Vogel's Blog 