Corpus Christi

If ever there was a time of a beautiful show of orthodoxy, it was this past Corpus Christi Sunday, wherein we processed around the Cathedral of St. Peter on a lovely day here in Rockford, Illinois. We revered the Blessed Sacrament by placing it in the monstrance for all to see, and lauding it with a procession of candles, crucifix, and flowers around the campus of the church. It was beautiful how everything came together and we were truly a witness to the community around us. Throughout the world various Roman Catholic communities held the same celebration, even down in Honduras as my good friend John Donaghy documents in his latest blog post (http://hermanojuancito.blogspot.com). This is the true beauty of the Catholic Church, that one body of believers can unite across continents and worlds into one living and breathing community that proclaims the truth, as we did this past Sunday, to all whose hearts are open to the faith, hope, and love in Christ. It was a magnificent experience to be a part of, and even within our own church we had representatives present from all walks of life, that show the true universality of the Church. Too often I have heard that the Roman Catholic Church is too stringent, too rule-based, for the tastes of those whom I have met before, but I hesitate to agree with this claim as I myself am an example of how imperfect one can be and still be a part of the Church. I have seen so many different people from so many different backgrounds, cultures, languages, and skin colors all attend congregations of the same Catholic Church, of the same community of the same capital "C" Church that reaches to the farthest corners of this beautiful world in which we have the privilege to live.

What do we have to cling to in this ever pervasive life? Or maybe the questions would be better asked at significant points in this life. Why are there people who want the Church to be there for them for the baptism of their children, their later marriage, and then their own funerals? What is it about the Church that calls them home at these specific points in life? Why not go every weekend or just not go at all? I think at the heart of all this is the reality of the leap of faith. If we make it then we align ourselves with the Church, her teachings, doctrines, and dogmas and lead our lives accordingly. Should we not be able to make the leap of faith, as doubting Thomas was unable until our Lord returned to reassure him of the Truth, then we may find ourselves unable to consider ourselves a part of the Church and to follow Her. But should we find ourselves somewhere in between, we have an in-between relationship with Her.

But it is the moments like this past Sunday, when the beauty of the orthodoxy of the Church is put on display for all to see, when the source and summit of our faith is made manifest and all people of all walks of life stop and watch, including Catholics who have been faithful to the Church their entire lives; this is the moment at which our faith becomes real. We are truly reaching out to those around us, not apologizing for what we believe in, but instead standing up for the truth in all of its difficulty, and holding to the daring orthodoxy that is the basis of our faith. On this day I had the phrase enter my mind, "Let us be warriors for Christ! Let us fight for what we believe in!" And luckily in our nation here in the US, we have the luxury of fighting with words, but I think this has led us not to fight at all. Do we really believe in what we demonstrated this past weekend? How do we show it? As Fr. Ken Wasilewski, who is pictured with the monstrance above challenged us, "How do we show to others that our reception of Christ in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist is truly changing our lives toward Him?" So let us be warriors for the cause of Christ, let us fight for what we believe in, and not fall to the relativism of the world that surrounds us. It is to us, are we up to the challenge? I believe so. Let us go forth and take up our cross!

My thanks are in order to Deacon Chuck Cooper who took the photo(s) I have published above. Thanks also to Fr. Ken Wasilewski and Deacon Bob for the beautiful Corpus Christi celebration that took place this past Sunday. May God bless and keep you, and all of you who have read this post.