“This is my body which is given for you” (Lk 22:19). “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mk 14:24). These solemn words which have forever changed the degree of intimacy possible between God and man were first uttered by Jesus at his Last Supper. In these words we can say that Jesus performed his greatest miracle for through these words and the power of God simple bread and wine was really and wholly changed into the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. It is already of the greatest mysteries of our faith that God became man. It is another thing most wonderful to have bread and wine become God.
Happy Feast of Corpus Christi to all of you! “Corpus Christi” is Latin for “the body of Christ.” This feast day celebrates in a special way the truth that Jesus is really present to us in sacramental form through the Eucharist and the enormous gift this is to us. Our belief in this is so certain that we even worship the Most Holy Eucharist because we know it is not a thing but a Person, Jesus Christ our God. Who are we that our God should come so close to us? Again, happy Feast of Corpus Christi!
On that blessed night of His Last Supper, Jesus followed up the words written above with the command to his Apostles to “Do this in remembrance of me.” His command was for the Apostles to do precisely what Jesus just did, namely, by the power and authority of Jesus Christ, to work the same miracle of changing the bread and wine into His body, blood, soul, and divinity. Thus, the Church has always seen in this command of Jesus the institution of the Priesthood of the New Covenant, which is to say the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. Forevermore the priesthood and the Eucharist would be inseparably linked.
On this occasion of celebrating the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, how fitting it is, then, to humbly announce to you that the Archbishop has officially asked me to become the Pastor of the churches of St. Mary’s, St. Henry’s, Nativity, and Immaculate Conception of Marysburg for the next 6 years. My heart is joyful and at peace as I embrace this God-given mission. I also am experiencing I believe an healthy amount of trepidation as I know that it was also at His Last Supper that Jesus got down on His knees in order to wash the feet of His Apostles, forever linking the priesthood to humble, self-sacrificing love. In a real way, as the priest repeats the words of Jesus “This is my body” and “This is my blood” given for you, he does so not only on behalf of Jesus but they also become his own words spoken to his parishioners.
Therefore, I make it my prayer to Mary, St. Joseph, all the angels and saints, and to our Blessed Lord that I might receive an unmistakable share in the priestly heart of Jesus Christ. May God grant me the grace to be like the Good Shepherd in whose ministry I share. Further, may He grant me the grace to learn how to become a true disciple by relying always on the help of His most perfect disciple, Mary. I ask you for your prayers, and I promise to pray for you as I always do.
I conclude by thanking you for receiving me with such warmth over the last two years, the first of which I served as Parochial Vicar (Assistant Pastor with Fr. Shofner) and this past year as Parochial Administrator. My time with you has indeed been blessed, and I so look forward to journeying together closer to Jesus Christ as a family united in Him.