Friends,
I’m writing this on the longest day of the year, here in the northern hemisphere…. Did you get out and enjoy the day, today? Sometimes it’s easy to miss the really wonderful things in our lives, just because they are ordinary.
This Sunday is the feast of Corpus Christi, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Yaay! Back at Corpus we used to celebrate this day as the birthday of the parish. The Body of Christ is both the Eucharist, and all of us together who make up this wonderful body, the hands and feet and heart and lungs and voice and eyes of God in the world. It’s a good day to remember that we are one body, even though we may worship God differently, or understand what’s going on in the celebration of the Eucharist differently. Sometimes I get asked about that, because it’s often a dividing point between Protestants and Catholics.
Here’s what I always say: I do believe that God is truly present in the Eucharist. Absolutely, truly present. I also believe that God is truly present in you and me, in that tree and this flower, in the sun and the moon and in every cell of every living thing. I believe that what happens when we celebrate the Eucharist is that we become aware of the reality that is already there. The veil gets stripped away and we can be for a bit in the wonder and awe of an awareness that would be hard to walk around in. Everything cries holy, yet we still have to wash the dishes.
Imagine if we had the same reverence for every person that we have for that little white disc of bread. We should! Every person we meet is as infused with the presence of God as the bread of the Eucharist. Just as profoundly holy, every one. Every annoying, smelly, needy, lying, cheating , you-name-it one. A carrier of God. Julian of Norwich said there is no between in our relationship with God. Nothing in between us. God is as close as our breath, the energy driving our cells, the light that gets turned into food by photosynthesis. Thomas Merton said that we don’t know that we’re all walking around shining like the sun. Glory, glory!
Bask in the light of this time of year…. And remember, that light is in you and in me. Let the Eucharist be a reminder that everything cries holy.
We had a pretty wonderful experience this past Thursday, going out west of the city to celebrate Mass with some Migrant workers, there. Many thanks to Librada Paz who helped with interpretation. I was delighted that Linda, Marty and Caroline came. We met Pedro, Santiago, Rafael and several other people and had a lovely Mass together. We will leave St Joe’s at 7 pm again this Thursday, and every Thursday until the days get shorter and we move the time of Mass earlier. Hooray for this new ministry! Keep us in your prayers, please.
Blessings and love to all, Chava
Some dates to save in July:
On Sunday, July 17 at 2 pm, Jeff Wilson will give a concert at Mary Magdalene Church in East Rochester. $10 and sure to be a wonderful time!
Friday, July 22 at 7pm, the Center for Sustainable Living will present a dvd on Thomas Berry at St Joe’s, followed by a talk and discussion led by Tim McGowan. Free – come and join us!
“Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,
which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished.”
- Mary Oliver
Oscar Romero Church
An Inclusive Church in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620