Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle

You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

As Christians, we are all part of a community of saints. We are members of God’s household and as such we have certain responsibilities to God and to others. We are asked to think, speak, and act in accord with the teachings of Jesus Christ as given to us through the Scriptures. We are also called to follow the traditions of the Church as handed down to us through the Apostles. The Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus stand at the heart of what it means to be part of the community of saints. It is Christ who holds us together and supports us as we build ourselves and each other into living temples to God’s Glory. It is when we imitate this Beloved Son, our Lord, that we become the holiest of holies and make our hearts into homes for the Holy Spirit.

How are we living out our calling to be a part of the community of saints? Are we fulfilling our responsibilities to God and to others? What can we do to build up the temple of God both in the Church and others?

O Lord, build us into dwelling places for your Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is the reason we come to mass. Gathering together as a community is important, but it is the Holy Communion that unites us in faith. Listening to the Scriptures is enlightening and uplifting, but it is the Blessed Sacrament that gives us the grace to fulfill God’s Will. The best way to meditate upon the mysteries of the Incarnation, Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is to receive the Divine Bread and Wine he blessed so long ago. The centrality of the Eucharist to our faith is undeniable. We must eat of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ if we want to be a part of God’s Kingdom and rise to eternal life with Jesus. It is also through this Blessed Sacrament that we welcome God into our lives. And if we are sincere in our reception of the Eucharist, then God will remain with us in a special way, providing us with many graces we can get nowhere else and that will carry us forth into the world.

Do we place our focus on the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ whenever we go to mass? How do we show God respect and sincerity before, during, and after our reception of the Blessed Sacrament? In what ways do we cultivate the graces of the Eucharist?

O Lord, you are our true food and drink. Remain with us forever and ever.

Amen.