Letter from the Pastor
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June 22, 2025The solemnities of Pentecost, Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi, a beautiful way to end the Easter Season and to begin summer. These three feasts are closely linked. Up until Vatican II, Pentecost had its own Octave=8 straight days of celebration similar to Easter and Christmas. No one seems to know why the octave for Pentecost was lost. Trinity Sunday was the 8th day and the reason it is the last day to fulfill your Easter Duty. Every Catholic must receive Holy Communion at least once a year, if possible. Corpus Christi, in most of the world, is observed on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, though, in the United States, it is transferred to the following Sunday.
Pentecost is the celebration of the Holy Spirit, and the Birthday of the Church. The life of the Church began on Pentecost. And living the Christian lifestyle always begins with the Holy Spirit. Whatever good we do, whatever witness we bear to the truth and goodness, begins under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit. We tend to forget that any good we do or say is prompted by the Holy Spirit. Of course, we are free to follow Him or not. The sacraments are effective because the Holy Spirit works through them. All of God’s graces come to us from the Holy Spirit.
That leads us to the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is not a puzzle that we try to solve; rather it is a mystery we enter into. The human person is a mystery. We can never fully understand another person including ourselves. St. John tells us, God is Love (1 John 4:8). God doesn’t love, God is Love. Love is never self-centered, but always giving and sacrificing. God’s love then is a communion of persons, which is what the Trinity is. The Father loves absolutely, “begetting” his Son from eternity. The Son responds in love to the Father absolutely from all eternity. From where their love meets “proceeds” the Holy Spirit, from the Father and the Son. One God, Three Divine Persons, all equal in power and majesty, yet distinct. Confused? Good. St. Augustine remarked, “If you comprehend God, then it is not Him!”
So God is Love, and we are made in the image and likeness of that God. That is why, only human beings have the capacity to love and be loved. When we are baptized we enter into the Trinity, and He makes His dwelling within us.
Finally, today we celebrate Corpus Christi. Our Lord while here on earth promised to remain with us until the end of time. He does so, not as a mere symbol or a memory, but Himself, the true Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, the whole Person given to us. In the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus really and truly is here, and not just a reminder of Him. The Eucharist will always give us God’s life.
In the 13th century, St. Juliana, a Belgian nun, experienced a vision of the moon with a dark spot. Our Lord revealed to her that the dark spot indicated that the Church needed a separate feast of the Eucharist. The Church celebrated the institution of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday, but Holy Thursday points to Jesus’ passion and death and begins the Easter Triduum. Through Sister Juliana’s efforts, in 1264 Pope Urban IV commanded that the entire Church observe the feast of Corpus Christi. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote the Mass prayers and hymns for this feast, including the Sequence at Mass. Corpus Christi focuses on adoration and belief in the Real Presence.
To receive Holy Communion worthily, we must recognize that we are receiving the true and real Christ. Eucharistic Adoration and the Mass offer opportunities to recognize and adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. When we receive Communion, the priest, deacon, or extraordinary minister holds up the host and says, “The Body of Christ,” Corpus Christi. We respond by saying “Amen” which means “I believe that I am receiving Christ.” This is the reason why a Catholic can never receive “communion” in a Protestant Church, because they don’t believe in the Real Presence of Jesus, nor do they have a valid priesthood.
Other aspects of receiving Holy Communion, we tend to forget; we must be free from serious sin, fast from all food (including gum and mints) and drink (water and medicine are the exceptions) for 1 hour prior to receiving Holy Communion. And we also should return to our pew and offer to God a prayer of thanksgiving. When we receive Holy Communion, it is the closest we will ever get to Heaven here on earth.
As we began summer last Friday, these beautiful feasts help us prepare for the summer and eternity. Next Sunday we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Apostles of Rome: SS. Peter and Paul, a rare occurrence.