CORPUS CHRISTI

                                              THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that those who believe in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting." John 3:14

In the year 1208, an Augustinian nun from the city of Liege in Belgium experienced a mysterious vision. While in prayer, Blessed Juliana of Cornillon saw a full moon, the disc darkened in one area. An interior message two years later revealed that the moon was a figure of the Church. The dark line passing over it had veiled some of its brightness: signifying that Our Lord desired a great feast day in honor of the Blessed Sacrament (separate from Holy Thursday) in order to complete its glory. Corpus et Sanguis Christi or The Body and Blood of Christ was established as a feast of the Blessed Sacrament in 1246 by Bishop Robert de Thorte of Liege. In 1264, Pope Urban IV extended this feast to the Universal Church. Years before her death in 1258, Juliana communicated this” mystifying vision” to the archdeacon of Liege, Jacques Panaleon. Little did they both know at the time that he would later become Pope Urban IV, and that he would be the figure in history to announce to the entire church; what the Lord spoke interiorly to Blessed Juliana. As our parish embarks on the wonderful gift of Perpetual Adoration in the beautiful new chapel, let us open our minds and hearts to some of the benefits of becoming an adorer:

“When, in adoration, we look at the consecrated Host, the sign of creation speaks to us. And so, we encounter the greatness of His gift; but we also encounter the Passion, the Cross of Jesus and His Resurrection. Through this gaze of adoration, He draws us toward himself, within His mystery, through which He wants to transform us as He transformed the Host.” Pope Benedict XVI

It should go together with worship in Mass so that our love may be complete.” Blessed Pope John Paul II

“Being such a powerhouse of grace, Perpetual Adoration extends its influence far beyond the individual adorers, touching their homes and families and reaching out to the parish community and beyond.” Pope Paul VI

“In the Blessed Sacrament a heavenly school is open to you, with the best teacher one can possibly imagine, Jesus Christ himself.” Blessed Pope John XXIII

Sources:

Groeshel, Father Benedict, In the Presence of Our Lord

The Real Presence.org

St. Monica Perpetual Adoration Association

Time Spent in Adoration

                                              EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

"The purpose of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is not only to awaken a sense of wonderment and adoration as we dwell on the reality of the presence of Christ before us. It also brings to mind the benefits that can be derived... it is often said today that through exposition we are exposed to the Blessed Sacrament in such a way as to receive the abundant fruits that come with the life-giving Presence of Christ given for the life of the world." ~ Fr. Roland Huot (1910 to 2006)

Every Thursday the Blessed Sacrament is exposed from 8:30am until the 6:50pm Benediction service, followed by 7pm mass. You are invited to come every Thursday to experience the wonderment of our Lord. You are invited and encouraged to sit in joyful adoration of the true presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Dwell on the reality that it is Jesus before you. Receive the abundant fruits He has to offer. He is patiently waiting. Time spent in adoration can be a real way to decompress from the day-to-day busyness of our lives.

In Jesus and Mary,

Kim Morton

SPENDING TIME IN SOLITUDE WITH JESUS

EUCHARIST ADORATION

You are Peter, upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matt 16:18)

A few years before adorer Becky Boswell converted to Catholicism: she ardently attended weekly Holy Hours on Thursday at our parish. Surprisingly, Becky discovered the value of spending time in the Real Presence of Our Lord, as an Episcopalian. We know from Becky’s example that the Lord will even invite someone of another denomination to spend time in prayer with Him in Eucharistic Adoration. As faithful Catholic men and women, we too can renew our spiritual lives by spending time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. No matter what your schedule may look like: the Lord will always grant us the desire of our heart in wanting to spend more time with Him, if we truly want this. We only need to ask for the grace to do so, and then make a commitment to be in solitude with Him: adoring Him in His Real Presence.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. (Cor.2:19)

FROM ADORER BECKY BOSWELL:

“Before health issues changed and challenged my life, everyday was the best because I could attend daily mass and Adoration on Thursday. The truth is known to me, despite these changes, everyday is still the best due to the invitation by Jesus to experience Adoration, which leads to prayerful and spiritual growth. Through the blessed intervention of our Lord, I learned how to become an empty vessel and to fill myself with the glorified Jesus through prayer. The enlightenment of the journey is a direct result of my time spent in the Real Presence, yes, in Adoration. As I ponder the depth of my being, I can substantiate that through the growth of my prayer life, I am one with Jesus and grounded in my spiritual life as I pray for the Church and others. The Lord is inviting you to spend time with Him. He is waiting for you to adore Him in the Real Presence.” –B.B.

“If you say the Holy Rosary every day, with a spirit of faith and love, our Lady will make sure she leads you very far along her Son’s path.”- St. Josemaria Escriva

In Jesus and Mary,

Kathy Miller

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION FOR LIFE

                                       EUCHARISTIC ADORATION FOR LIFE

Each of us is Willed, Each of us is Loved, Each of us Necessary.”- Pope Benedict XVI

Our Nation was once great in that it resonated liberty and justice for all. However, we currently live in a culture of death that persistently excuses the horrors of abortion, and equally disheartening is attempts to dull the minds and hearts of those who are immersed in this culture. As Adorers of Christ, we can make a “Holy Hour for Life” this Thursday during Adoration. To do this simply keep in mind that as you walk, bike or drive to church to set aside one hour to pray :there is also a woman in agony, somewhere at the same time as you on her way to an abortion mill to terminate the life of her child. Ask Our Lord in His Real Presence during your Holy Hour to spare the life of that unborn child, and for the end of abortion in this country and the world. Please join adorers on the third Thursday of the month in dedicating their prayers for the sanctity of Life during Eucharistic Adoration.

“The devil strains every nerve to secure the souls which belong to Christ. We should not grudge our toil in wresting them from Satan and giving them back to God.” -- St. Sebastian

In Jesus and Mary,

Kathy Miller

PRAY FOR VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD AND RELIGIOUS LIFE

ADORE JESUS IN THE MONSTRANCE BLESSED BY POPE JOHN PAUL II ON THURSDAY, MAY 12 FROM 8:30-7:00 P.M.

PRAY FOR VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD AND RELIGIOUS LIFE.

 “To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it.”- Mother Teresa

As adorers of Christ, we are blessed with the privilege to pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. The ten seminarians in our diocese can only benefit from our prayers, so let us be generous with our time before the Lord in His Real Presence. Also, please continue to pray for those called to the consecrated life, for as Blessed Pope John Paul II points out: it is a vocation that mirrors Christ’s own way of life.

What is a priest “A man who holds the place of God - a man who is invested with all the powers of God. 'Go,' said Our Lord to the priest; 'as My Father sent Me, I send you. All power has been given Me in Heaven and on earth. Go then, teach all nations. He who listens to you, listens to Me; he who despises you despises Me.' When the priest remits sins, he does not say, 'God pardons you'; he says, 'I absolve you.' At the Consecration, he does not say, 'This is the Body of Our Lord;' he says, 'This is My Body.' If we had not the Sacrament of Orders, we should not have Our Lord. Who placed Him there, in that tabernacle? It was the priest. Who was it that received your soul, on its entrance into life? The priest. Who nourishes it, to give it strength to make its pilgrimage? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, by washing that soul, for the last time, in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest - always the priest. And if that soul comes to the point of death, who will raise it up, who will restore it to calmness and peace? Again the priest. You cannot recall one single blessing from God without finding, side by side with this recollection, the image of the priest."-St. John Vianney

“As a way of showing forth the Church's holiness, it is to be recognized that the consecrated life, which mirrors Christ's own way of life, has an objective superiority. Precisely for this reason, it is an especially rich manifestation of Gospel values and a more complete expression of the Church's purpose, which is the sanctification of humanity. The consecrated life proclaims and in a certain way anticipates the future age, when the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven, already present in its first fruits and in mystery,[62] will be achieved and when the children of the resurrection will take neither wife nor husband, but will be like the angels of God (cf. Mt. 22:30)”-Blessed Pope John Paul II, Vita Consecrata, no.32

To learn more about vocations visit the diocesan website at http://www.dcgary.org/vocations-understanding.htm

In Jesus and Mary,

Kathy Miller