Dear Parish Family,
Our world is full of many beautiful buildings. From the seventeenth century Taj Mahal in India, Burj Al Arab, Dubai, UAE to the New One World Trade Center in New York City, there is a wealth of architectural beauty all over the globe. There are many beautiful buildings dedicated to the glory of God that top most of lists of architectural masterpieces. Some of these buildings contain a beauty that surpasses their architecture feats and interior design. These are Catholic Churches. Whether we are in Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, St. Peter’s in Rome, Cathedral of Antwerp which took 170 years to complete or in a tiny Catholic Church in a remote village in a mission land, when we walk into a Catholic Church we are overwhelmed by something infinitely greater than interior design, we are overwhelmed by something, Someone, present in the church. We are moved by the Holy Presence. We come before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Our Churches are far more than fellowship halls. Many times I have to open our Church to visitors and inevitably they express an awe of appreciation. The Church is NOT JUST a place of prayer. Our Churches are tabernacles of the Living God in the Eucharist. When I was preparing this reflection I had a flashback to something my younger brother always did: every time he passed in front of a Catholic Church, he would let go of his hand from the motorcycle, which scared me as I was the pillion rider, and reverently would make the sign of the cross. With this simple action, he reminded himself that Jesus is present there in the tabernacle.
During the Paschal Triduum, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil, the Eucharist is removed from the tabernacle as we recall the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. Perhaps you attended these liturgies, walked into the church, saw the opened tabernacle and felt the emptiness of a world that rejected its Savior. Perhaps you felt a longing for the Eucharistic Presence. When at the conclusion of the Easter Vigil, the priests and deacons placed the consecrated hosts back in the tabernacle, genuflect and then close the tabernacle door, you may have felt a relief that the Lord is once more present in our Church in the unique way of Sacramental Presence.
Whether it’s during Eucharistic Adoration on a retreat, or simply recognizing the presence of the Lord in the tabernacle when we enter Church, the Holy Presence washes over us. This celebration of Corpus Christi is given to us to remind us that the great gift of the Eucharist is a holy mystery. This is Jesus, present in a way beyond our understanding. We take Him into ourselves when we receive communion. We are united to Him sacrificing Himself on the Cross for each of us and all of us when we pray the Mass in its fullness and eat the Sacred Meal. We come before His Presence whenever we are in a sanctuary where the Eucharist is reposed in a tabernacle. The only ‘call to reverence’ is the flickering Tabernacle lamp and our gurgling baptismal fountain! So we need to call ourselves to reverence the ONE who was present with the Father and the Spirit at the creation of the universe. He is present with the angels and saints in heaven. He is present here in the Blessed Sacrament. Our excitement in meeting fellow worshippers as we come into the Church should not distract us from His Holy Presence . Today, we thank God for the gift of the Eucharist, and we ask Him to help us grow in reverence for this great sacrament. When people ask you, ‘Why do you go to Church?” just tell them, ‘I have the privilege of being invited to share some time with the God I will spent eternity with.’
Fr. Tom Kunnel C.O.