Dear Epiphany Parishioners,
This weekend we begin a new spiritual journey in the Church. On this upcoming CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAY (June 19th), the Catholic Church in the United States begins a NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL in all dioceses in the United States and in the hearts of the faithful. It is a three-year Eucharistic Revival that begins this Corpus Christi Sunday. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have asked that we all reflect in our hearts and in our faith on how we can better witness to the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. During this three-year revival, we will deepen our knowledge of the meaning of Christ in the Eucharist that we receive at Mass. The first year of the Eucharistic Revival will be on the level of the diocese, during which the Archdiocese will lead us in our reflection on our personal love of the Eucharist. On the Feast of Corpus Christi next year, the second phase of the Eucharistic Revival will focus on the level of the parish, during which Epiphany will do our part to continue to foster devotion of the Eucharist in our parish. Then, on July 17-21, 2024, the Catholic Church of the U.S. will hold a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis to re-consecrate our hearts to the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. From there until Pentecost 2025, we will invoke the Holy Spirit’s guidance to share the gift of our Eucharistic Lord to the world. There is a timeline of the Eucharistic Revival attached for your review and reflection.
There will be plenty of time to discern our part in this wonderful Eucharistic movement in our faith and in our country. For now, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, we will do good to reflect on how we can offer better reverence to the Eucharist in our lives. There are certain practices we may have fallen away from due to the pandemic and due to getting caught up in the everyday challenges of our lives. We can begin with reminding ourselves to only receive the Eucharist worthily (that has always been our faith). We should prepare our hearts to receive the Eucharist by arriving early to Mass to pray; also, keeping our one hour fast before receiving Communion at Mass (that is one hour before receiving Communion, it does not have to be one hour before Mass starts). We will dress appropriately for Mass and every time we enter the Church, with reverence knowing we are in the presence of the Real Presence of Christ.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our devoted Eucharistic Ministers who have served during the pandemic. If we can think back a few months, the EMHCs were really on the front lines in helping with distributing Communion when we returned to church during the pandemic. On the Feast of Corpus Christi, I can remind you of the practices and norms of receiving Communion that will help us all out, especially the Eucharistic Ministers. First, even if we are wearing a mask at Mass, we need to be sure to immediately consume the consecrated host upon receiving it in the hand. We have an understandable concern that people do not leave with the Eucharist still in hand when they receive it. You can help with that by being mindful of consuming the Eucharist immediately. Also, if you are receiving on the tongue, you are reminded to extend your tongue so that the Eucharistic Minister can safely place it on your tongue and not have to insert it in your mouth. An easy way to remember it is that the Minister of Holy Communion is distributing the Host “on the tongue” not in your mouth. Also, we are reminded that as we arrive at the front of the Communion line, we should make a bow of the head as a gesture of reverence as the person in front of us is receiving Communion before we ourselves receive Communion. The way we receive Communion as a community, with charity and reverence, is a good start to reviving our true reverence to the Real Presence of Christ.
There will be plenty of time to continue to deepen our understanding and reverence of the Eucharist in our lives and in our church during this National Eucharistic Revival. Our Sunday bulletin and parish website will be updated throughout this spiritual journey of spiritual revival. Let us pray that by worthily receiving the Body of Christ, we can be faithful members of the Mystical Body of Christ, that is the Church.
Devoted yours in Christ,
Fr. Tom Lam
Pastor