June 19, 2022
Dear Friends in Christ,
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), as well as Father’s Day. Fatherhood is a beautiful vocation to love, joy & heartache, expectations & anxiety. It is filled with challenges and, at times crosses, always trying to balance fatherhood with other responsibilities such as work, the household, etc. Pray the prayer for fathers on p. 7.
The Eucharist is the central teaching unique to the Catholic faith. From the beginning, we have held that the Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus & not just a mere symbol. #1374: “The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as ‘the perfection of the spiritual life & the end to which all the sacraments tend.’ In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist ‘the body & blood, together with the soul & divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ &, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, & substantially contained.’ ‘This presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God & man, makes himself wholly & entirely present.”
Pre-Covid, it was the local Archdiocesan guideline that Holy Communion was to be offered under both forms: the Body of Christ (consecrated host) & the Precious Blood (the chalice), but the individual made the decision to receive from the chalice or not. Now, we receive only under the form of the Consecrated Host. The Cardinal will decide in the future when the chalice may become an option again.
But does one receive the whole Christ if one receives Holy Communion under a single form? Yes. Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is wholly present under either form of the Eucharist. Furthermore, Christ is wholly present in any fragment of the consecrated Host or in any drop of the Precious Blood (cf. #1377 & 1390). This is the doctrine of concomitance which states that we receive the full Christ under one form or the other. “It should never be construed, therefore, that Communion under the form of the consecrated host alone or Communion under the Chalice alone is somehow an incomplete act or that Christ is not fully present to the communicant. The Church's unchanging teaching from the time of the Fathers through the ages—notably in the ecumenical councils of Lateran IV, Constance, Florence, Trent, and Vatican II—has witnessed to a constant unity of faith in the presence of Christ in both elements. Clearly there are some pastoral circumstances that require eucharistic sharing in one species only, such as when Communion is brought to the sick or when one is unable to receive either the Body of the Lord or the Precious Blood due to an illness. Even in the earliest days of the Church's life, when Communion under both species was the norm, there were always instances when the Eucharist was received under only the form of the consecrated Host or Chalice. Those who received Holy Communion at home or who were sick would usually receive under only one species, as would the whole Church during the Good Friday Liturgy. Thus, the Church has always taught the doctrine of concomitance, by which we know that under each species alone, the whole Christ is sacramentally present & we ‘receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace.’" (Norms for the Distribution of Holy Communion under Both Forms in Dioceses of the USA). It is interesting that some Episcopalian churches are relying on this teaching of concomitance for their communion under only 1 form during Covid.
This weekend it is the archdiocesan custom that the entire main collection of all parishes goes to St. Mary’s Seminary to support the education of our seminarians so that we will have future priests. Continue to pray for more vocations specifically to the priesthood so that the Eucharist will be available.
As I mentioned last weekend, thank you for all those who generously donate to the parish & DSF. We are doing very well with DSF, but we still need $20,870 more to meet our mandatory amount. Our goal is to meet our mandatory amount in payments & pledges by June 30th. We can do it. Use the QR code on p. 5 or use the DSF envelope in the pews. Make your pledge today.
Pray for much needed, adequate rain to water our dry parched lands: for animals, farm & ranch lands, our yards & landscaping. Pray for those affected by the heat.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us!
Fr. Lawrence W. Jozwiak
St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Community
Pastor
“There is no greater love, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” John 15: 13
“The Cross is the school of love.”
“The most deadly poison of our time is indifference.”
---St. Maximilian Kolbe