As this message whirls through cyber space at 9:39 a.m. on Friday, 16 June 2017, Pluto has revolved around the sun eight times since Jesus died for us (if He died at 3 p.m. on Friday, 3 April 33).
From the Plutonian perspective, that's quite recent. Before the ninth revolution is complete, we might be exploring Alpha Centauri. Perhaps in 10,000 A.D., Trappist monks will be marveling in their monastery on Trappist-1f that they're just 12 parsecs (39.5 light years) from Sol and the planet where the second person of the Blessed Trinity became incarnate. They may wonder what it was like to be an early Christian during those first three millennia. St. John Paul the Great might be considered an Early Church Father.Physics in 2017 still cannot bring together (Theory of Everything) the very big (astrophysics) with the very small (quantum mechanics). When it comes to all of reality (more than just the observable universe), we have Someone who does unite. Jesus brings together the divine and human. He is near to us whether we're on Earth or orbiting Alpha Crucis in the Crux (Southern Cross) constellation. He recently became incarnate whether we live in 1 A.D., 2017 A.D., or 1,000,000 A.D.
We just celebrated Trinity Sunday. We know that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit come to dwell in our souls from the moment of baptism. This Sunday (which will be eight Plutonian years after Jesus rose from the dead), we celebrate Corpus Christi, the solemnity of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.
While Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday, the commemoration of Corpus Christi emphasizes the joyful aspect of that institution. At every Mass we have an opportunity to enter deeply into the sacred mysteries that took place eight Plutonian years ago and are made present to us now. We're tasting Heaven, participating in the Heavenly liturgy, the wedding feast of the Lamb.
In between Masses we can visit the Blessed Sacrament in any of the tabernacles throughout the world. Occasionally, we can see him in the Host in the monstrance. At Visitation, we'll have this opportunity this Sunday after the 12:30 p.m. Mass. Come and see Jesus, adore Him, pour out your hearts to Him, open your minds to Him, listen to Him.
"In the humble signs of bread and wine, changed into his body and blood, Christ walks beside us as our strength and our food for the journey, and he enables us to become, for everyone, witnesses of hope."
St. John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 61.Our FORMED Recommendation for the Week
A talk by Dr. Scott Hahn, "The Body and Blood of Christ"
https://formed.org/listen/5702c7319f0e77a81afededd
In this informative presentation, Dr. Scott Hahn, a former Presbyterian minister, provides the biblical basis for the Church's teaching on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the significance of the Feast of Corpus Christi, and gives us a greater understanding of our vocation to be the living presence of Christ in the world.
If you haven't done so already, go to www.formed.org, click on the REGISTER button and enter our parish code V8KNDV. Enter your e-mail address on the registration screen and you're good to go!
Do you like these weekly eCommunity mailings and think that family members or friends could benefit? Invite them either by having them text VisitationBrick to 84576 on their smartphone or by signing up on our parish website at http://visitationrcchurch.org/ - we'd love to have them join us!
