Active Membership Pillar: Faithful Participation at Sunday Mass and Holy Days

Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi - the celebration of the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist. In the letter to the Corinthians, we hear the inspired words of St. Paul, “… on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life.” It is the ultimate example of how we are all called to be nourished by the Body of Christ.

In July 2024, the Church in the United States held a Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis to conclude a multi-year effort for Eucharistic Revival. Statistics showed that over 30% of Catholics had not returned to the Church after the pandemic and that a majority of even Mass going Catholics did not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. These efforts helped as over 50,000 people attended the Eucharistic Congress and more than 250,000 people participated in Eucharistic processions following the Blessed Sacrament in four pilgrimage routes converging in Indianapolis. The Marian Route passed through Milwaukee on June 23, 2024. Archbishop Listecki led hundreds, including many from our parish, on a 6.7-mile Eucharistic procession from the Cathedral of St. John to Saint Francis de Sales Seminary with stops for prayer and hymns of praise at four local parishes in the heart of Milwaukee. Archbishop Listecki and other priests carried the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament along the route. By their participation, the walkers showed their belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Let us, too, “remember” at every Mass, the words of Jesus in Corinthians “this is my body, that is for you.” He is truly present in the Eucharist.