September 18, 2020

Dear friends in Christ,

Archbishop Etienne’s pastoral letter, The Eucharist: The Work of Redemption, establishes this year through Corpus Christi 2021 as a year of the Eucharist. The Archbishop is calling upon us to deepen our understanding of this mystery which is central to our faith and to improve our celebration of it.

We can do this both personally and as a parish. So, throughout this year we will be providing resources and events to help in going deeper in our appreciation of the Eucharist and to assist us in celebrating this mystery more profoundly.  To this end, each month I am going to devote one of my weekly emails to some aspect of the Eucharist.  

In the introduction to his pastoral letter, Archbishop Etienne reminds us that the Eucharist is, “..the heart of our faith and the center of our parish life,” and that “the Eucharist is an inexhaustible source of grace, the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s dying and rising daily renewed for our salvation and for the salvation of the whole world. The Eucharist is the living presence of Christ in our midst.”  The Eucharist is everything. It is a profound encounter with Jesus Christ enfleshed in the Eucharist.  In this time of COVID, we have realized, as never before, how important this encounter is.  It has been particularly painful for many, to be separated from the Mass - the font of life-  or only able to experience the Mass virtually.

Mass, is, in its essence, participatory. It involves, mind, body, heart and soul.  Jesus, after all, commands us: “Do this in memory of me!”  He asks us, through the Church, to keep Sunday holy as a day of rest and of worship, to faithfully assemble (these days either virtually or in-person) to offer the Mass, to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, to allow Christ to join our meager sacrifices to His, and to offer thanks and praise to our heavenly Father. 

In so many things in life, especially in relationships, in family life, the most important thing is to show up. So, it is with the Eucharist. Vatican II had as one of its primary aims for the liturgy, the object of encouraging full, active, and conscious participation in the Mass. But tragically, weekly Mass attendance has gone from nearly 75% in 1955 to less than 30% before COVID.  

What are we do? How are we to change this?  Well, I think it begins with our own personal conversion. Are we convinced that we cannot live without Sunday, without the Mass? Are we convinced that the Eucharist is an encounter with Jesus, the living God; and that we need a relationship with Him in the Eucharist more than any other priority in our life?

Because He made us, we belong to Him, and He redeemed us and saved us on the Cross.

Do we realize that we cannot do this life well or expect eternal life in the life to come without a relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist? And having renewed our conviction, what we all need to do is to make participating in Mass, either virtually or in-person, hold first place on Sunday. Every time we leave home for Mass, it is an act of faith and it is an act of witness. It is a witness to family, friends, and to the world that we believe the truth that Jesus comes us, really and truly present, every time we celebrate Eucharist. The world needs this witness.

Over the past few months, we have been encouraged to “stay home and stay healthy” with good reason.  It is still the case that those older and more vulnerable should avoid public outings.  But it has also been shown that if people wear masks, maintain social distance, and frequently wash their hands, the general public can stay safe.  So, I am asking you, if you are not in the vulnerable categories, to strongly consider coming back to in-person Sunday Mass. If you are older or in a vulnerable category, please make participation via Livestream a priority, or at least pray over the Sunday readings. The Eucharist is too important to our faith. Why did Jesus command us to, “Do this in memory of me!”?  Wasn’t it so that we would never forget what He has done for us?  Wasn’t it so that we would never forget that everything comes from God? The world needs our witness that God is to be worshipped above all things.  The world needs our witness to the power and presence of God in Sunday Mass.  

Some special announcements:

Confessions at St Jude this Saturday will be indoors and will be 3 PM to 4 PM.  The time has to change this weekend because of the special Mass at 5 PM. Please note this adjusted time for this weekend only.

This weekend we welcome Archbishop Etienne to 5 PM Vigil Mass to confer the Ministry of Acolyte on 21 deacon candidates from around the diocese in preparation for their ordination to the diaconate this coming December.  Please pray for them, especially our own deacon candidate from St. Jude, Reuben D’sa. Please also note that space is more limited at this Mass this weekend and we will not be able to accommodate walk-ins at this Mass.  

We have two special collections going on this weekend via on-line:

1. The Campaign for Human Development which funds poverty alleviation efforts in the US.

2. The special collection for the victims of the Hurricane and fires being taken up for Catholic Charities USA/Disaster Relief.  Please be as generous as you can especially for the victims of the fires, so many of whom have lost their homes.

Blessings on your week,

Father Johnson