Fr. Doug June 2, 2024

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

So often when we think of the Weekday or Sunday Mass, we think only about receiving the host or drinking from the cup and once we do that, everything else is quite unimportant. While these are important actions, the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ sits within a much larger ritual with some rather significant moments that cannot be dismissed without diminishing the Body and Blood.

When we gather physically and participate in the Weekday or Sunday Mass, we encounter Christ in the Priest, in the Assembly, in the Word of God and in the Body and Blood of Christ. When we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus, it is not a personal ritual, it is a communal one. We gather, together; we listen to the Word, together; we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus, together; we give thanks, together. When the Eucharistic Celebration is over, we go out, together, to share the Good News with the whole of creation.

The Celebration of the Eucharist is a public act and so we need to be aware of what others are doing around us. The Celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of our unity in Christ and as such all are welcome. Our hospitality is a sign of our unity with Christ. The Holy Spirit at work in the world reveals the mind and heart of Christ through the priest, through the words and gestures of the Assembly, through our hearing the Word and through the reception of his Body and Blood. We join Jesus in praising God the Father, in asking God for grace and in giving of ourselves. When we gather for Eucharist, we should never hear another say, “I don’t care what others do, I like to, or I will do…” When we take part in the Eucharist, we follow the directions of our pastor and the practice of our parish community. If we are visiting another parish community, we do as the local community does to express our unity as the Body of Christ. We do not say, “Well in our parish we do this and so and therefore here I will do as we always do at my home parish…”

When the Sunday Celebration of the Eucharist is over, God sends us out clothed in the peace and wisdom of Christ, strengthened by Christ to transform the world with his love and mercy. The Sunday Celebration of the Eucharist does not end with our closing song. It is in fact the beginning of our efforts to do as Christ has invited us to do, strengthened us to do. We will do our best throughout the week, and we will return to again be renewed by our connection to the Assembly, the Priest, the Word and the Body and Blood of Jesus.

A Few Things from the Parish:

Celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation – On Tuesday, June 4, Bishop Mark will join us at 7:00 pm to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit in the lives of our candidates for Confirmation. Join us in prayer and in celebration. The Celebration will be followed by donuts and juice. Let us remind the young people of our Parish that this moment in their faith journey is an important one! Let us pray with our Bishop and ask again for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be poured out on our faith community and the people we love.

AGM – Pastoral Ministry – On Sunday, June 9, we will gather after our 10:00 am Mass to remember the work we have done as a Parish this past year. We will recall our celebrations, our outreach, our welcoming, and our growing. We will recall our achievements and our failures, and we will set new goals for ourselves that we might continue the work of joyfully building up the Church. Please join us for this time of remembering and offer your gifts so that our community, which has been a thriving presence for over 60 years, might continue to make visible the work of Jesus in our city.

Congratulations – Nathan and Maria Kaminski brought their child, Lorenzo, to St. Philip Neri on Sunday, May 26, to celebrate the sacrament of baptism. May Lorenzo grow in faith with us as the years unfold.

June is Indigenous History Month – June is set aside as an opportunity for us to delve into and explore the impact of Indigenous and Metis people on our local communities. In 1996, the Governor General proclaimed that Friday, June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day. It is an occasion for Canadians to come together, reflect on and celebrate the unique heritage, traditions, and knowledge of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Peoples.

If you are looking for things to do to help honour the contributions of our Indigenous and Metis brothers and sisters, check out the events being held in Saskatoon:

Annual Events | Saskatoon.ca

Our Parish Truth and Reconciliation Committee also encourages us to look beyond Saskatoon and to consider taking in the “Back to Batoche Days”, that will be held out in Batoche from July 18-21!  More information to come.