Beloved in Christ,
A lot of commotion was created last week over mocking the Last Supper, a pivotal Christian mystery, at the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris. The sad occurrence has strengthened my appreciation for the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. Whether the mockery was a subtle one, as some of us perceived, or, as the secular world and some Christians argued, a misunderstanding of the Greek Dionysius festival by Christians, the fact remains that it generated a lavish response from many Catholic bishops, condemning the despicable display and encouraging Catholics to speak up and offer reparations for the blasphemous act. On the heels of the National Eucharist Congress, a living testimony to a renaissance of our Catholic faith and devotion to the Real Presence, the bizarre Olympic opening ceremony spurred me to an added passion for the Sacred Liturgy. It gingered me to spend additional time this past week adoring the Blessed Sacrament as reparation for the abuses directed at Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
I encourage you to do likewise. Let the dishonor displayed against the Sacred Mystery in the secular space and culture increase or inspire greater love and devotion to the Eucharist and an opportunity to pray for the conversion of the ignorant, secular world to Faith. Do attend mass more frequently, approach Jesus in His Sacred presence in the tabernacle in our church with more reverence, and give more time to Eucharistic adoration. We have more and more opportunities provided in our parish to offer frequent devotion to the Eucharistic Lord. I expose the Blessed Sacrament for adoration from 7:00 am to 7:55 am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. There is another period of adoration on Thursday from 6:30-7:00 pm. Our monthly hour of Eucharistic adoration in songs and silence comes up tomorrow, Monday, at 7:00 pm. I am pleading again with families to attend this monthly parish adoration. If we want our children to grow up loving Jesus personally in the Eucharist, our monthly Eucharistic adoration provides an opportunity to fulfill that goal. I am impressed with the attendance at daily masses this past week and expect the attendance to keep getting better. Be generous with your time; Jesus awaits you at mass. You cannot outdo Jesus in generosity.
August is a spectacular month, not just because it's the month of my birth but because each of its thirty-one days celebrates a special feast of our Lord, our Lady, or a saint. This month, in particular, is a traditional period to intensify our devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I encourage you to attach additional importance to honoring our Lady by praying the rosary daily and imitating her life of obedience to God.
This weekend, our parish welcomes Fr. John Baptist Opargiw, MCCJ, a Ugandan, as he preaches a mission appeal on behalf of the Comboni Missionary. It's important to remember that all Catholics are called to support mission work worldwide. This is part of our sacred duty to the spreading of the Gospel. I urge you to be generous in supporting Fr. John Baptist's mission appeal. Thank you.
See you next week as we continue our catechesis on the Mystery of the Mass. I will explore the Liturgy of the Word biblically and historically. Ours must remain what St. Anselm of Canterbury describes as faith seeking understanding (Fides quaerens intellectum). The more we understand, the better our approach to Eucharistic worship.
In the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
A lot of commotion was created last week over mocking the Last Supper, a pivotal Christian mystery, at the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris. The sad occurrence has strengthened my appreciation for the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. Whether the mockery was a subtle one, as some of us perceived, or, as the secular world and some Christians argued, a misunderstanding of the Greek Dionysius festival by Christians, the fact remains that it generated a lavish response from many Catholic bishops, condemning the despicable display and encouraging Catholics to speak up and offer reparations for the blasphemous act. On the heels of the National Eucharist Congress, a living testimony to a renaissance of our Catholic faith and devotion to the Real Presence, the bizarre Olympic opening ceremony spurred me to an added passion for the Sacred Liturgy. It gingered me to spend additional time this past week adoring the Blessed Sacrament as reparation for the abuses directed at Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
I encourage you to do likewise. Let the dishonor displayed against the Sacred Mystery in the secular space and culture increase or inspire greater love and devotion to the Eucharist and an opportunity to pray for the conversion of the ignorant, secular world to Faith. Do attend mass more frequently, approach Jesus in His Sacred presence in the tabernacle in our church with more reverence, and give more time to Eucharistic adoration. We have more and more opportunities provided in our parish to offer frequent devotion to the Eucharistic Lord. I expose the Blessed Sacrament for adoration from 7:00 am to 7:55 am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. There is another period of adoration on Thursday from 6:30-7:00 pm. Our monthly hour of Eucharistic adoration in songs and silence comes up tomorrow, Monday, at 7:00 pm. I am pleading again with families to attend this monthly parish adoration. If we want our children to grow up loving Jesus personally in the Eucharist, our monthly Eucharistic adoration provides an opportunity to fulfill that goal. I am impressed with the attendance at daily masses this past week and expect the attendance to keep getting better. Be generous with your time; Jesus awaits you at mass. You cannot outdo Jesus in generosity.
August is a spectacular month, not just because it's the month of my birth but because each of its thirty-one days celebrates a special feast of our Lord, our Lady, or a saint. This month, in particular, is a traditional period to intensify our devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I encourage you to attach additional importance to honoring our Lady by praying the rosary daily and imitating her life of obedience to God.
This weekend, our parish welcomes Fr. John Baptist Opargiw, MCCJ, a Ugandan, as he preaches a mission appeal on behalf of the Comboni Missionary. It's important to remember that all Catholics are called to support mission work worldwide. This is part of our sacred duty to the spreading of the Gospel. I urge you to be generous in supporting Fr. John Baptist's mission appeal. Thank you.
See you next week as we continue our catechesis on the Mystery of the Mass. I will explore the Liturgy of the Word biblically and historically. Ours must remain what St. Anselm of Canterbury describes as faith seeking understanding (Fides quaerens intellectum). The more we understand, the better our approach to Eucharistic worship.
In the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
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