Beloved brothers and sisters,
 
                                                                 He is Our Peace
 
Jesus appointed the seventy-two and sent them to proclaim peace to those who will accept it (Lk 10:1-9). Let us reflect briefly on the theme of peace. You must agree with me that our world and, may I add, our Church needs a message of peace today more than ever. Jesus, the prince of peace, wants us to have peace. What is this peace we are talking about? What does it entail? As we hear the priest say in the eucharistic prayers, Jesus comes to give us peace, the type of peace the world cannot give. And we do exchange the sign of peace during mass. This peace flows from Jesus present sacramentally on the altar after consecration. Jesus truly gives us peace.
 
Again, what is the peace that Jesus offers? Are we following Jesus' instruction to the seventy-two to announce and share his peace with the world? Jesus also says to us in the beatitude, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God" (Mt 5:9). Since we are children of God, we should be peacemakers. Jesus wants his followers to spread his peace to all. He is our peace.
 
The catechism of the Catholic Church says the following about peace: "Respect for and development of human life require peace; Peace is not merely the absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of powers between adversaries. 'Peace is the tranquillity of order'. Peace is the work of justice and the effect of charity" (CCC 2304).
 
The tranquility of order. That is the peace of Christ, the peace we need. We need to work according to the order of things defined by God and nature. This can be applied to every facet of our day-to-day living with others. We must sit at the feet of Jesus and learn what peace entails. We must practice peace as Jesus reveals it to us. We need his grace to fly on the wings of justice and charity to bring about peace in our hearts, our family, our parish, our Church, our community, and our world. Let the peace of Christ be shared among us.
 
I write this from Lagos, Nigeria where I am spending most of my annual vacation. It is peaceful here even amidst the traffic and fast life. Even as you hear reports of violence, I am enjoying the peace of Christ. I am with my sisters, nieces and nephews. In the spirit of peace that only Jesus can give, we hope to witness a peaceful union of my niece to her spouse on Thursday and Friday (yes, we have a two-day wedding consisting of traditional and church wedding ceremonies). I look forward to those days. Keep me in your prayers as I do the same for you from Lagos, Nigeria. I miss you all.
 
Peace be with you.
 
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

Beloved brothers and sisters,
 
                                                                                 Follow Me
 
In the gospel for this Sunday’s mass from Lk 9: 51-62, Jesus speaks of the challenging demands of discipleship. First, he says to one, “follow me” (v. 59), and then he makes it clear that following him is based on unconditional love; there is no room for distraction. The conditions for following Jesus are often harsh, but the rewards far outweigh the difficulties. Last Sunday’s Corpus Christi procession after the 10:30 am mass demonstrated following Jesus without counting the cost. Many of our faith-filled parishioners came to mass and walked to the historic church in the sun's heat. We prayed and sang as we carried Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament through the center of Elizabethtown. It was a joyful crowd and lovely sight to behold!
 
I want to say a big thank you to all of you for making it a beautiful witness to our faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Special thanks to those who prepared and participated in the liturgy: the choir, St. Michael’s Guard, altar servers, First Holy communicants, CCW, Men’s Club, Knights of Columbus, sacristan, and other liturgical support.
 
Let me also take a moment to express gratitude for all the cash support and kindness toward my vacation to Nigeria. I am writing this from JFK airport as I wait to board a Delta flight to Lagos. By the time you read this, I should have arrived in Nigeria a couple of days already and enjoyed special moments with my family and friends after a six-year hiatus. So keep me in your prayers as I do the same for you. I already miss you all.
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

Beloved brothers and sisters,
                                                                      In Remembrance of Me
​
Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and the Holy Priesthood at the same time on Holy Thursday. It has been a Christian doctrine from the beginning of the Church that Jesus commanded his followers to celebrate his paschal mystery after his departure until his return. In this way, he always remains with us until the end. At the last supper, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it. In like manner, he took the cup and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me" (1 Cor. 11:25-26). We keep the memory of his self-oblation when the priest, at Mass, and in remembrance of him, consecrate the bread and wine. A priest, like Melchizedek (Gen. 14: 18-20) and in the person of Jesus, the true High Priest, confects the bread and wine. And in the words of consecration, the words of Jesus himself, and by the power of the Holy Spirit expressed in the epiclesis, he makes Jesus Christ truly present on the altar for our nourishment. Not only are we nourished spiritually from the abundance of his body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Eucharist, but we are also presented with the opportunity for worship and adoration of Jesus Christ.
On the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we extend and elaborate on the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist through public acts of worship, what we commonly call the Corpus Christi procession. When Pope Urban IV instituted the feast throughout the universal church in 1264 based on long-held tradition in the church of the real presence, he wanted to encourage public worship of Jesus in the Eucharist. Hence, devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is a testimony of our faith and love for Jesus as he once again walks through our towns and cities.
By participating in the Corpus Christi procession, we bear public witness not only to our faith in the real presence but also to our love and adoration for Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament  One of the ways of participating fruitfully in the feast of Corpus Christi is to pray and sing joyfully with the procession from the church on the hill through the center of the town to the historic church  I suggest we sing and recite the text of prayers St. Thomas Aquinas composed for Mass and the Divine Office, Pange Lingua (Tantum Ergo), Sacris Solemniis (Panis Angelicus), and Verbum Supernum (O Salutaris)  It is also highly recommended we sing or recite the sequence for Corpus Christi mass, Lauda Sion Salvatorem (Ecce Panis Angelorum)  If possible, we can also add to the procession hymns, Adoro Te Devote and O Sacrum Convivium  All these hymns have deep theological meanings that throw light on Jesus carried in the monstrance and borne in procession through E-town in the manner in which Jesus of Nazareth passed through the city of Jerusalem (see Lk 9: 11-17)  In remembrance of Jesus, in the reality of his presence with us, body and blood, soul and divinity, let us walk joyfully with him in adoration, praise, and thanksgiving.
I will be going away to Nigeria on a three-week vacation from Tuesday. I ask for your prayers while I am away, and I hope to be back to continue walking the faith journey with you. Thanks for all your prayers and support. In my absence, Msgr. Bob Lawrence will celebrate the weekend liturgies, while Fr. Sam Dubois will celebrate the weekdays' masses. Please welcome these priests in our St. Peter tradition of joy.
 May Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, His Most Sacred Heart, and Immaculate Heart of Mary be your love, hope, and joy.
 
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

Beloved in Christ,
  
                                                                             Mysterium Fidei
  
The solemnity we celebrate today, the mystery of the Holy Trinity, above all things, invites the response of human glory, honor, and adoration. In the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, we are offered the “central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is, therefore, the source of all the other mysteries of faith” (CCC 234). In this mystery of God’s revelation of himself to humans, we can only stand in awe at his incomprehensible majesty. Yet we have enough knowledge of the triune God unveiled to us to generate faith and worship. Hence we often begin our private prayers and sacramental liturgies “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In short, “The faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity” (CCC 232).
 
God’s hiddenness is revealed in the trinity. The revelation of God’s inmost being as a Trinity is not the fruit of human reason, it is a gift of God’s unveiling of himself as far as possible for human comprehension. We can observe traces of triune God in Creation and Scriptures, but our humanity cannot fully know the essence of God. Yet, the mystery of faith calls for worship and adoration. It is a gift of faith, a cheer grace to believe in the Holy Trinity. This mystery is one of the mysteries of our Christian faith. It is the source of our faith in the Eucharistic mysteries, a mystery the church has always devoutly guarded and treasured. The Eucharist is a pledge of Christ’s immense love for his body the Church. This ineffable gift of grace, the mystery of faith calls for veneration and worship (Mysterium Fidei, 1, Pope Paul VI). As with the mystery of the Trinity, the Holy Eucharist as a  mystery of faith invites above all our awe and adoration. This is the most immediate response to the mystery of faith. This is a testimony to our Christian faith.
 
In this order of thought, therefore, I invite you, my beloved brothers and sisters, to glorify the Holy Trinity this Sunday and extend that worship to the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ when we celebrate the solemnity of Corpus Christi next Sunday. We as a people of faith, have been privileged and loved by God to the extent of the revelation of his hidden mystery to us. We must reciprocate that generous gesture by a public act of faith in the Real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. God is truly and always in our midst in the Holy Eucharist. Please let us make it a priority and a pious act of importance by turning out in large numbers to bear public witness to our faith in the mysterium fidei that is the Eucharist, a fruit of the central mystery of faith, the Holy Trinity.
 
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
 
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

Beloved in Christ,
 
                                                                    Come, Holy Spirit, Come!
 
From Ascension to Pentecost, we have prayed earnestly for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church. In union with Mary, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit,  we have raised our hearts to heaven for a deepening of the grace of the Holy Spirit that we first received in baptism and confirmation. “The Holy Spirit, whom Christ the head pours out on his members, builds, animates, and sanctifies the Church” (CCC 747). Consequently, with faith and hope, we expect a new breath of the Holy Spirit to infuse new life into us; we expect a re-creation,  a transformation, a renewal in the Holy Spirit, our Advocate. He comes to clothe us in power and grace, the only means by which we can live according to our identity as sons and daughters of God. So we prayed last week for Jesus to come into our lives. We prayed, “Come, Lord Jesus.” But without the Holy Spirit, we can’t say with power and effect that “Jesus is Lord” ( 1 Cor 12:3).
 
We can’t fulfill our Christian vocation unless we proclaim in faith to the world that Jesus is Lord of the universe. The Holy Spirit transformed the Apostles on the Pentecost, and they became emboldened to proclaim Jesus (Acts 2: 1-11). They were no longer afraid of proclaiming Jesus to the world. Like them, we too must become bold in announcing to others in words and by a life of virtue that Jesus is the Lord and redeemer of humanity. The Holy Spirit brings new life, a renewal, a recreation of our being. When we experience the infusion of the Holy Spirit, we receive its sevenfold gift and more, and He transforms us into an effective witnesses to the Gospel. The Holy Spirit is the refining fire that forges us into a powerful force for Christ. We need the Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses to Jesus.
 
Veni, Sancte Spiritus! Come, Holy Spirit! That is our invocation today. Let’s invite the paraclete to assist and guide us as we continue to grow in holiness and a life of charity. We cannot become effective witnesses to the Gospel, our primary vocation unless we are under the control of the Holy Spirit, the One who guides us into all truth. As we continue to grow as a parish, we must continue to make the Holy Spirit our companion. He is the agent of transformation and growth. Our church will experience new life, a vigorous life in the Spirit, and we will bear courageous witness to Christ to all we come in contact with. Let us invite the Holy Spirit to breathe life into us without much ado. Let us call down the fire of the Holy Spirit to fall upon us and renew us on this Pentecost when we celebrate the birthday of the Church that is, her manifestation to the world (cf. CCC 1076).
 
We have come to the end of the Easter season. We must build on all we have gained during the joyful season of the resurrection. There is so much going on in our parish to consolidate the growth we have made. Let us watch out for all the exciting moments of grace.
We look forward, in particular, to our parish Corpus Christi procession and picnic that follows it. So please mark your calendar for June 19. It will be a day of testimony to the Real Presence of Jesus in our midst. Come, Holy Spirit, come!
 
In the Joy of the Spirit,
 
Fr. Bernard, OP