Faith
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of mind and heartMy Dear People,
This Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is a celebration of one of the core teachings of our Catholic faith. As Catholics, we believe that Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist: Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive Christ into our bodies and souls. All of us who share in the Body of Christ make up the Body of Christ. The one Bread and the one Cup unites us into one Body. It is a most intimate union of the Son of God, our Lord and Shepherd, with us. It is a unity that lasts beyond this life into eternal life. It is a unity that brings the resurrection and eternal life of Christ to us. As Jesus said, “The one who eats my flesh and drinks by blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day (John 6:54).” It is not a symbol of Christ, it is not just blessed bread and wine, we actually receive Jesus into us when we receive his Body and Blood in Holy Communion.
May this Sacred Feast move us to a deeper appreciation and love, desire and devotion, for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Knowing that we are really receiving him into our souls and hearts, our lives with crosses and blessings, why would we ever not desire to receive him as often as possible? How could we ever miss an opportunity to have the Son of God with us and in us?
Fr. Bill
A EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION proclaiming and celebrating our belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, will take place today, June 11, the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, after the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass at Christ the Good Shepherd. This is a joint parish celebration between St. John Paul II and Christ the Good Shepherd Parishes to which everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. The Procession will immediately follow the Mass. It will be a relatively short procession outside of the Church, a short walk around the outside of the Church on the sidewalk, stopping at four stations for a short prayer and blessing, singing as we walk from station to station. We will conclude the procession with Benediction at the outside front entrance of St. Helen Church. Please join us at the Mass and Procession or if you attend one of the Saturday evening Masses, please join us after the 10:30 Mass (about 11:30) for the Procession. Let us boldly proclaim the presence of Christ with us in the Holy Eucharist!
VIDEO ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST. Walk through the Mass with Bishop Robert Barron and be transformed though insights on this most privileged and intimate encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ. See how the Mass brings us out of the fallen world and into the heavenly realm; how it revolves around a call from God and a response from his people, the Church; and most importantly, how we are intimately joined with the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus through the Holy Eucharist. To watch this video, go to https://videos.wordonfire.org/themassepisode1. This video is available for a limited time so don’t wait, watch it today for spiritually enriching insights on the Holy Eucharist.
NEXT WEEKEND – JUNE 17-18 A SPECIAL COLLECTION: DIOCESAN PRIESTS’ RETIREMENT FUND. Appropriately Fathers’ Day weekend, we are being asked to participate in this special collection. Please consider supporting this collection. There will be more information about this collection in an insert in next weekend’s bulletin or on the Diocesan website. www.saginaw.org or the Diocesan Facebook page (and there is even a short video to watch at these sights). Please keep in mind that this fund not only supports those priests who are currently retired, but, all of those who are now serving who will retire in the future. Your gifts help ensure that all retired priests continue to live humbly and with dignity during their golden years. Please take some time to review the insert and prayerfully consider a gift to this appeal. Special envelopes for this collection are in your packet of envelopes, or you can give online through the Diocesan website, or you can make a donation in a plain envelope marked “Priests’ Retirement Fund” and place it in the Sunday collection. On behalf of our Diocesan Priests, “Thank you!”
THE MOTHER TERESA ENDOWMENT FUND serves families within the Diocese of Saginaw by providing funds which are distributed to local agencies that encourage those experiencing a crisis pregnancy to choose life for their unborn child and include; prenatal care and counseling, emergency assistance, temporary housing, infant safety equipment, parenting skills and education, adoption info and other basic needs. Due to the passing of Proposal 3 to legalize abortion up to the moment of birth, the fight to protect the dignity of life has intensified and your help is needed. Donations may be made to the fund by a check made out to the Diocese of Saginaw or online at https://saginaw.org/helping-women-choose-life For more information, contact Lori Becker at 989.797.6652 or lbecker@diosag.org.
SPIRITUAL EDUCATION DURING THIS YEAR OF EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL, by reading segments from “DESIDERIO DESIDERAVI”. This is an Apostolic Letter from Pope Francis issued June 29, 2022. Please read it as it was intended to be read: a letter from Pope Francis to you.
30. Closing the second session of the Council (December 4, 1963) Saint Paul VI expressed himself in this way:
“The difficult, complex debates have had rich results. They have brought one topic to a conclusion, the sacred liturgy. Treated before all others, in a sense it has priority over all others for its intrinsic dignity and importance to the life of the Church and today we will solemnly promulgate the document on the liturgy. Our spirit, therefore, exults with true joy, for in the way things have gone we note respect for a right scale of values and duties. God must hold first place; prayer to him is our first duty. The liturgy is the first source of divine communion in which God shares his own life with us. It is also the first school of the spiritual life. The liturgy is the first gift we must make to the Christian people united to us by faith and the fervor of their prayers. It is also a primary invitation to the human race, so that all may now lift their mute voices in blessed and genuine prayer and thus may experience that indescribable, regenerative power to be found when they join us in proclaiming the praises of God and the hopes of the human heart through Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit”.
THE ENVISIONING TEAM OF CHRIST THE GOOD SHEPHERD PARISH will be continuing our work to assess where we are, set parish values and purpose, and then begin to envision matching goals this Wednesday, June 14, when our small groups’ work will report back to the Envisioning Team. Please keep us in prayer as we proceed to in this important work.
FAREWELL RECEPTIONS FOR FR. RICHARD JOHN will take place after the June 24-25 weekend Masses. Fr. Richard will be present at each of the Masses and parish groups will be hosting these Farwell Receptions. This will be Fr. Richard’s final weekend at our Parishes. Beginning July 1, Fr. Richard will be taking on his new assignment as Parochial Administrator of St. Dominic Parish, Saginaw. Please plan to attend one of the June 24-25 Masses and express your gratitude to Fr. Richard for his priestly ministry amongst us for the past year.
A DONATION OF $221 was received by Christ the Good Shepherd Parish from the fundraising involvement of the members of the Christ the Good Shepherd Rosary/Altar Society who work and meet in conjunction with the St. John Paul II Rosary/Altar Society. Thank you for your fundraising work resulting in this donation. May God bless each of you.