This is my body, given up for you.
Our gathering in front of the Blessed Sacrament is no simple thing. Our bowing in front of the tabernacle where Christ rests is no simple formality. Our devotion to Jesus in the Sacrament is no simple prayer. It is the heart of our faith.
Jesus offered himself up for us and in His last supper he declared the bread to be His body and the wine to be His blood. No dissembling, no metaphor, no parable.
So on the feast of Corpus Christi we are invited to reflect on the amazing gift that Jesus has given us. It is a gift we have had since the very formation of the Church and a gift that gives us the strength we need to go out into the world and proclaim Him.
The Mass is the model of the perfect Christian life. It is a model we should follow to be more like Jesus in all we do.
We gather, we confess our sins, we glorify God, we read scripture together and study its impact on our lives, we pray, we offer our gifts, we share the Peace of Jesus, we receive Him in the Sacrament, we are sent out into the world.
Each one of these acts builds us up in Him, but above all we are built up to be SENT OUT.
We end our Mass with the words ‘Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord’.
This is no simple instruction but the greatest command that Jesus gave us. Go!
What do we do with that instruction? What do we do with this wonderful gift of Christ in the Sacrament?
Fr. Matthew
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Two extra services this week: Evening Prayer on Sunday 6th with Benediction and on Saturday 12th a special Mass for The Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Thank you very much for Fr. Angus for covering the Mass last Thursday. He is a dear friend of the parish and we are grateful for Christ’s ministry through him here.
The Rosary Mission in the parish will run from the 4th July to the 18th July (when the Bishop will join us). I would like to form a mission committee to plan our outreach for the summer. Our first meeting will be after Mass on the 13th June, please do let me know if you’d like to come.
Help fund an organist – please consider setting up regular giving with the Parish Giving Scheme. Call 0333 002 1271 with your bank details to hand and quote our Parish Code – 230 623 503 or visit our website www.stanselm.co.uk/giving