Corpus Christi Blog

I can hardly believe that as of July 1, it has been five years since I began at Corpus Christi as your pastor! As I like to say, time flies when you’re having fun! It truly has been a fun and blessed five years. This parish has been a community for about 30 years. Some of you have been here from the beginning and others have come more recently. It has been great to see such a strong community of faith already formed by the two previous pastors – Fr. Sigmund and Fr. Hoorman – and to see it flourish even more over the years. I am excited to lead us as we grow and thrive still more in the years to come.

To the beloved parishioners of Corpus Christi Parish,

On behalf of my parishioners of the Mission Sagrada Corazon, I would like to convey my most sincere gratitude to you.

I have been out of the parish for almost 5 years now, yet it feels like yesterday and that you have never forgotten me. Your generous support for my appeal for the building of the Mission Church of Sagrada Corazon is a testimony of how you still remember me in spite that I am long gone. Your remembrance will leave a lasting impression on my priestly life as I continue to serve Him.

Dear Parishioners of Corpus Christi,

Words cannot describe how wonderful my two-week home visit was. It was such a delight to be back at Corpus Christi, my home away from home. Thank you for such a warm welcome.

I had an absolutely beautiful experience being home with my family and friends, but I do look forward to returning to my new home with the Missionaries of Charity in Chicago. There is peace in my heart to continue discerning with the sisters of St. Teresa of Calcutta's order.

Recently, I was listening to St. Joseph's Workshop on Relevant Radio, as I often do during my afternoon trips to the ballet studio. Fr. Matthew Spencer was reflecting on how difficult the vocation of marriage is. He said that people often ask him if he thought things would be so much better if priests could get married. He said that he responds, "Are you kidding?? I hear the confessions of married people! NO WAY!!" He said he was kidding, but I think he was only half-kidding because, let's face it, marriage is hard!

Last week, in our 33 Days to Morning Glory journey, we walked with St. Maximilian Kolbe as we learned about Mary as the “Immaculata” — the Immaculate Conception. Here are pictures from the Adoration Chapel at the Center of Prayer for Peace in Niepokalanów, Poland where the monastery that St. Maximilian founded is located.

The central part of the altar is a true size sculpture of the Virgin Mary with her hands open in invitation. Christ present in the Eucharist is located under Mary's heart, in a large, brightly lit Host, shown under her parting coat. The silver figure of the Virgin Mary is surrounded by true size silver lilies, symbolizing chastity. Lit from beneath, together with golden rays also surrounding the figure, they present the aureola of light, in which the Virgin was seen during her apparitions in Lourdes, Guadalupe, and Fatima. This figure also resembles the Miraculous Medal of Mary Immaculate, which was venerated by St. Maximilian. At the crystal layer, 12 cut gemstones are placed, symbolizing 12 stars from the Apocalypse of St. John, which are also pictured at the Niepokalanów Miraculous Medal of Mary Immaculate.

May is the month of Mary and as Fr. Chad mentioned in his homily last Sunday, Bishop Olmsted has asked at least 100,000 Catholics and all parishes in our diocese to be consecrated to Jesus through Mary in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Diocese of Phoenix. Our parish will be using materials from Fr. Michael Gaitley’s 33 Days to Morning Glory. Do not worry if you missed the introduction session this past Thursday, as you can still participate. The 33 days will begin this Thursday, May 9 and all are invited to the Parish Center at 7 pm on each Thursday through June 6 for a video and discussion session corresponding to the weekly material. The consecration will take place on Monday, June 10, which is the day after Pentecost and the new feast of The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Church.

At the Jubilee of Bishops on Sunday, October 8, 2000, Pope St. John Paul II led the bishops of the world in the following prayer which beautifully explains the meaning of consecration.

In entry 699 of St. Maria Faustina’s Diary, Jesus instructed her:

My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the First Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.

The other day, I was talking to somebody about Jesus Christ and how some people don’t truly know or believe in who He really is, the Son of God. I asked if she had ever noticed why, especially in the Gospel of Mark, that many times after Jesus healed someone and after the Transfiguration, Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone about who He is or what He did. Theologians say that Jesus knew that God the Father’s plan for what it meant to be the Messiah and Savior, was different than what the Jewish people of the time had in mind. In Mark’s Gospel especially, one cannot really know or believe in who Jesus is until after the Resurrection. God’s plan for salvation included suffering, death, and the resurrection from the dead. Therefore, what a difference the Resurrection makes, or should make in our lives.

Now that we’re at the end of Lent and have reflected on sin, virtue, suffering, and prayer, we may ask ourselves, “What is the ultimate point of all of this?” Certainly, we are all aware that our goal is to get to Heaven. But did you know that there are different degrees of Heaven and that we can actually merit a higher degree of heaven by increasing our holiness through our virtuous nature?

Before we get into that, let’s first see how the Catholic Church actually defines the basics of Heaven.

We spent the first few weeks of Lent looking at how we can grow in virtue in order to overtake the darkness of sin in our lives. We can consciously engage our intellect and will to actively choose virtuous behaviors and attitudes which direct us toward holiness. However, despite our human engagement, we can’t forget one very important thing: we cannot do anything good but by the grace of God. To think otherwise would be to suffer from the sin of pride, making our virtuous behavior inauthentic. In order to receive His outpouring of grace we need to be in constant and intimate relationship with Him through prayer. It is prayer that sustains our pursuit of holiness.