For God so Loved the World

Yesterday was the Solemnity of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, which in our parish culminated in a solemn Eucharistic procession followed by a picnic celebrating our parish's connection to the Most Sacred Heart. It's one of my favorite days of the whole year, filled with the beauty of the Mass and procession, and the joy of family fun and visiting with wonderful friends. Sadly, our day ended early with a fast moving thunderstorm and a tornado warning.

Monsignor's homily was wonderful and I hope I can do it justice in summary. Basically, God loves mankind so much he desires to be as close to us as he can. He does this through the gift of the Most Holy Eucharist. In the sacrament of communion he is able to be inside us, not only spiritually, but physically. This ultimate gift of himself is a demonstration of how much he loves us. If God loves humanity this much, then we should love humanity to the same extent. What we have and own are of no matter to God. We are what matter to God.

This homily resonated with me especially as I had just read a wonderful article by Rabbi Boteach on what it means to raise a large family in our culture today. Rabbi Boteach is a bit of a puzzle for me. I can't say I know much about him other than he is an Orthodox Jew, an American, a bit of a celebrity, and has close connections to Oprah and Michael Jackson (before his recent death). Still, this is a lovely article and I felt it was truly relevant to the celebrations that took place in our parish yesterday; very much worth a read and a bit of reflection.