The Real Presence in the Eucharist and Worthy Reception

The gift of a Redeemer in Jesus Christ is the greatest gift ever given by any one EVER! God is so loving, so kind and so generous, that despite humanity’s fallen nature and sinfulness, God in His gift to the world of a Redeemer in Jesus Christ extends to each and every one of us the opportunity to be saved, to be restored to a right relationship with him! To be on intimate one on one terms with God! This gift is one supersized beautifully wrapped perfect package — with no defects whatsoever. Lamentably many men and woman just walk away from this gift. They don’t even bother to play with the bow or disturb the wrapping paper at all. How tragic!
Today, we are going to rip the wrapping paper totally off of the package, —so much so, that no papers nor ribbons will be left. And the contents of this stupendous gift will be laid bare — for our use, for divine consolation, and true joy.

That being said, let’s take a step back; we have to address the issue of why so many individuals even though they have heard about Jesus, about his Mission, Passion, Death and Resurrection walk away from the Faith. Why do they reject the gift of their redemption in Jesus. Why?
Perhaps, the main reason WHY so many walk away from the Faith and God’s gift to them of redemption is indifference. They just don’t care! Many because they have a good job, money in the bank, a spouse that loves them, just don’t think they need either a Redeemer or to be redeemed. One of the real downsides of living in the United States at this point in time, where food is plentiful and cheap is that for many life is comfortable and as long as they have their health. God is only an afterthought most days, except perhaps for Christmas and Easter, when many will at least attend Masses out of nostalgia.

So, this Saturday count yourself as blest —if you’re here and listening to this talk about the Blessed Sacrament and Our Faith. Count yourself as blest, that you’re not indifferent to your redemption and you want to be the best disciple you can be! Count yourself as blest if you are motivated to be Holy and Perfect as God is Holy and perfect. Count yourself as blest if you are hungry to be in right relationship to God. You are blest because you are just like those disciples two millennium ago who trekked out to the wastelands to hear Jesus preach; and he acknowledged their goodness, sitting on the grass, as he delivered to them the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12):

“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’”

NIV: New International Version

 

Count yourself as blest if you are hungry to be in right relationship to God. I don’t use the word hunger here by chance, but purposefully. Those who want to truly be holy have to hunger for it, hunger for it in their gut, so much so that it pains them! There is no such thing as a holy man or woman who did not desire holiness with all their being. And took pains to acquire it. They did not hesitate to get down on their knees repeatedly to plead with God for the graces necessary to become holy.

So, today—I ask each and everyone of you to take a brief moment and to ask God for whatever graces are necessary to become the saint God wants you to be. The saint God desired you to be when you were created in your mother’s womb. Ask God today that He removes any and all hindrances to your being in right relationship with Him. To remove all sloth and indifference, to remove all pride and jealousy, to remove all arrogance and anger!

Saint Teresa of Avila advocated that disciples look regularly within themselves and assess what desires they hold in their hearts. If these desires held within a disciples heart include charity, mercy and kindness, GREAT! However, if a close interior inspection of the disciples’ heart reveals to him disordered desires of any sort; desires to possess other people, to control others, or to destroy a man—-these need to be repented and replaced with those holy desires that originate from God.
So, today as you are here with me in this meeting room, at no little expense to you of your time and money. I know that each and every one of you are far from men and woman of an indifferent Faith. That by your very presence in this room, you express your sincere desire to God to walk closer to him and a willingness, an openness for those graces necessary to be saints. You are working hard to totally unwrap that gift of redemption that God has given to each and every one of you in Christ. In this process leave no wrapping paper whatsoever on the package! To appreciate any gift, the gift has to be taken out of the package to be used!
So, as many of us know many individuals who are indifferent to the Faith and the Church, in our own families, among co-workers, among fellow students. Lets stop a moment and offer a Hail Mary for these individuals re-conversion to the faith. For their full return to the right practice of the Faith in Christ and in his Church.

Hail Mary, ….. now and at the hour of our death. R. Amen!

 

To continue this great endeavor of unwrapping the gift of our redemption in Jesus, I would invite each and everyone of you to revisit with me the Resurrection Account of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. (Luke 24:13-35)

https://www.insights.uca.org. au/rembrandts-emmaus-luke-2413-35-easter-week-3/

On the Road to Emmaus

 

¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles^[a] from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶ but they were kept from recognizing him.

¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

¹⁹ “What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. ²² In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³ but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

³³ They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴ and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” ³⁵ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

 

This Resurrection Account was a favorite one in my family—in large part because of an ancient, framed print of the Emmaus Supper—A print of “The two disciples at table with the Lord” which my parents had hung over our kitchen table in my youth. A visual reminder that Christ was always with us when we dined together as a family.
What is key about the Emmaus Resurrection Account, only found in Luke’s Gospel, is how the visible manifestation of the Lord just vanishes after the act of blessing the bread and wine on their table. As you just heard: “And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing broke it and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.” But then again, did Our Lord vanish from their sight? You would be right if you said; “Yes and No!”

The visible manifestation of the Lord disappeared into the ethers, but the resurrected Lord—- who consecrated himself at that Emmaus table, the sacred elements, the bread and wine, would remain in the consecrated bread and wine in their hands. At that very first Mass of the Church the two disciples encountered the risen Lord in both a visible physical manifestation, but even more importantly for the Church and future disciples, in the consecrated bread and wine on their table, and in their hands.

For us all these centuries later God’s greatest gift to us, is his eucharistic presence in the Blessed Sacrament in the Holy Eucharist. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, has given us his resurrected body, blood, soul and divinity in the Sacred Species consecrated by the priest in the course of the celebration of the Mass. The same resurrected Lord present at that First Mass of the fledgling Church at Emmaus—- is present with us now, all these centuries later, in the celebration of the Masses that we attend in our Churches and kept present for our adoration and reverence in the Tabernacles of Millions of Churches worldwide. It’s phenomenal when you reflect on it, as Jesus promised just before his ascension; “I will be present with you always.” (Matthew 28:20)

Jesus when he said before his Ascension “I will be present with you always.” Did not say this just to be kind, or as some sort of afterthought, but because he wanted us to know that in a tangible, real way he was not leaving, he was not departing at all. What transpired at the Ascension was the visible phenomenon of our Lord’s body, the man with the visible wounds in his hands and side, would be departing; assumed into the ethers. But He the Lord, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was not going anywhere; “I will be present with you always.”

Our Lord would still be with them, body, soul and divinity, despite the world the disciples remained in remaining fallen. One of the reasons for the Mass taking off so soon and so quickly after our Lord’s ascension was the disciples’ hunger to receive and to be present with the Lord fully and completely in the Sacred Species, in the consecrated bread and wine they received at those first Masses sated their hunger!

Our Lord gave us himself for food for the journey. He avails himself to us, to walk with us in the struggles and joys of our day to day lives. One phenomenal gift and a gift not to take lightly or to ignore, yet many do! Many ignore going to Mass outright and seldom if ever darken the doorways of God’s Church. Other’s go to Mass and even receive our Lord, but do so unworthily to their detriment.

Let’s spend a moment and talk about those disciples who ignore going to Mass regularly on Sundays as required to keep the Third Commandment. These disciples by their sloth prevent God from blessing them with any of the graces of the Blessed Sacrament. How can God shower down any blessings upon these men, when they remain safely within the confines of their own homes and far from any communion line. God will not bless a man who does not want His blessings. It is as simple as that!

This is why Saint Thomas Aquinas when discussing deadly sins, places sloth in the top seven most deadly sins. Some men will go to hell, not because they killed a man, or raped a woman, but because they were lazy. And when it came to worshipping God, they neglected praising their creator. Some will find themselves damned, because they stayed in bed regularly Sunday after Sunday.

Let’s spend a moment or two, talking about the second category of sinner mentioned above. The disciple who goes to Mass and receives the Blessed Sacrament but does so unworthily. As Saint Paul asserts in his First Letter to the Corinthians 11:29, “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgement upon himself.” For centuries now the Church has always understood that a person should only present themselves for communion in a state of grace. Sadly, in recent years so many have fallen away from going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly and instead of refraining from receiving the Blessed Sacrament in a state of sin at Communion time go up to receive Communion. Forgetting as Saint Paul said so many years ago, that they do so at their own detriment. Paul in First Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:30) makes mention of the fact that one reason why so many people in the Corinthian community were sick and ill was as a direct result of their sinful reception of the Blessed Sacrament. Sin has consequences and a persons’ sinful state is compounded exponentially to their detriment by the reception of the Blessed Sacrament when in a state of grave sin.

This is easily fixed, however; avail yourself regularly of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It’s better to go to the confessional more often than needed, as compared to less than! Recall all the great Saints of our Church were men and woman who went to confession regularly, many even weekly. Saint Faustina was a weekly recipient of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so was Saint Teresa of Calcutta. They went regularly to the sacrament of reconciliation not because they had any mortal sins to confess, but rather they wanted to maintain a state of grace, so as not to sin at all. They saw the Sacrament of Reconciliation as an opportunity to be present with God in the confessional! And to discern God’s will for them in consort with their confessor, no small grace at all!

For our group today attending this talk, I do not need to tell you the importance of receiving the Blessed Sacrament in a state of grace. To receive all the graces God wants to shower down upon a person, upon reception of the Blessed Sacrament, the person needs to open their heart wide to receive these graces, this is a no brainer! I would like to spend a minute to talk about the importance however of regular confession. Of all things jettisoned by many in the aftermath of the Council, regular, weekly confessions have been relegated by many to be a thing of the past. This demotion however is one of those things that each and every one of you can right easily. Make it a practice to go to confession regularly even weekly if possible.

I can readily hear some of you making the protestation. But Father I have no mortal sins to confess, Okay that may be very well true, but, what about the many sins of omission that you have committed in the course of the last month? Sins of omission, and venial sins need to be confessed if a disciple truly desires to become perfect as Our Heavenly Father is perfect.

Think for a minute, — as I have already mentioned, the great Saints of our Church became great saints because they went to the the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly. Many weekly, and some even daily. As a confessor for many years now, the holy men and woman in my parish were holy men and woman because they went to confession often, most weekly. And these were men and women who never confessed any mortal sins, as they had none! But they spent a lot of time wrestling with themselves over their sins of omission.

For the times they got preoccupied with themselves and neglected their daily devotions. For the times they forgot to reach out in a compassionate way to those God placed in their path on a given day and they neglected to pass on a word of encouragement. For the times their own concerns replaced those of God out of some selfish preoccupation. The list of sins of omission that people commit are myriad, and yet so many individuals carry this additional baggage around needlessly, as it can and should be confessed, if an individual wants to grow in holiness, and to be perfect as God our Heavenly Father is perfect.

So, if you really want to get the most out of your reception of the Blessed Sacrament on a routine basis, make your trip to the Confessional as routine, and as regular as possible. If Saint Teresa of Calcutta saw a weekly confession as fundamental, why should any of us think otherwise?

Of all the gifts God has given us, Christ’s gift to us of himself in the Blessed Sacrament is the absolute greatest. Yet, this greatest of all gifts, gets ignored, and remains undervalued, neglected even by the Trads. Let me explain, as pastor for many years at Resurrection Parish in Chicago, I added over time multiple weekdays of Eucharistic Adoration at the Parish. Full days in which the Blessed Sacrament was unveiled in the Monstrance on the Main Altar in the Church. These days of Adoration days would entail the Blessed Sacrament being exposed after the morning Mass concluded at 8:00 AM and would be wrapped up in the evening with Benediction around 8:00 PM. These days of adoration were for the most part 12 hours in total.

I tried a few times, to extend the hours adoration; on the days of the general election, in the aftermath of a natural disaster, and so forth. But lamentably, the turn out for these extended adoration times was not great! Even with the pastor himself pushing participation from the pulpit! I found myself, praying by myself, in a large empty Church — before the Blessed Sacrament, which I could have done anyway as a priest. Sort of sad! So a hint, to you all today. If you have Eucharistic Adoration set up at your parish do partake. Go and spend a good hour or so before the Blessed Sacrament, say a Rosary or two, bring your bible, and spend time reading the psalms, bring a biography of your favorite Saint. If you want to receive all the blessings God wants to give you through his Eucharistic Presence you just have to do it! You have to be present to him to receive all the graces He wants to give!

One of the reasons, why Eucharistic Adoration fell out of practice in the aftermath of the Council is because people fell out of practice with the practice! It’s not like pastors worldwide said; “from now on we will no longer behaving Eucharistic Adoration.” So, if you want regular Eucharistic Adoration at your parish, you must be a regular at going when it is offered and demonstrate to your pastor, that Adoration is valued by you. And if there is a neighboring parish with a 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration Chapel, work it into your schedule to visit it regularly, particularly at night when prayers are most needed and Eucharistic adorers are scarce.

There is a lot of buzz these days about Catholic politicians known to be flaunting God’s laws as if they no longer matter and then in the course of attending a Sunday Mass walking up to receive Communion. This bizarre behavior did not happen just a generation ago. It did not! A generation ago, most Catholics were good at self-governing themselves and refrained from going to Communion, especially when they knew others knew they were in a state of sin.

For example, a Millennium ago the Church had a flagrantly sinful Pope. Pope John the XII who was elevated to Pope at the ripe age of 18. I use the word ripe purposefully here, for most men who survived their teenage years and the ravages of hormones that powerfully course through your veins at that age, know that its very hard to refrain from sexual promiscuity at that age. Lets just say that Pope John XII ended up known during his short reign on the throne of Peter for turning the Lateran Basilica in Rome into a brothel, and sadly ended his short pontificate by being fenestrated. Funny word isn’t it, what it means is that he was throne out of a window by a man who he had cuckold. After having sex with the man’s wife, the irate husband took it upon himself to take out this bad Pontiff. Church history at it’s goriest and most sinful.

One thing that can be said for this sad example of a Holy Father though is that he never desecrated the Blessed Sacrament. He was known for saying Mass at the Lateran and then during his Mass not receiving the Blessed Sacrament, the Sacrament that he as Pope confected. As a man, who knew he was in a state of mortal sin, he knew that he would compound his sins, by taking communion. Perhaps this bad Pope as he jettisoned to the earth to his death, made a good act of contrition before he hit the earth head-on. You never know, perhaps during God’s time John XII made up for his numerous sins of the flesh in purgatory. One would hope!

Today, as you all know, many have lost an understanding of what sacrilege is and the importance of not profaning things that are holy. That this kind of behavior is extremely sinful. For example, the politicians who make a show of holiness and present themselves to the world, as if they are in a state of grace when they are not! Their real beliefs are revealed in how they show no respect for those things they should respect and recognize as Sacred.

Any politician who nonchalantly walks up to Communion and then extends his hands to receive the precious Body of Our Lord and does so in a state of mortal sin, does so at the risk of compounding his eternal perdition. It’s one thing to promote in the course of work as a politician-behaviors that are sinful in the community; abortion, sodomy, euthanasia and so forth. These sins of complicity, if you don’t fight as a man, then you backhandedly promote! These sins of complicity are compounded if you then present yourself at Communion time, as if you are predisposed to receive the Sacrament.

Moreover, there is no such thing as, for example; “I am personally opposed to abortion, yet I believe in a woman’s right to choose.” Just irrational, senseless talk! The first Commandment is clear. “The Lord your God is one and you should have no other gods before me.” This kind of talk underscores the idolatry going on with individuals who talk this way. So, you have the belief that a woman has some sort of right to murder the very child she is carrying in her womb. Come-on Man! “What a malignant god you worship.” Real Catholics keep the Ten Commandments, and don’t pick and choose which Commandments to keep or to jettison. These politicians who are using their presence in Catholic Churches on a Sunday don’t really believe in anything at all, except themselves. Don’t vote for them! Vote for men and woman who demonstrate by their behaviors their adherence to the eternal, unchangeable truths of the Faith. The cooperation in an intrinsic evil, like the murder of an innocent child, even if the parents desire this murder, is still murder. And to quote Bishop Athanasius Schneider from his recent talk in Detroit. “There can be no cooperation with the murder of innocent children in the womb, remote or otherwise! There can be no cooperation to promote the murder of innocent life.”

As a priest, as the pastor of a parish for over 12 years in Chicago, I never, ever had a politician of this sort enter my parish, even once. Maybe they got wind that as Pastor I would not aide and abet them, in their put-on charade of Catholicity at Resurrection Parish. In years past I did make for myself, in consort with Resurrection Parishioners a track record for the refusal of the Blessed Sacrament to non-believers.

KUMAS BURGER CREATES SACRILEGIOUS BURGER

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2013-10-08-ct-met-kass-1008-20131008-story.html
https://christandpopculture.com/should-we-be-offended-by-a-sacrilegious-hamburger/
https://www.restaurant-hospitality.com/marketing/kumas-corner-commits-burger-blasphemy

 

In the Fall of 2013 myself as Pastor as well as Resurrection parishioners found ourselves fighting a restaurant that catered to metal heads, mocking God and the Blessed Sacrament, to sell overpriced hamburgers. Catering to heavy metal fans, they offered an overpriced hamburger to their patrons. This burger was listed as costing $18 bucks and doused with “The Blood of Christ!” (A red wine reduction). To top off the sacrilegious hamburger on Kuma’s menu a host printed with the symbol of Christus Vincit was placed.

Just sacrilegious and like most occult practices, Kuma’s Ghost Burger in the Fall of 2013 mocked God and his Church. Following the lead of the Parish’s Youth Group, this sacrilege was protested vehemently by our parishioners. With Rosary Rallies three times a week for a full month, making the walk from the parish Church to the Restaurant just a block and a half away! At one point I made it my business to talk to the owner of Kuma’s (Michael Cane). This proved nonproductive, but I did get to see the inside of the Restaurant, which was decked out with all the trappings of the occult; a large upside down cross in the bar, Santeria symbols here and there, all just demonic!

And despite our best efforts as a parish with protests, to bring an early end to the Ghost Burger, sales of it went on for the full month of October in 2013 through Halloween. Moreover, because of all the media attention, loads of devil worshipers came to single out Resurrection Parish for their chicanery.

We found these individuals showing up at scheduled Masses and they expected us to just hand over to them the Blessed Sacrament in the Communion line. So, myself and our Deacons, we had five Deacons at the time in the parish, we reverted to the Golden Standard of the Church for distributing the Blessed Sacrament. The Blessed Sacrament would only be given on the tongue! Announcements to this effect, were made before every Mass, that in keeping with the ancient customs of our Holy Church the Blessed Sacrament would from now on only be distributed on the tongue.

As the Parishioners were in total support of fighting Kuma’s and their sacrilegious mockery of the Blessed Sacrament with their ghost burger, not one parishioner complained of the mandate issued by myself of Communion being distributed only on the tongue! Not one! And the devil worshipers, who were easy to spot amongst regular Mass goers quickly got the message that myself, Deacons, and parishioners would not condone in any measure the desecration of the Blessed Sacrament.

It was comical in one sense, how fast these evil people would exit the Church when confronted by me, with Ciborium in hand, in the communion line. Just the words said loudly by me, “This is the Body of Christ, we are old school here and only distribute the Blessed Sacrament on the tongue!” I had about four of these devil worshipers come up to me in my communion line at the start of this Kuma madness, each expecting to get a Sacred Host to desecrate. But they all fled the Church in a run when I moved towards them with raised Ciborium.

Just the verbal confirmation by myself said loudly of who was present in the Blessed Sacrament scared them. Most probably, the thought I suggested of Our Lord touching their tongue was anathema to their perverted minds. In the Fall of 2013 Resurrection Parish got the notoriety of stopping the desecration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Sadly, with Communion in the hand permitted in our Church the desecration of the Blessed Sacrament has become commonplace. But all of you can aide stopping the Blessed Sacrament being desecrated by keeping your eyes open when in the Communion line and intercepting these interlopers when required. Just recently I had a good friend do this when visiting a national shrine this summer and she boldly in response to watching another woman pocket the Blessed Sacrament, followed her and asked for the consecrated host back. And she got it back forthrightly, these individuals don’t expect any pushback and most times will cave even when the push back comes from a short, ninety-pound little bit of nothing old woman! You don’t mess with Grandma! Not on her watch.

For us as disciples Our Lord’s greatest gift is his true presence in the Blessed Sacrament. The greatest gift ever given to fallen humanity. I pray that upon conclusion of this talk that each and everyone of you will have a new appreciation for this great gift and will bring this appreciation back home. This is one gift that can and should be shared!

All of us have family members that have fallen away from the Faith. Talk with them about Who is present in the Blessed Sacrament and what it means to you to receive the Blessed Sacrament regularly. Of all things to talk about with family members, “Who” is present in the Blessed Sacrament should be discussed thoroughly.

Additionally, talk with them about the worthy reception of the Blessed Sacrament. The need for us as disciples to go regularly to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It makes no sense what-so-ever to receive the Blessed Sacrament in a state of sin and yet these days, so many people do. As, if the Sacrament of Reconciliation is no longer important or necessary for men and woman in this New Millennium.

One of the laws of nature is the attraction of like to like, a molecule of gold will bond readily to other molecules of gold, that is just how it works. Gold will not bond with lead.

Keep this analogy in mind for a moment. At this point in time, what we see playing out in our church and in American society at large is a great division taking place. This division of the sheep from the goats is taking place quite naturally. Men and woman of like mind and Faith are bonding together as naturally as gold bonds itself to gold. At this moment in time, some parishes are readily shown as being gold parishes—men and woman of Faith who shine with the Holiness the Lord has generously bequeathed to them.

Now, other parishes have made a name for themselves as lead parishes. Known not for being sterling examples of holiness and orthodoxy to the Faith, but for being unified by lesser aims. “We at ‘All Saints’ are all about being welcoming!” What is not stated outright is that ‘All Saints Parish’ is only welcoming to those who think in lockstep.

Try to bring up at the welcome session of coffee and donuts, how Our Lord spoke out against Divorce, or the importance of receiving the Blessed Sacrament regularly to be saved, and your shown the door, you can finish your donuts in the car. All are welcome except those who adhere to a traditional understanding of the Catholic Faith. This is the sad reality of Our divided Church today here in the United States, divided not from forces without but from forces within. And this division will only worsen, within the Catholic Church of America, if the heretical positions surreptitiously adopted by so many are not repented of and discarded.

The good news is that this separation can easily be fixed, and this repair begins today, here in this hall by all you! Take home with yourself this afternoon, the importance of Eucharistic adoration. Take home today the value of receiving the Blessed Sacrament worthily and going to Confession regularly (once a week is great!) And make it a point of bringing fallen away family members back into the Church!

I am not talking about parting the Red Sea! What I am talking about is the unifying of our families and our community with the unchanging and unalterable Truths of the Faith! God is holy, pure and one. We can also be holy, pure and one with God. Remember, Gold only bonds to Gold, so be Gold! No one wants to be known as some lesser metal and you definitely are not! Each one of you were made in the image and likeness of God, remember that— You are Gold and should act like it!