Dear Parishioners,
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Corpus Christi, formally known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This feast honors the Real Presence of Our Savior Jesus Christ in the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist. Our Catholic Faith teaches us that Jesus is really, truly, and substantially present in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in Holy Communion. When the priest consecrates the bread and wine used at Mass, they cease to be bread and wine and become the true Body and Blood of Christ. This change, called transubstantiation, is real but invisible. The substance of the bread becomes the substance of the Body of Christ; the substance of the wine becomes the substance of the Blood of Christ. The appearances of bread and wine remain, but the reality, the substance, changes. The living, Risen Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist, and is contained whole and entire in each species; thus, when we receive just the Host, we receive the whole Christ, Body and Blood. The same applies if we receive just the Precious Blood.
Christ is truly present under the sacramental signs of bread and wine, which are no longer bread and wine but have become His true Body and Blood. Jesus calls Himself the Bread of Life, and indeed He is the food of eternal life. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive Christ Himself. He gives us Himself as food to strengthen and nourish us.
Today’s feast reminds us of the wonderful gift that Christ has bestowed on His Church. That gift is none other than Himself, hidden in the Most Holy Eucharist. With this in mind, we understand why the Church asks us to genuflect to the tabernacle whenever we enter or leave church. The Communion Hosts left over at each Mass are stored in the tabernacle, and a red lamp burns continually to signal the presence of Christ. Genuflection is the way we greet Christ truly present in his house here on earth. For those who are not able to genuflect, a bow to the tabernacle replaces the genuflection.
We also understand why Holy Communion can only be received by those who are in the state of grace. Holy Communion is not a thing, but the person of Christ. Christ can only be received worthily by someone who has first received pardon for any mortal sins he may have committed. Once he has received absolution in the sacrament of penance, i.e., confession, he is able to receive Christ worthily. If someone were to receive Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin, he would commit a sacrilege. Those who are in the state of grace may freely receive Holy Communion, and are encouraged to do so every Sunday, or even better, every day.
Let us thank our Divine Savior for this supreme gift that He has given to us. Receiving Holy Communion is the most important thing we can do on earth and gives us the strength to love and serve God and our neighbor.
God Bless you!
Fr. Gerald E. Murray, Pastor
The regular schedule of Masses is as follows:
Monday to Friday – 7:00 am and 12:15 pm
Saturday – 8:00 am, 12:15 pm and 4:00 pm (Sunday Vigil)
Sunday – 8:00 am, 10:00 am (German on the 1st Sunday of the month), 12:00 noon, 2:00 pm (Hungarian) and 6:00 pm
Confessions are heard on Saturdays from 3:15 to 3:45 pm
The church is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm,
Saturday from 7:30 am to 5pm, and Sunday from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.
The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm.
The Blessed Sacrament is exposed for veneration on Sunday afternoons.
St Joseph Church
404 East 87th Street, New York, NY 10128
Copyright © 2023, St Joseph Church. All Rights Reserved.
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