Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ or Corpus Christi. In designating today as a Solemnity, the church wants us to know this is a feast day of the highest order – one which points to a foundational truth of our faith.
As regular church goers we know and acknowledge that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. Though for a time we do not see him face to face, we believe he has not left us alone but rather remains close to each of those who love him. St. Thomas Aquinas would write that, "It is the law of friendship that friends should live together. Christ has not left us without his bodily presence in this our pilgrimage, but he joins us to himself in this sacrament in the reality of his body and blood". So, by his body and blood you and I are joined to Jesus. But how often do we consider his soul and his divinity, which he also shares with us? For after all we do acknowledge, that he is present, body, blood, but also soul and divinity. His soul and his divinity are not to be separated from his body and blood.
How do we know that his soul is present to us? We can know that his soul is present because Jesus is alive and living. And to be alive means to be ensouled – for to be without a soul is to be dead. So, in receiving the Eucharist we also receive Christ’s soul. And since this is the soul of the one who broke the chains of death, in rising from the dead, we are wedded to the source of life that is itself freed from death. In this we can be confident.
We also receive His divinity. Christ is the Godman – he is God made man. And this too is shared with us, for his divinity is likewise present in the Eucharist because of the hypo-static union, which makes one his humanity and his divinity in his person-hood. Body, blood, soul and divinity are given to us unreservedly and with generous abundance.
When I was a little boy, we had only two TV channels. TV programs were in black and white and when not broadcasting you would see what was called a trade card transmission – this was a picture containing various shapes and patterns, at the center of which was a girl playing a game with a toy clown. Then between scheduled programming we would have a short film of a potter making a pot; forming it out of clay as it spun on the potter's wheel. It was never quite finished but was formed and reformed as the potter's wheel continued to spin. Frequently we ask for God to assist us, to help us, to form us, to heal us, to transform us, to remake us, and this he does by way of the sacraments and the Holy Spirit. It is his divine and soulful presence within each of us that works for healing, formation and transformation, like the potters' hands on the clay. Yet, ironically, we resist the change we pray for because, though we ask for it, we seldom want to really change. We are comfortable, and prefer what we know, so we pray, "Lord change me, but please don't let me have to make any changes”. There is therefore a spiritual tension formed between, who we are, what we were made to be, and what God is doing within us and for us. But by means of the Eucharist and by our willing and imperfect participation, we are gently sanctified and made holy.
On this Solemnity consider not just the body and blood which Jesus gives to nourish and to sustain us. For Jesus gives not only his body and blood but also his soul and divinity. This divine and soulful presence finds a place within each of us who believe and welcome him, and by means of this we grow in holiness, in the love of God, and in the service of his plan of salvation.
We pray for the courage, not just to ask for change, but to also make the changes we know we need to make, accepting that this may not always be easy. We draw consolation in this life task since we are not left to do this by ourselves, for Jesus is present to us, body, blood, soul and divinity.
Deacon Peter Bujwid
St. Agnes Church, Arlington, Massachusetts
Sunday 22nd June 2025
Monday, June 23, 2025
Thursday, May 15, 2025
C - Fourth Sunday of Easter
Video of Homily
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” In our catholic mystical tradition, we have many instances when someone hears Jesus speaking to them. Two weeks ago, we celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday. Sister Faustina would hear Jesus speaking to her in visions. Because she listened, the world was given the image of Divine Mercy and a more complete understanding of the mercy of God. Mother Theresa of Calcutta would hear Jesus ask her to serve the poor and the orphaned. " For them I long, them I love. Wilt thou refuse?” Mother Theresa would hear these words and go on to establish the Missionaries of Charity in over 130 countries. We also have the words of Jesus recorded for us by Saint Francis as he prayed in the dilapidated Church of Saint Damiano. “Francis, go and rebuild my church which, as you see, is falling down.” Listening to our Lord he would start to rebuild the walls of the fallen church, but in time he realized the call was far deeper. Francis would go on to establish the Franciscan order.
Few of us, but perhaps some of us, have heard Jesus speaking in the same way he did to Sister Faustina, Mother Theresa, or St. Francis. Yet we know we are his because we hear his voice. Simply by attending Mass, in receiving communion, in confessing our sins, in having our children baptized and showing them the way in which to go – in these things, we hear his voice and follow him. In spending time reading our sometimes-dusty bibles, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the lives of the saints – again we are hearing his voice. In prayer too, we prepare ourselves, give ourselves and then actively listen for his voice. We hear his voice by living the good life revealed to us, and in sharing our faith, our understanding with others. By way of evangelization, we not only join Christ in his mission but in the process become ourselves transformed, as by his word.
Most of us lead ordinary lives, yet from the ordinary comes the extraordinary. The time will come when we will be in that multitude that St John describes in his vision. This is the vision of the redeemed, the communion of saints, of those who heard, followed, persevered in faith, despite many and varied challenges. Here we will see people of every nation, tongue, and tribe. Here will be the culmination of all the threads of salvation, carefully woven together by a God, who desires us and all his children to be one. Here we are led to the springs of life-giving water which is eternal life. We have every reason to rejoice in being ordinary. We may not share the mystical experiences of some but, by way of a simple faith life, one which is open to hearing our Lord's voice, we will neither perish nor be lost, for we are held in God’s loving hand as Jesus clearly tells us.
We have a new pope. An American pope born in Chicago. The Holy Spirit is always profoundly present to us but perhaps in this week he is present in a special and deep way. We pray for Pope Leo and join him in praying for Christ’s church and for the whole world. May the good news of unity, mercy, forgiveness, and love, which has been entrusted to Pope Leo and to you and me, flow out to all corners of the earth. May this message, be our message too. The Pope, I do not doubt, will do extraordinary things, and we, well we will do the ordinary, but together we will all hear His voice, and follow him.
Deacon Peter Bujwid
St. Agnes Church, Arlington, Massachusetts
Sunday 11th May 2025
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” In our catholic mystical tradition, we have many instances when someone hears Jesus speaking to them. Two weeks ago, we celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday. Sister Faustina would hear Jesus speaking to her in visions. Because she listened, the world was given the image of Divine Mercy and a more complete understanding of the mercy of God. Mother Theresa of Calcutta would hear Jesus ask her to serve the poor and the orphaned. " For them I long, them I love. Wilt thou refuse?” Mother Theresa would hear these words and go on to establish the Missionaries of Charity in over 130 countries. We also have the words of Jesus recorded for us by Saint Francis as he prayed in the dilapidated Church of Saint Damiano. “Francis, go and rebuild my church which, as you see, is falling down.” Listening to our Lord he would start to rebuild the walls of the fallen church, but in time he realized the call was far deeper. Francis would go on to establish the Franciscan order.
Few of us, but perhaps some of us, have heard Jesus speaking in the same way he did to Sister Faustina, Mother Theresa, or St. Francis. Yet we know we are his because we hear his voice. Simply by attending Mass, in receiving communion, in confessing our sins, in having our children baptized and showing them the way in which to go – in these things, we hear his voice and follow him. In spending time reading our sometimes-dusty bibles, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the lives of the saints – again we are hearing his voice. In prayer too, we prepare ourselves, give ourselves and then actively listen for his voice. We hear his voice by living the good life revealed to us, and in sharing our faith, our understanding with others. By way of evangelization, we not only join Christ in his mission but in the process become ourselves transformed, as by his word.
Most of us lead ordinary lives, yet from the ordinary comes the extraordinary. The time will come when we will be in that multitude that St John describes in his vision. This is the vision of the redeemed, the communion of saints, of those who heard, followed, persevered in faith, despite many and varied challenges. Here we will see people of every nation, tongue, and tribe. Here will be the culmination of all the threads of salvation, carefully woven together by a God, who desires us and all his children to be one. Here we are led to the springs of life-giving water which is eternal life. We have every reason to rejoice in being ordinary. We may not share the mystical experiences of some but, by way of a simple faith life, one which is open to hearing our Lord's voice, we will neither perish nor be lost, for we are held in God’s loving hand as Jesus clearly tells us.
We have a new pope. An American pope born in Chicago. The Holy Spirit is always profoundly present to us but perhaps in this week he is present in a special and deep way. We pray for Pope Leo and join him in praying for Christ’s church and for the whole world. May the good news of unity, mercy, forgiveness, and love, which has been entrusted to Pope Leo and to you and me, flow out to all corners of the earth. May this message, be our message too. The Pope, I do not doubt, will do extraordinary things, and we, well we will do the ordinary, but together we will all hear His voice, and follow him.
Deacon Peter Bujwid
St. Agnes Church, Arlington, Massachusetts
Sunday 11th May 2025
Monday, April 28, 2025
C - Second Sunday of Easter
The disciples find themselves behind a locked door for fear of the Jews. They had every reason to be afraid because what had happened to Jesus could very well happen to them. Jesus had given every indication that he was the Messiah but now they were being presented with a reality that perhaps he was just a very good man, a great teacher, a wonderful healer. The same attributes ascribed to Jesus by many today who are unwilling or unable to recognize him as the Son of God. The disciples had witnessed Jesus raising three people from the dead and yet even with these signs of Jesus’s divinity, they had lost their confidence due to the danger they now found themselves in.
And now Jesus appears to his disciples; all of them, but one. Is that not curious? Are we really to think that somehow the timing was off? Would Jesus not know when all the disciples would be gathered? We can rest assured that the timing was perfect. Thomas, forever known to us as doubting Thomas, would miss this first encounter. We should hold Thomas in great affection and appreciation. In his honesty and humble straight forwardness, he represents us and all those who have heard but not seen. Thomas gives us license to at times doubt also. But more than that, his story demonstrates to us that ‘doubt’ is part and parcel of the active spiritual and Christian life. In each life there are chapters, seasons of faith, if you will, that are woven into, and become part of, our journey to Jesus’s heart.
We can think of doubt in two ways. The first as questions that need answering. St., Anslem of Canterbury would describe this as faith seeking understanding. St., John Henry Newman would say, “Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt”. We can call this type of doubt questioning doubt. The other type of doubt is more cynical and says, “I don't need to hear anymore, for I have made up my mind.” There is little to be done with cynical doubt but doubt of the questioning variety is a good sign – a doorway we all pass through. Doubt is not the enemy of faith but rather is a partner that encourages questions, reading, research, prayer, reflection, bible study, listening to podcasts, finding faith companions, and so on. This is essential to our formation for, without it, how can we grow and develop spiritual muscles? How can we possibly offer support for those struggling with their own faith if we ourselves have not found ourselves, at one time or another, doubting and asking questions. And how can we lean on our faith when difficulties arise, or tragedy strikes? Timothy Keller, a protestant author would write, “A faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it.” That is a helpful picture; we need antibodies to strengthen our physical bodies to be resistant to bacteria, viruses and toxins. And we need a little doubt to strengthen our faith life.
Jesus would time his visit to the disciples perfectly, so that Thomas would express his doubts, which we, sooner or later, may also experience. But now, see what Jesus does, listen to his invitation. “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Many of us, I am sure, have seen the Caravaggio painting of doubting Thomas. It is called, ‘The Incredulity of Saint Thomas’. The picture depicts Thomas putting his finger into the side of Christ while Jesus and two other disciples look on. Jesus, Thomas, and the two disciples are so very close – all four heads almost touching. This is such an intense and intimate scene, and it presents a truth that doubt, the type that asks questions, and strives for truth, leads to the intimacy of believe. It leads to an intimate encounter with the risen Lord. It leads to the peace that Jesus greets us with, and it leads to our joining our friend Thomas as together we acclaim, “My Lord and my God!”
With the passing of Pope Francis, we are saddened, and we mourn. His death comes at the heels of our greatest celebration – the celebration of new life offered to us by Jesus Christ. Christ is risen, and whether we are the pope, an office worker, a plumber, or a home maker, if we are buried with Christ so also, shall we be raised with Christ. This is why we remain joyful despite doubts, despite difficulties and trials, and despite times of mourning and sadness. We remain joyful and hopeful for God is all merciful and in Jesus we trust. So, on this Sunday of Divine Mercy, and on this day when Pope Francis goes to his eternal reward, we pray – Jesus, I Trust in You.
Deacon Peter Bujwid
St. Agnes Church, Arlington, Massachusetts
Sunday 23rd March 2025