7 June 2024
It has been fun to see the photos and videos on social media of the various churches celebrating Corpus Christi throughout the world. Some churches hire bands for their neighborhood processions; sometimes the processions are in the evening with the faithful carrying candles; some processions have voluminous numbers of clergy and lay canons in colorful vestments marching through the streets; many of the processions employ flowers strung by children along roads and the aisles of churches. Blessed, praised, and adored be Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament!
Everyone seemed to enjoy last Sunday's Corpus Christi walk in Kapahulu after High Mass last Sunday. I want to express my thanks to the acolytes, servers, ushers, and choir for being so flexible. During the entire time of my rectorship, this was the first time we took the Corpus Christi Procession through the neighborhood. Due to inclement weather, as well as the confines of the pandemic, we have only done processions within the church. If we did venture outside, it was only to an altar constructed on the lawn. People are already talking about what we might do next year to build on this year's experience.
When this email hits your in-box, it will be the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Episcopal Church, this feast is rarely celebrated unless the church has a strong catholic spirituality. Whereas Corpus Christi is the Thursday after the First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost.
It is frequently said that every Sunday is a celebration of Easter, and by extension, every Thursday is a celebration of the Lord's Supper, and every Friday is a celebration of the Passion. The calendar gives us a variety of ways to understand these mysteries of our faith. Both Maundy Thursday and Corpus Christi celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion from different perspectives. The Feast of the Sacred Heart provides us with a different angle to view the Passion of Good Friday. Historically, both Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart have octaves, and thus the Sundays after these feast days continue the themes of their respective feasts.
As summer brings a slower pace, we are looking to what plans need to be made for the fall, as well as next year. There is a lot of quiet work to do in the background. However, before we get too deep into the long-term planning of the summer, this Saturday we have our Marian Sabbath Morning. The work of liturgy, prayer, and even processions of the Blessed Sacrament, always comes first in the church.
Father Paul Lillie +
