Before Covid, the Pew Research Center released a study that found that of the people who attend Catholic Mass in America, 7 in 10 either do not know or do not believe what the Church teaches about the Eucharist. Jesus did not leave it open to question or debate. He said ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you’ (John 6:53).
The Eucharist is essential to our salvation. That is why the Catechism refers to Jesus’ Body and Blood in Holy Communion as ‘the source and summit’ of our faith. These devastating statistics led to years of Eucharistic renewal and revival all across the country and throughout the church.
The feast of Corpus Christi has a history deeply rooted in the doubts people have about Jesus’ body, blood, soul and divinity in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Jesus has opened heaven’s gate and shown us the way to get there. Soon to be canonized Blessed Carlo Acutis referred to the Eucharist he received every day as ‘the highway to heaven.’ Are you traveling that road? Or did you get off at the wrong exit?
All are invited to the Jackson Annual Regional Corpus Christi Procession at 2:30pm this Sunday June 22nd. We begin inside St. John and then will be making our way outside over to St. John School and ending at St. Joseph Oratory on Waterloo, stopping along the way to pray. A Lumen bus will take people from St. Joe back to their cars at St. John while the area K of C councils will provide hospitality during a ‘Block Party’ in the St. Joe parking lot when we arrive there and conclude our 1-mile procession.
Yes, it will be very warm as it was last year during this event. Dress appropriately and bring whatever protects you from the summer sun. The route is neither long or strenuous.
