Long before Corpus Christi was a city in Texas, it was a feast in the Catholic Church. Corpus Christi (technically Corpus et Sanguinis Christi) is the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. One thing this day has never been: the feast of the bread and the wine. The whole point of what we do at Mass is to ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Miraculous, mysterious, but true. But, sadly, many Catholics seem to have lost that truth. Many, if not most, Catholics polled don’t believe it anymore. That should bother us. Saints and martyrs gave their lives in witness to that truth. I went to seminary with a young man whose parents were in a communist prison. Their crime? Having Mass in their home. They thought the Lord’s body and blood were worth living and dying for. Their brave witness has for almost 30 years inspired me to treasure the gift that is the heart of my life and ministry.

Our bishops have invited us to a National Eucharistic Revival. We’re called to be more attentive to the Eucharist. Just showing up is the first step. Preparing ourselves to pray and receive the sacrament follows quickly. The genuflection towards the tabernacle, keeping quiet in a church— be it empty or full, our bow of the head before receiving the Body and the Blood of the Lord, a sign of the cross as we walk or drive by a Church were the sacrament is housed: all witnesses to our love and gratitude for this great and mysterious gift of Christ to his beloved Church.

One small thing for this Sunday, this Corpus Christi. Why not take a few moments this afternoon as the Sacrament is present on the altar at St. Boniface? Stay a while after Mass today. Stop by the church for quiet prayer. Come back for evening prayer at 4 p.m. Invite the Eucharistic Lord to deepen our relationship with him in this Most Blessed Sacrament.