From the Front Pew: The Shoes of Many, One in Christ

by Kathleen Blease

It only makes sense. Since I am a little claustrophobic, sitting in the front pew is my sure-fire way to enjoy (and get through) the entire Mass. It also gives me an opportunity to see things that most parishioners who sit farther back don't get to see, like the small crucifix that graces the altar so the priest can lay his eyes on Christ's suffering while consecrating the bread and wine.

During the Mass on the Feast of the Holy Family, it occurred to me that there are things I see each and every Sunday, things that only a family can gather into one place in such abundance and variety--Shoes!

After receiving Holy Communion, I returned to my pew as usual, knelt down, and stared at the floor while saying my prayers of petitions and thanksgiving. I couldn't help but notice all the shoes that walked in front of me. Sneakers, dress shoes, boots, geriatric shoes, and cool sports shoes, even Monsignor's black wing tips.

Each and every one of those soles reflected the souls who wore them. Some have a casual attitude, while others are more formal. Some are quite active, while others are perhaps nursing sore feet. Young. Old. Mother and Fathers. Little girls in mary janes and frilly socks. Boys in their soccer shoes hidden under their jean hems. Teenagers in skinny jeans poured into heavy suede uggs. The elderly using canes.

Only a family could bring so much diversity to one place, to one line, to receive One Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

I watched those shoes go by, two by two by two. They padded slowly in line, stopped to receive the Eucharist, then off they marched with purpose back to their pews. Indeed, only a family!

Padre Pio: For the Love of Corpus Christi

St. Padre Pio: Born Francis Forgione in the south-central Italian town of Pietrelcina, he was a simple Capuchin monk who spent his entire life celebrating Mass and hearing confessions.

He did not travel the world, collect rare artifacts, scale walls or suffer in dungeons. He was not a soldier or a millionaire. Yet, he was a great warrior who fended off Satan himself and saved countless souls, literally. He built a hospital with his compassion and drew thousands upon thousands of Catholic and non-Catholics alike to his tiny confessional, where many waited as long as thirty days to be heard and absolved of their sins by this simple man who bore the wounds of Christ, the stigmata.

Just as The Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux, spent her life in one monastery and changed the world through the living sermon of her little ways, St. Padre Pio defeated evil and cast out darkness to make present Christ among us, never traveling but a few miles from home. His daily Mass took ninety minutes. This was not due to additional prayers but to his love for the ultimate prayer itself and his need to contemplate the great mystery of The Eucharist, often times bringing him to tears of joy and gratitude. Padre Pio could read hearts and souls, much to the surprise of many sinners, and his rare gift of bi-location was well spent as he brought comfort to the dying.




Here is a wonderful book my pastor,  Fr. Deo, lent to me. It's a compilation of essays about Padre Pio from people who knew him best, covering topics such as his childhood, early priesthood, how the stigmata came to be, his work in the confessional, and his love for the Mass. A true delight to read all at once or bit-by-bit.

God bless!

The Empty Cross is Not Enough

In my opinion: Here is why we must always view the Cross with the suffering Corpus Christi. It is through His suffering that Christ conquers the power of the world, with the same peace during which Creation took place. It is not the cross that saves us. Rather, it is Christ who saves us. The suffering Christ.

This is why an empty cross is not enough. We must look upon His suffering daily and certainly during each and every Mass.

Mystery Composed In Love

The Crib.

The Cross. 

The Tabernacle. 

Amen.

Share This With Your Teen!

Give your life to God while there's still time!

I'd like to share with you a video you will want to show your teen. It's a rap, but if you're 14 or 44, you're gonna love it, too. It's about the modern world--all the stuff we and our kids are "fed"--and how its promises are empty. There is only one true promise, and it is in Christ. The video is fun and not preachy...but very effective!

As Catholics, let's pray that the same fervor you see on this video brings all our brothers and sisters to the Blessed Sacrament, so all will have Christ with us both spiritually and physically and we will be united as One. What a bountiful gift our Lord gave us through His Body and Blood! May we also share in this fervor as we receive Him in Holy Communion. Remember to say, "Thank you, Lord Jesus," as you consume the consecrated host.

Thanks to Brian at A Book of Everything. Click here to watch the video now.

God bless.