The COVID-19 pandemic, the tragic killing of George Floyd and the strong reactions to that injustice have given me reasons to reflect upon my mortality the past few months. In doing so, I have been struck that a common thread of the typical death by coronavirus and George Floyd’s death is that the breath of earthly life was extinguished.
This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi. This beautiful feast reminds us and calls us to remember that Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist is the greatest of all gifts; for the Eucharist is the very body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ.
Q) I think that I am terrible at evangelization. I keep trying and failing. The last time, I was trying to help my friend see that he shouldn’t drink to get drunk. He was offended. We are still friends, but I don’t think that I’m built for evangelization.
Last month’s column provided the first half of a list of the basic aspects of the sacrament of confirmation: the duty to receive it, the prerequisites, the appropriate age, preparation with prayer and study, and the qualifications and duties of the sponsor. This article completes the list. Combined, the lists offer a general overview of confirmation.
I could not wait to be an adult. I could not wait to be on my own. It wasn’t that I did not love my parents. In fact, I love them very dearly. But I am very much the individual wanting to explore life on my own.
Q) I am wondering how much I can be vulnerable with people. I have been able to tell some key people in my life about struggles of mine, but when can I tell others?
After Gospel readings on the Third Sunday of Easter concentrating on the empty tomb and appearance narratives concerning the risen Lord Jesus, and the mid-point of Eastertide focus on the Good Shepherd on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, the Church turns our attention in the second half of Eastertide to reflection on Jesus’ “farewell address” as recounted in the Last Supper narrative of the Gospel of John.