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Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi

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Today we have gazed upon our Lord Jesus Christ on the altar.
Today we have been fed with the burning coal in whose shadow sing the Cherubim (Is 6,2).
Today we have heard the sweet and powerful voice saying to us:

This body burns away the thorns of sin; it gives light to men’s souls.
This body the woman with the issue of blood touched and was delivered of her infirmity.
This body, the Canaanite woman’s daughter was cured at the sight of it.
This body was approached with all her heart by the sinful woman and she was rescued from the mire of her sins.
This body Thomas touched; he acknowledged it, crying aloud: �My Lord and my God�.
This body, so great and so high, is the foundation of our salvation.

In former times he who is Word and Life declared:
�This blood has been shed for you and given up for the remission of sins�.
We have drunk, my beloved, the holy and immortal blood.
We have drunk, beloved, the blood flowing from the Savior’s side
that heals all ills, that frees all souls.
We have drunk the blood by which we have been redeemed.
We have been bought and we have been taught; we have been enlightened.
Behold, my brethren, what body it is that we have eaten!
Behold, my children, what blood has inebriated us!
Behold the covenant sealed with our God lest we should be ashamed on that terrible day, the day of judgement (cf. 1Cor 11,29).

Who is equal to giving glory to the mystery of grace?
We have been accounted worthy of participating in this gift.
Let us keep ourselves to the end that we may hear his blessed, sweet and holy voice:
�Come you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you� (Mt 25,34)…

Beloved, we will celebrate the wonders of Jesus’ baptism (cf. Mk 10,38),
his holy and life-giving resurrection,
through which salvation has been given to the world.
All of us are awaiting its happy fulfilment,
in the grace and happiness of our Lord Jesus Christ:
to him be glory, honor and adoration.


An ancient hymn for Holy Saturday
Borgia, Frammenti eucaristici antichissimi

via Daily Gospel online

 

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9 comments
  • We do everything on your list to do at Mass and recently both girls had been behaving worse at Mass. The thing is, it wasn’t just at Mass. It was anywhere and everywhere and it was driving both my husband and myself nuts.

    Now, our girls don’t watch television but they do watch DVDs and I think, nearing the end of this pregnancy, I got particularly lazy on the subject. On Friday, due to lack of sanity, I decided we were cutting back on how much DVD time the girls got. They continued acting up all day until, by the end of the day, I must have looked like I’d walked through a tornado. Yesterday we made a point of getting them outside more. Today I can honestly say there is a significant improvement in their behavior. Both will still ask to put on a DVD or even ask for a “short DVD” but they are listening better when we tell them something, behaving better in general, playing better on their own and even playing better with each other. It will be interesting to compare their behavior at Mass next Sunday but I can honestly say how much DVD time seems to have been a significant factor in their demands for constant attention and their poor behavior, particularly at home but likewise at Church.

    It does make me wonder, when parents have trouble with their children misbehaving at Mass, how does that behavior compare to home? Ours were better at Mass than home, but they have definitely paralleled each other.

    One other thing I would add is that too much DVD time, despite being without commercials or other interruptions and although having a finite end, seems to me to be just as capable of making children misbehave more as commercialized television.

    Melanie, when you and Dom want to watch something on the television, do you only watch it after the girls are in bed then?

  • As a former kid, this all sounds pretty sensible, and similar to stuff my parents did.

    Since we learned to read early, and since it was the heyday of the Missalette at our home parish, my parents also let us read the Missalette as long as we weren’t doing anything inappropriate (flipping too much, hitting siblings with it). Since Missalettes are light, that really helped us learn to sing along, follow the Mass, etc. And there’s always the saints’ days listed in the citation of the weekday Mass readings. smile I suppose that kids’ and adults’ Magnificat issues are probably also good for this.

  • Melanie,
    Thank you.  I’ve printed this out and will be reflecting on it.  I’ve been struggling with this exact issue with my two littles (girl to be 3 in August and boy to be 2 in October) especially since I’m expecting our 3rd in November. 

    I prayed hard to receive wisdom in Confession when I confessed my own angst, jealousy, and anger over my handling of the kids in Mass.  I was at my wits end and wondered if I should consider the nursery or going to Mass separately.  The priest was so helpful in confirming that my kids SHOULD be in Mass with us as a family, and they WILL learn to behave. He also presented, in different terms, the existentialist approach you point out.  God knows are hearts, our distractions, and our “apostolate of interuptions”. 

    Thank you so much for your insights.  I can’t tell you how much they came at the right time.
    Meg

  • MommytoCecilia,

    Your experience matches mine. The main reason I’m so firm about no television and DVDs is my own peace of mind. I find whenever Bella does watch even a You Tube video she goes into begging mode for the rest of the day, sometimes the next day as well. I just hate having to say no and no and no again. I have to do it enough about other things and so if there’s one area I can avoid the whining with so little pain to me, I’ll take it. Also seeing how hard my sil has to work to limit screen time, always having to say no, set timers, maintain boundaries. My nieces can be champion beggers! Frankly, I don’t have the energy.

    The shows Dom and I watch we watch after the girls are in bed. Which means we don’t watch much. My average is probably 3-5 hours a week. Dom watches more on his computer in the office. Sometimes he does turn on the television for sports or a cooking program on Sat or Sun but maybe because it is so occasional and because the shows are not aimed at children, Bella will watch a bit but not really beg for more after the television is turned off.

    Bookworm, Done.

    Maureen,

    Oh yeah! They don’t read yet, but the Missalettes are a huge favorite with both girls. Often preferred to our own board books despite the lack of pictures. I often do have to confiscate them from Sophie who can be a bit too energetic turning the pages and rips the thin paper. That’s one reason I liked the Magnifikids at our former parish, no worries if the baby shreds them.

    Meg,
    God certainly is great for sending us the right help at the right time! I am so glad this was helpful. I understand being at your wits end, believe me. Though I guess I’m lucky that Mass isn’t currently one of my more challenging areas. Usually for me it comes out as: “Can’t you guys be quiet, Mommy’s praying!” when I’m saying morning prayer.  Patience is something I work on continuously.

  • We have brought all our kids to mass from infancy. A few dirty looks – but not from our priest, incalculable benefits to the children and us.

    One practical suggestion: have them run around, play tag, dance, play physically, or at least be outdoors BEFORE Mass. Then they are more ready to sit still. The same thing for after Mass – they’ve earned it!

  • Great advice, and we’ll be doing more with our extremely active and extroverted 15 month old girl.

    She loves mass,  but when she gets bored, or wants to flirt with the people around us she fusses and squirms so it’s hard to hold her. Then, it’s off to the back of the Church. She wanders and plays quietly with other children, and occasionally makes a dart up the aisle. Overall, it’s not that bad. She is learning to “say hi” to Jesus, and loves to walk right up to statues and pictures for a chat. She also will dip her hand in the holy water font and tap herself on the forehead or chest a few times. She also loves to give Jesus kisses. 

    We haven’t tried sitting up close yet. I think I’ve felt like if (when) we have to take her out it’ll feel like the walk of shame. But, she is a very visual baby, so maybe it’ll work!

  • Aemilia,
    That’s a good one. I’ll have to think about how to implement it, though, at least the part about before Mass. I usually keep them in pajamas until the last minute because I don’t want their church clothes to get messed up and both my kids are grazers and I’d rather them continue to eat while I’m getting ready so that they have full bellies during Mass.  After Mass, no question. They get out of fancy clothes as soon as we get home and romp in the yard. At least during the half of the year that small kids can romp outdoors here in New England.

    Lydia,

    As the mother of at least one extrovert, I fully sympathize. You should try sitting up front. It does make for an awful long “walk of shame,” but I do find we have to make it much less often.

    My rule of thumb is that I try to limit freedom when I have to take the girls out. I don’t want it to feel like a reward for being fussy. So I’d be hesitant about the message she gets if crying results in getting to play with other children and wandering about. I want being calm and remaining in the pew to be the more attractive option.

  • Excellent ideas; I will definitely be printing this out to read over again.  Our little one is 10 mos. and starting to get interested in watching us recite prayers, look at statues, and watch Father during the consecration.  Problem are the extremely long homilies…very squirmy.  Since she is currently trying to eat books, I might try bringing some rosaries.  Thanks!

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