R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The apostles gathered together with Jesus
and reported all they had done and taught.
He said to them,
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
People were coming and going in great numbers,
and they had no opportunity even to eat.
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.
They hastened there on foot from all the towns
and arrived at the place before them.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.

This weekend in Indianapolis there is celebrated the 10^th National Eucharistic Congress in the United States for the Catholic Church.  The last one was in 1941.  The bishops in our country, as our Shepherds, felt the real need to give public witness to our Catholic Belief in the Most Holy Eucharist.  The Congress draws tens of thousands to celebrate the Real Presence of Christ, His Body and Blood — not just a symbol but our Lord’s real Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity.  Every time the validity ordained priest prays the words of Consecration, there is a real change in the bread and the wine. This comes from the authority of Jesus Himself, given to the Church when our Lord said, “This IS my Body. This IS my Blood.”

As the Catholic Church, we must clearly show this teaching to the world as a people of God. Anything else waters down the teaching of Christ Himself. Regarding the Mass, especially Sunday Mass, I believe we gather as sinners in need of salvation. We depend totally on the Word of God and in a special way, totally upon Christ in the Holy Eucharist upon the altar, in the tabernacle, and in our souls after our reception of Holy Communion. We personally as sinners encounter Christ Himself, seeking His salvation not only for our souls but for the salvation of the entire world.

We all must be ever-conscious of what we are doing. As sinners, may the Holy Eucharist cleanse us of our sins. Let us be ever conscious. Let us show our reverence in coming to church on-time, in signing ourselves with Holy Water, and by genuflecting before our Lord in the tabernacle, by our attentive listening to the Word of God, by our participation in both prayer and in song, and by our adoration in Holy Communion – the very center of our Catholic Life. Do not short-change it! Make sure the Sunday Mass is the priority of your life.

I commend our bishops for calling this special national celebration. They are making sure that we are sheep with a Shepherd. Also important, that once Mass is celebrated, we go out, and we reach out to one another, in works of charity and works of justice in the name of the Church and our Eucharistic Lord. As we celebrate this Mass as sinners, may He touch us today with forgiveness and humility, and may we be ever grateful, giving thanks for the gift of His Body and His Blood as members of the Church. As the Body of Christ is elevated, as the Blood of Christ is elevated – for our adoration – let us respond with mind, heart, and soul, “My Lord and my God!”

Monsignor Michael J. Cariglio, Jr., Pastor & Rector, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica – Saint Anthony Parish

Woe to the shepherds
who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture,
says the LORD.
Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,
against the shepherds who shepherd my people:
You have scattered my sheep and driven them away.
You have not cared for them,
but I will take care to punish your evil deeds.
I myself will gather the remnant of my flock
from all the lands to which I have driven them
and bring them back to their meadow;
there they shall increase and multiply.
I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them
so that they need no longer fear and tremble;
and none shall be missing, says the LORD.

Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;
as king he shall reign and govern wisely,
he shall do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah shall be saved,
Israel shall dwell in security.
This is the name they give him:
“The LORD our justice.”

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Brothers and sisters:
In Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have become near by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, he who made both one
and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,
abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,
that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,
thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile both with God,
in one body, through the cross,
putting that enmity to death by it.
He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near,
for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.