As we launched into “Ordinary Time” and concluded the Easter Season right after last Sunday’s celebration of Pentecost, our Sunday celebrations continue to be anything but “ordinary” this month of June!
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, next weekend is the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, and as we wrap up the month, we end with the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul (with June 29th falling on a Sunday this year, this Feast replaces the regular Sunday readings). The first two celebrations offer us the opportunity to reflect on some of the great mysteries of God and our faith while the third helps us ponder the great faith and example of some of the first evangelists and martyrs. This is a lot to think about, but the Lord always desires to reveal more and more of Himself to us, and He does so in many ways. As James so succinctly puts it, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
So, with that, I’d like to draw on some experiences that our recent parish pilgrimage to Italy and Rome afforded me to “go deeper,” to “draw near to God” especially with the gift of the Eucharist and the example of the Saints!
Our journey began with visits to the many sites of St. Padre Pio, from his hometown in Pietrelcina, to his family farm in Piana Romana, to San Giovanni Rotundo where he ministered during the majority of his priesthood. In today’s Gospel, John writes, “But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” This Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, was working so evidently in Pio’s life, and he was an open vessel! At the young age of five, he had already expressed interest in dedicating his life to God. One of the more “famous saints” of our time, he is a profound example of how the Lord can and will use us as instruments to help draw his flock closer to Himself. We had the special privilege of receiving a blessing from Fr. Chas as he held Padre Pio’s crucifix in one hand and placed it over our heart and Pio’s glove that he placed on our head as we each approached for the blessing. While none of us may be gifted with bilocation or the stigmata, the Lord has special gifts and graces planned for each of us if we open our hearts and desire these gifts that will help Him draw His flock. This openness is the path to Sainthood!
On our way back toward Rome, we visited two sites of Eucharistic Miracles, Lanciano and Orvieto. Our experience at Lanciano was particularly powerful and touching since during our Mass in a small chapel, we were able to view through a window behind the altar table the Eucharistic Miracles at the same time that Fr. Chas elevated the host during Consecration. As one pilgrim exclaimed, “If you didn’t believe before, you certainly couldn’t help but believe now!” The Miracle of Lanciano is actually a host that turned into cardiac tissue during consecration and wine that turned to whole blood, type AB. This miracle from 750 AD was the Lord’s gift to a priest who was doubting the True Presence himself, and the host and wine became flesh and blood during Consecration! I could write more on this, but at this point, just want to strongly encourage you to attend one or both of the upcoming Eucharistic Processions next weekend in witness to the awesome gifts that the Lord gives us in the Eucharist! (I’ll mention, too, that our upcoming week of Totus Tuus in July is the perfect time for our younger parishioners to draw closer to our Eucharistic Lord! Check it out…it’s like VBS but so much more!)
Alas, I don’t have much space remaining for Rome, but we ended our journey there, visiting, among other Basilicas, those of Peter and Paul. Our Scavi Tour even offered a glimpse of Peter’s burial site deep under the Vatican, under the “baldacchino” (or canopy) of the main altar. The statues of Peter and Paul flank the entrance of the Vatican and these men, both martyred in Rome, stand as reminders of what we are all “about.” Peter, the Rock, upon which the Church is built, and Paul, the great missionary who gives us example of “going out” and proclaiming and inviting. Amid this very spot, we sat and listened to one of Peter’s successors, newly-elected Pope Leo, and the beauty of our universal church could not have been more present in the crowd gathered there!
The pilgrimage was a time blessed beyond measure with graces that I’ll be pondering and praying about through these coming summer months (even as I write, I know I have barely scratched the surface of the Lord’s gifts). But, to be sure, the beauty and goodness of the Lord does not require a pilgrimage, though it is a powerful way to encounter our Lord! In his economy, in his awesome plan, his bountiful goodness, he offers Himself to us everyday, in Scripture, in the Eucharist, in our very prayer time. He is that close, and this Creator of the world and all that is in it, desires one thing, for us to “draw near.”
On this Holy Trinity Sunday, ask our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to reveal more fully to you the profound mysteries of our faith. Ask Him to help you draw nearer, to dedicate time for adoring Him in the Eucharist, to become a more powerful witness to the faith, and to desire sainthood.