LETTER FROM THE PASTOR
One Family Around the Eucharistic Table
Dear Family,
Last month, we celebrated the birthday of Fr. Xavier with our staff, Monday Mass group, and several parish families. Through shared meals, fellowship, and hospitality, Fr. Xavier truly enjoyed a wonderful “birthday month” filled with friendship and love. We celebrate birthdays, feast days, and special moments by sharing a meal together. I am sure many of you do the same in your families. Sharing a meal is much more than simply eating food; it is a sign of love, friendship, unity, and belonging.
A few weeks ago, many families celebrated Mother’s Day by gathering around the table with their mothers and loved ones. We celebrate the important moments of life by coming together and sharing a meal.
It is no wonder, then, that Jesus chose a meal as the way to remain with us forever. On the night before He died, He gave us the Holy Eucharist, His own Body and Blood, as our spiritual food and lasting presence among us.
Sometimes people ask: “Why do I have to go to Sunday Mass? Can’t I pray at home? God is everywhere.” Yes, God is everywhere. But we are not the same everywhere. We need community, fellowship, encouragement, and worship together. We do not simply attend church, we are the Church. Just as families gather around the dinner table, we gather around the Eucharistic table as God’s family.
The Holy Eucharist is the Church’s greatest treasure. On Holy Thursday, Jesus gave us Himself in the Eucharist, and on Good Friday, He gave us His mother Mary to be our mother. As Catholics, we believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Through the mystery of transubstantiation, the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Every time we receive Holy Communion, we are invited not only to receive Jesus but also to become like Him. We are called to become “living Eucharist” for others, carrying Christ’s love, mercy, kindness, and compassion into our homes, workplaces, and communities.
May this beautiful feast of Corpus Christi deepen our love for Jesus in the Eucharist. Let us approach the altar with faith, reverence, gratitude, and repentance, knowing that here Christ Himself waits to nourish us and walk with us.
With gratitude and prayer,
Fr. Binoy A. Lucka, O.SS.T
Your Pastor, Servant Leader in Christ
