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June 2, 2023
Taking Jesus to the Beach is a crazy idea but I hope you will join me in my craziness next Sunday as we celebrate Corpus Christi Sunday with a traditional (Tybee style of course) Eucharistic Procession after the 11am Mass. We’ll head east on 8th St. to the beach then south on the beach to 9th and back to the Churchyard where we’ll have a picnic. It a sign of our common faith that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. It will be a wonderful public witness to our Catholic faith. Wear light clothing and beach shoes.
The National Eucharistic Revival, sponsored by the U.S. Catholic bishops, began a three-year initiative in 2022 beginning with the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, or Corpus Christi, and has as its mission to “renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.”
The Eucharistic Revival aims to inspire, educate and unite. In a world where not many people know Jesus intimately, the revival is meant to show everyone what wonders the true presence of Jesus can do to heal the soul. Through a carefully planned timeline of events, after three years, the U.S. bishops hope to change the lives of many Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
The Bishops saw a need for this Revival because the current world is hurting and straying far from God. According to Pew Research Center, only 31% of Catholics even believe in the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It is up to that 31% to spread the truth to all. As the revival website says, “We all need healing, yet many of us are separated from the very source of our strength. Jesus Christ invites us to return to the source and summit of our faith — his Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist.”
Next Sunday, on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, we will begin the parish Eucharistic Revival year (June 2023-July 2024). The purpose of the Year of Parish Revival is to discern how we might “heal, form, convert, unify and send” our parishioners through a “rekindled relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist.” And I am pleased beyond words that as a faith community we’ve gotten a great head start to the parish phase of the Revival with our Wednesday evening Mass. Thanks to all of you who are making the effort to participate in that Mass – I’m astounded by the numbers. A true Revival is happening in our parish!!!This week we conclude Bishop Parkes pastoral letter entitled: “Magnify and Rejoice: Our Call to Discipleship.”
THROUGH HIM, WITH HIM, AND IN HIM
At the beginning of the Reflect+Renew+Rejoice initiative, I promised that the end result would not be a “doorstop” – a plan-filled binder that would grow dusty before it could be implemented. Rather, the goal has always been to develop a plan that challenges us to Christ-centered growth in faith, hope, and love…and of course, joy! All that we are and all that we do should be focused not on an event or a timeline, but on a person: Jesus Christ. Through Him, With Him, and In Him, we respond personally and communally to our call to discipleship. Along the way we will encounter God’s grace in celebrated and outward ways, but also in His quiet whisper (I Kgs 19:12) and gentle manner. Today I invite you to join me as an active participant in this journey, drawing closer to God and to one another as we continue to build the Kingdom of God in the Diocese of Savannah.
Mary responds to Elizabeth’s greeting by pronouncing that her soul “magnifies the Lord” (Lk 1:46). Please join with me in imploring the intercession of Mary, Mother of God, to guide, guard, and protect the faithful of our Diocese. May she inspire us to look to the future with hope. As she always pointed the way to Christ, we too can follow her example by embracing our personal call to discipleship and “magnifying” the Lord by our thoughts, words, and actions.
At every Mass, I ask for your prayers for me and for those who minister in the vineyard of the Lord in the Diocese of Savannah. In a special way, I appreciate that you whisper my name to the Almighty so that I may be the Shepherd, the Bishop, that you need and deserve. Please know that I remember you each day in my prayers, my conversations, with God. May we meet each day in our prayers and Rejoice in the Lord always!
In joyful hope,
Most Reverend Stephen D. Parkes, Bishop of Savannah
