Reflection Starter from St. Boniface

"The Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life's different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship, but to keep her on her course." - Saint Boniface, whose memory the Church celebrates today (5 June)

Pope John Paul II: Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Part 56

In 2003, on Holy Thursday, 2003. Pope John Paul II issued what would be his final encyclical: Ecclesia de Eucharistia, "On the Eucharist and Its Relationship to the Church." This encyclical contains much to prayerfully ponder/meditate on. The encyclical's Chapter Six, At the School of Mary, "Woman of the Eucharist," continues as follows: 

"56. Mary, throughout her life at Christ's side and not only on Calvary, made her own the sacrificial dimension of the Eucharist. When she brought the child Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem 'to present him to the Lord' (Lk 2:22), she heard the aged Simeon announce that the child would be a 'sign of contradiction' and that a sword would also pierce her own heart (cf. Lk 2:34-35). The tragedy of her Son's crucifixion was thus foretold, and in some sense Mary's Stabat Mater at the foot of the Cross was foreshadowed. In her daily preparation for Calvary, Mary experienced a kind of 'anticipated Eucharist' - one might say a 'spiritual communion' - of desire and of oblation, which would culminate in her union with her Son in his passion, and then find expression after Easter by her partaking in the Eucharist which the Apostles celebrated as the memorial of that passion.

"What must Mary have felt as she heard from the mouth of Peter, John, James and the other Apostles the words spoken at the Last Supper: 'This is my body which is given for you' (Lk 22:19)? The body given up for us and made present under sacramental signs was the same body which she had conceived in her womb! For Mary, receiving the Eucharist must have somehow meant welcoming once more into her womb that heart which had beat in unison with hers and reliving what she had experienced at the foot of the Cross."

LoveNotes: "Hooked on the Classics"

It's time for some more barbershop harmony. Here is a presentation of "Hooked on the Classics" by LoveNotes:

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the many ways in which You are working in each event in our lives.

Bishop Barron on Pentecost and the Fires in Our Cities

"It is in a way providential that the Feast of Pentecost arrives this year just as our country is going through a convulsive social crisis. For the Holy Spirit, whose coming we celebrate on Pentecost, is a power meant to transform the world, or in the language of Psalm 104, 'to renew the face of the earth.' Pentecost, accordingly, is never simply for the Church; it is for the world by means of the Church.

"One of the principal biblical metaphors for the Spirit is the wind, and indeed, on Pentecost morning, the Apostles heard what sounded like a strong driving wind as the Spirit arrived. But the wind, elusive and unpredictable, is never really known in itself, but only through its effects. On the scriptural reading, the first effect of the Holy Spirit is the formation of an ekklesia (a church), which in turn is designed to transform the wider society into the Spirit's image. In the words of the Nicene Creed - accepted by Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Christians - this ekklesia is 'one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.' The wind of the Holy Spirit produces these qualities, and therefore, it is by them that the Spirit’s action is discerned. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Bishop Robert Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, reflected on the message of Pentecost and on the importance of living it as we meet the scourge opf racism and other challenges of our time.

To access Bishop Barron's complete post, please visit:

Word on Fire: Pentecost and the Fires in Our Cities (31 MAY 20)

Reflection Starter from St. John Henry Newman

"With Christians, a poetical view of things is a duty. We are bid to color all things with hues of faith, to see a divine meaning in every event." - Saint John Henry Newman

Pope John Paul II: Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Part 55

In 2003, on Holy Thursday, 2003. Pope John Paul II issued what would be his final encyclical: Ecclesia de Eucharistia, "On the Eucharist and Its Relationship to the Church." This encyclical contains much to prayerfully ponder/meditate on. The encyclical's Chapter Six, At the School of Mary, "Woman of the Eucharist," continues as follows: 

"55. In a certain sense Mary lived her Eucharistic faith even before the institution of the Eucharist, by the very fact that she offered her virginal womb for the Incarnation of God's Word. The Eucharist, while commemorating the passion and resurrection, is also in continuity with the incarnation. At the Annunciation Mary conceived the Son of God in the physical reality of his body and blood, thus anticipating within herself what to some degree happens sacramentally in every believer who receives, under the signs of bread and wine, the Lord's body and blood.

"As a result, there is a profound analogy between the Fiat which Mary said in reply to the angel, and the Amen which every believer says when receiving the body of the Lord. Mary was asked to believe that the One whom she conceived 'through the Holy Spirit' was 'the Son of God' (Lk 1:30-35). In continuity with the Virgin's faith, in the Eucharistic mystery we are asked to believe that the same Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary, becomes present in his full humanity and divinity under the signs of bread and wine.

"'Blessed is she who believed' (Lk 1:45). Mary also anticipated, in the mystery of the incarnation, the Church's Eucharistic faith. When, at the Visitation, she bore in her womb the Word made flesh, she became in some way a 'tabernacle' - the first 'tabernacle' in history - in which the Son of God, still invisible to our human gaze, allowed himself to be adored by Elizabeth, radiating his light as it were through the eyes and the voice of Mary. And is not the enraptured gaze of Mary as she contemplated the face of the newborn Christ and cradled him in her arms that unparalleled model of love which should inspire us every time we receive Eucharistic communion?"

The Diamonds: "The Stroll"

It's time for some more doo wop. Here is a presentation of "The Stroll" by The Diamonds:

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the preciousness of each moment of our lives.

Fr. Patrick Briscoe, OP, on Why the Holy Spirit Appeared as Fire

"There are, in our Sacred Scriptures, four visible manifestations of the Holy Spirit. He appears at the baptism of Christ as a dove (Luke 3:22), at the Transfiguration of Jesus as the cloud (Luke 17:5), as wind in the Upper Room (Acts 2:2), and lastly as tongues of fire (Acts 2:3).

"While one can say many things about these manifestations, the Holy Spirit considered as fire has a particular place in our tradition. Fire warms, enlightens, and cleanses. These properties of fire speak to us of the work proper to the Holy Spirit."

In a recent commentary, Father Patrick Briscoe, O.P., reflected why the Holy Spirit appeared as fire and how we can learn, from this manifestation, to allow the Holy Spirit to act in our lives.

To access Fr Patrick's complete post, please visit:

Aleteia: Fr. Patrick Briscoe, OP: Why the Holy Spirit appeared as fire (31 MAY 20)

Editor's note: Myrna and I are parishioners at Saint Pius V Parish, where Fr. Patrick is currently serving (until the end of June).

Reflection Starter from Zelig Pliskin

"Every moment of life is precious and can never happen again and therefore is a reason to appreciate, be grateful for and celebrate the fact that you are alive." - Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

Statement by President George W. Bush

Statement by President George W. Bush on the death of George Floyd, racism, and related issues:

"Laura and I are anguished by the brutal suffocation of George Floyd and disturbed by the injustice and fear that suffocate our country. Yet we have resisted the urge to speak out, because this is not the time for us to lecture. It is time for us to listen. It is time for America to examine our tragic failures - and as we do, we will also see some of our redeeming strengths.

"It remains a shocking failure that many African Americans, especially young African American men, are harassed and threatened in their own country. It is a strength when protesters, protected by responsible law enforcement, march for a better future. This tragedy - in a long series of similar tragedies - raises a long overdue question: How do we end systemic racism in our society? The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting and grieving. Those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America - or how it becomes a better place.

"America's greatest challenge has long been to unite people of very different backgrounds into a single nation of justice and opportunity. The doctrine and habits of racial superiority, which once nearly split our country, still threaten our Union. The answers to American problems are found by living up to American ideals - to the fundamental truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by God with certain rights. We have often underestimated how radical that quest really is, and how our cherished principles challenge systems of intended or assumed injustice. The heroes of America - from Frederick Douglass, to Harriet Tubman, to Abraham Lincoln, to Martin Luther King, Jr. - are heroes of unity. Their calling has never been for the fainthearted. They often revealed the nation's disturbing bigotry and exploitation - stains on our character sometimes difficult for the American majority to examine. We can only see the reality of America's need by seeing it through the eyes of the threatened, oppressed, and disenfranchised.

"That is exactly where we now stand. Many doubt the justice of our country, and with good reason. Black people see the repeated violation of their rights without an urgent and adequate response from American institutions. We know that lasting justice will only come by peaceful means. Looting is not liberation, and destruction is not progress. But we also know that lasting peace in our communities requires truly equal justice. The rule of law ultimately depends on the fairness and legitimacy of the legal system. And achieving justice for all is the duty of all.

"This will require a consistent, courageous, and creative effort. We serve our neighbors best when we try to understand their experience. We love our neighbors as ourselves when we treat them as equals, in both protection and compassion. There is a better way - the way of empathy, and shared commitment, and bold action, and a peace rooted in justice. I am confident that together, Americans will choose the better way."

Media report:

CBS News: George W. Bush says George Floyd's death is latest "in a long series of similar tragedies" (2 JUN 20)

Background information:

George W. Bush Presidential Center