My calendar in May and June has slots for Masses that I celebrate at only this time of year. They’re given the name “Baccalaureate,” in honor of the graduating classes at Catholic educational institutions or from the local Catholic community. Naturally, they are held in proximity usually to a school, college or university’s Commencement Exercises.
I like the term “Commencement Exercises” instead of “Graduation” because it signifies that the close of one’s educational pursuits is not a finishing point as much as a sending forth to share with the world what one has learned. That is why celebrating Holy Mass with graduating seniors as well as their families and friends is so important to me. Because in this moment, they are being sent forth not only with a diploma but even more — through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ who promises to be with them all their days!
In Evening Prayer II for Corpus Christi (The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ), which we celebrated on the first Sunday of June, the antiphon for the Canticle of Mary reads: “How holy this feast in which Christ is our food; his passion is recalled; grace fills our hearts; and we receive a pledge of glory to come.” I have always cherished this verse because it sums up for me what our Eucharistic gathering is all about and the promise it holds.
Every Mass is a moment where heaven and earth unite in worship of God! I remember being told on one occasion when I could not be present for a friend’s special celebration, “Don’t forget you are only an altar away.” It is the altar of the Lord that connects us! That is why nothing can replace our gathering for Sunday Mass. It is the family Sunday dinner par excellence where relationships grow, stories are shared, counsel is given and we are given food for the journey.
When you and I gather for Holy Mass, it is the hand of the Lord that feeds us either physically or through spiritual communion. Pope Francis teaches that “The Eucharist is essential for us: It is Christ who wishes to enter our lives and fill us with his grace.” It is in this moment that Jesus’ “passion” for the human family … for each one of us … is recalled. Every time you and I gather for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, it is a sharing in the Passion of our Lord: That God so loved the world, he gave us his only Son, not to condemn us but that we might have life to the full (see Jn. 3:16).
This is why it is essential for us as Catholics to remember the critical difference between Holy Mass and a Communion service. Mass is our entry into and our sharing in Christ’s sacrifice: “Do this in memory of me.” To share in Holy Communion, the first thing necessary is to share in the sacrifice. No Mass means no Eucharist! The Church teaches that at the heart of every Mass is the institution of the Eucharist … the personal invitation to share in Christ’s Passion.
Our sharing in Holy Communion (the Blessed Sacrament) is a result of the Passion of the Lord. It is true that Communion can be distributed outside of Mass for those unable to be present at the Lord’s Table or when a priest cannot be present to celebrate the Mass, but it is not the same as sharing in the action of the Mass. The word “action” is important because it signifies that the Holy Eucharist is food for the journey, and we are sent = Missa (Latin)/Mass (English) – out into the public square to carry to others the living presence of Christ. It is summarized in words familiar to many of us: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”
Thus, our partaking in the Eucharistic celebration is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet where we will be guests of the Lamb of God. It gives a framework also to our focus on the Eucharist outside of Mass, especially through the practice of Eucharistic Adoration. Again, Pope Francis reflects that: “Without prolonged moments of adoration, of prayerful encounter with the Word, of sincere conversation with the Lord, our work easily becomes meaningless; we lose energy as a result of weariness and difficulties, and our fervor dies out. The Church urgently needs the deep breath of prayer, and to my great joy groups devoted to prayer and intercession, the prayerful reading of God’s Word and the perpetual adoration of the Eucharist are growing at every level of ecclesial life.”
This leads me to a special event that will be happening in our diocese the last week of June. As we conclude this month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and in preparation for the National Eucharistic Congress and Revival at Indianapolis from July 17–21, I will be leading five regional “Eucharistic Days” from Monday, June 24 through Friday, June 28, as an invitation to rekindle our diocesan family’s devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist as the “source and summit of the Christian life.” As Catholics, we believe that “the presence of Christ in the Eucharist is real, true and substantial.” As St. John Paul II reminds us, “Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love.”
On each of these days, Holy Mass will be celebrated followed by an afternoon for the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during which the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) will be available. The day will end with a special Holy Hour to which all clergy, religious and lay faithful are invited to join in. Please find below the schedule for the week and plan to take some time to reconnect with our Eucharistic Lord and receive the many graces he wants to share with us if we stop and give him the chance.
Monday, June 24
Location: St. Mary of the Assumption, Binghamton
12:10 pm – Mass
12:45 pm – 6:00 pm – Adoration
3:00 – 5:00 pm – Confessions
5:00 pm – Holy Hour
Tuesday, June 25
Location: Historic St. John, Utica
12:10 pm – Mass
12:45 pm – 6:00 pm – Adoration
3:00 – 5:00 pm – Confessions
5:00 pm – Holy Hour
Wednesday, June 26
Location: St. Mary of the Assumption Shrine, Oswego
12:10 pm – Mass
12:45 pm – 6:00 pm – Adoration
3:00 – 5:00 pm – Confessions
5:00 pm – Holy Hour
Thursday, June 27:
Location: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Syracuse
(Please note time changes due to Baccalaureate Mass in Binghamton)
12:00 pm – Mass (livestreamed)
12:30 pm – 5:00 pm – Adoration
2:00 – 4:00 pm – Confessions
4:00 pm – Holy Hour
Friday, June 28:
Location: St. Paul, Norwich
(Please note schedule changes)
9:00 am – Mass
9:30 am – 5:00 pm – Adoration
2:00 – 4:00 pm – Confessions
4:00 pm – Holy Hour
ALL ARE WELCOME! to come and discover anew “How holy is this feast in which Christ is our food …”
