Monday, June 7th, 2021
We Become What We Eat
One of the classical definitions of the Eucharist is, “One bread, broken for many, so that many may become One.” I would like us to reflect on this definition, as we, the Church, celebrate the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. We also need this definition’s wisdom and inspiration as our Church and country struggle against forces of disunity. God in Jesus Christ whom we eat in the Eucharist is ONE. So too, we must become like Christ – ONE.
During Sunday's first reading we heard, that the Eucharist, the body and blood of Christ, is prefigured in the blood that Moses sprinkled, on the altar of God and on the Israelites. For them, that blood bound them to God in a covenant relationship. They became one with God and with one another, regardless of which tribe they belonged to. The letter to the Hebrews applies the Old Testament blood of goats to the precious blood of Christ which now binds us with God and one another.
Thus, we too are made one. We are united by the cup of salvation which we always raise up at the Mass. The gospel reading is rich in symbols of the uniting force of the Eucharist. At his last Passover meal with his disciple, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, BROKE the bread, and SHARED it for the MANY disciples. He also took the cup, blessed it, and gave it to them, telling them it was his blood of the covenant to be SHARED for the MANY.
Breaking and sharing of the bread, and sharing of the cup with his disciples, Jesus taught them, and all of us, how we can maintain the unity that we often lose. He asked them to eat his body and drink his blood as a sign of their bond of peace. We eat the Eucharist so that we may also break our bodies and shed our blood for one another just a Christ did.
It is unfortunate that in our times the Eucharist has become a source of division. Arrogance and self-righteousness sometimes afflict us and lead us to judge the status of the interior relationship between people and God. Sometimes, we project our own intolerance and lack of compassion onto God. We believe God is like us and will exclude people, even our own fellow Catholics from the Eucharist. We refuse to break the bread, share the cup, eat and drink with them. Pope Francis once said, "the Eucharist is not a reward for the righteous; the Eucharist is healing for sinners."
Disagreement with my fellow Catholics does not give me the right to exclude him or her from the union and the unity of the Eucharist. Christ, the Eucharist, is greater than the one or two things we disagree on. Father Bryan Massingale wrote in his book Racial Justice and the Catholic Church; "the practice of the Eucharist is one of the most powerful weapons Catholics have to crush racism, and all other evils that threaten, divide, exclude, scatter, and destroy humanity."
Finally, as we celebrate once again this solemnity of the body and blood of Christ, let us allow our communion to forge the unity in diversity that it is. As we eat the ONE bread broken for us, who are MANY and diverse, may we become this ONE bread united in our relationship with God and each other.
Fr. Kwame
We would like to Congratulate Suhani Ghosh
who received First Communion!
Watch the video HERE.
who received First Communion!
Watch the video HERE.
Come hear our own Parochial Administrator, Fr. Kwame Assenyoh,
give a talk on The Apostle's Creed.
Meet us in the Hall
For discussion and Pizza.
Jun
7
Monday, June 7th, 6:30 pm
Topic: The Apostle's Creed
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WE NEED YOU...
Volunteer and fill your soul!
St. Charles is in need of individuals who are searching to share the talents God has given them. We have a number of ministries that just might match your own talents!
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Jun
9
Interfaith Interconnect Religion Chat!
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going.
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might be going.
Please Join Us
Interfaith Interconnect Religion Chat!
Wednesday, June 9, 2021, 5:00–6:15 p.m.
Topic:
How Does Your Faith Approach Health Issues? One of the speakers will be St. Charles Health Ministry leader Maria Gamulo-Owen.
Come June 9 to hear some of the ways different religions’ beliefs, traditions, practices, and rituals address topics such as nutrition, addiction, mental health, and contagion. Afterward, participants may also speak briefly on how their faith promotes health today. There will be time for questions. All are welcome!
Interfaith Interconnect comprises over twenty Tri-Valley congregations, including St. Charles. Its mission is, “To enrich, inform and educate ourselves and others about the great diversity of faiths and cultures in our valley.”
Contact Marcia at 925-321-0730 or Interfaith.interconnect@gmail.com
The 2nd Annual Faith and Solidarity Ride & Walk:
Celebrating Juneteenth and Black Culture
In an act of solidarity and to spark black culture awareness within our community, while promoting physical, mental, and spiritual health, the Health Ministry has planned the 2nd Annual Faith and Solidarity Ride & Walk throughout Livermore to celebrate the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States – Juneteenth.
It was on June 19, 1865, that the Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with the news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were free. However, since then, and with recent events, most notably the death of George Floyd, our black brothers and sisters still live every day with racism, oppression, and social injustice (“My Soul is Thirsting for Justice”). Therefore, this event is an opportunity for our community to be one with our black communities and heal together (“My Soul is Thirsting for Relationship”) by educating ourselves about black culture, specifically Juneteenth, and bring awareness and appreciation of the richness of black culture and how it adds beautifully to humanity.
“By listening to one another’s experiences, we can come to understand and to empathize, which leads to those right relationships that unite us as brothers and sisters. This justice finds its source and strength in the love of Christ who laid down his life for his friends”. – Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love – A Pastoral Letter Against Racism, Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, November 2018
Use the QR code to register for this free event on Eventbrite, where you can find more information about the bike and walk routes. We will continually update the Eventbrite site with additional event information regarding speakers, educational materials about Juneteenth, and ways to support black communities. If you or your ministry would like to help with coordination and logistics, contact scbhealthministry@gmail.com.
Date: Saturday, June 19, 2021
Time: 8:45 pm gathering/speakers, 9:30 am bike/walk begins
Start/End: St. Charles Borromeo
Will may have noticed that our white picket fence has been removed from the center courtyard.
Don't be alarmed, we are in the process of replacing the fence with a newer version. We will have this area back up and operating very soon.
For more information please contact Holly.
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Community
1315 Lomitas Ave.
Livermore, CA 94550
"Not a Place Where...But a People Who"
