As a child, I can still remember my first communion.  It was May 1st, my grandparents were there.  My whole family was there.  There was a reception in the church basement after Mass for all of my classmates, then we went home to a great meal.

What I also remember is the sense of warmth, the sense of peace that I received.

We sometimes forget that the Mass is more then just a church service we attend, it is recieving the body and blood of Christ.  It is that overwhelming feeling.  When I leave Mass, I feel a little lighter, my heart feels a little stronger, I feel like I go forward with the strenght of God to do his will in the wicked world.

Sometimes to, we forget that the Mass is a celebration, a communion, with the entire church.  We celebrate it just as it is celebrated around the state, around the country, and around the world.  On this feast of Corpus Christie, I’ve had the pleasure of celebrating it in Rome with thousands of other people with Pope John Paul II.  Today, I will celebrate the Mass at Westminster Cathedral in London, and I have celebrated it at home in our humble parish church.  But in the end, we celebrate it TOGETHER, as the the children of God. 

The Mass, the celebration, is never ending.

On this feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, may we to realize that we are but one small part in this body of Christ, but as important as all the rest.