Waterloo Catholics

EVENING EXAMEN FOR SUNDAY

God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.

> Take a few moments to reflect on this day:
• How did you experience Christ's presence in Word and Sacrament today?
• Did you have experiences today in which God's presence, love and mercy were missing?
• For what are you most grateful today?
• What do you most regret today?

> Give thanks for this day and its many blessings.
> Ask for the grace to be more aware of God's presence and to become a better agent of God's love and mercy.

Pray these words from Mary's Magnificat:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

Protect us Lord while we are awake and safeguard us while we sleep that we may keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

+ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit....
________________
The Examen is a traditional devotional practice popularized by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Our Evening Examen is adapted for individuals living busy lives in the modern world.
> Find out more about the Examen here:
http://waterloocatholics.org/daily-examen
____________________

EVENING COMPLINE
Compline is the final prayer of the day in the Church’s “Liturgy of the Hours”. It marks the close of the day and welcomes the quiet of nighttime by praising the Divine Source of light and life.
> Trinity Church in New York offers a daily virtual Candlelight Compline service at 7:00pm. at
https://www.facebook.com/trinityretreatcenter

LEARN TO GROW…

The Catholic Parishes in Waterloo are committed to life-long formation, education and spiritual growth for adults of all ages.
> See our list of current and future opportunities here:
http://waterloocatholics.org/bulletin-board
> Looking for something in particular? Contact our Faith Formation Team at
[email protected]

DAILY READING FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 7

Today's Scripture passage:

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven.... Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.... Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me...."
(cf. John 6.51-58)
> Choose a word, phrase or image from today’s reading and reflect on its meaning for you. Recall and ponder this word, phrase or image from time to time throughout the day.
____________________

Lectio Divina is a traditional form of “holy reading.” Our Daily Reading is adapted for individuals living busy lives in the modern world.
> See our suggested process for daily Lectio here:
http://waterloocatholics.org/process-for-daily-lectio
> Watch a video reflection on today's reading here:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/
> Find a reflection on art related to today’s reading here:
https://christian.art/

BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH

Today, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, is the patronal feast day of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Waterloo.
Blessed Sacrament Parish was formed in 1947 and celebrated its first Mass in the small theater of Edison School on January 4, 1948. In July of that year, a temporary church building was completed on Falls Avenue.
In September, 1950, the cornerstone was laid for a combination church and school at the present site on Stephen Avenue. The first Mass was celebrated on the lower level of the new building on December 1, 1950. School Sisters of Notre Dame arrived from Mankato, Minnesota, to begin classes in the school, located on the upper level, in September, 1951.
Construction of the present church and rectory began in July, 1965; the first Mass was celebrated in the new church on Thanksgiving Day in 1966 and the new church was dedicated on April 9, 1967. Blessed Sacrament School was incorporated into Cedar Valley Catholic Schools in 2003; grades K-6 were consolidated at St. Edward School in 2019.
The parish is currently served by Fr. Anthony Kruse, who was appointed pastor in 2018.
In July of this year, Blessed Sacrament Parish will be incorporated into the Waterloo Pastorate. Learn more about the Waterloo Pastorate here:
https://bit.ly/4xdTGsz
and here:
https://bit.ly/43O03oW

> See a profile of Blessed Sacrament Parish here:
https://waterloocatholics.org/parish-profiles
> Link to the Blessed Sacrament Parish website here:
http://www.blessedsacramentwaterloo.org/
> See a historical timeline of the Catholic community in Waterloo here:
https://waterloocatholics.org/historical-timeline

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

The custom of adoring or venerating the Blessed Sacrament outside of the Mass has its roots in an early liturgical custom of honoring the Eucharist while it was reserved on a separate altar or in a separate chapel during the Holy Triduum (the solemn period in Holy Week between the conclusion of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday and the celebration of the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday). Over time, the devotion was duplicated on other occasions and became in general an expression of the Catholic community's belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic Assembly and in the bread and wine consecrated at Mass. While preserving the value of adoring Christ present in the Eucharist, the liturgical reforms following the Second Vatican Council stressed the preeminence of receiving and being transformed by Christ present in the Eucharist. In recent years Eucharistic adoration was strongly advocated by St. Pope John Paul II and his successors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.

Learn More
> Read a brief history of Eucharistic adoration:
https://bit.ly/444Uh3r
> Learn more about the origins of Eucharistic adoration:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Aug2006/traditions.asp
> Read the five benefits of Eucharistic Adoration according to Pope Francis:
https://bit.ly/3HTkjhh
> Watch Pope Francis’ prayer for a Eucharistic life:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F834c95N5I
> Read Pope Benedict’s homily on Eucharistic adoration:
https://bit.ly/4aNiRFQ
> Watch Bishop Barron’s reflection on Eucharistic adoration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4KUk_bFlTk
> Download a reflective guide to Eucharistic Adoration:
https://bit.ly/3tKGnAW
> Read “8 Ways to Pray During Adoration”
catholic-link.org/images/infographic-8-ways-to-pray-during-adoration/
> Learn more about Catholic devotions here:
https://waterloocatholics.org/catholic-devotions

PANGE LINGUA GLORIOSI CORPORIS MYSTERIUM

Word made Flesh, by word he maketh
Very bread his Flesh to be;
Man in wine Christ's Blood partaketh:
And if senses fail to see,
Faith alone the true heart waketh
To behold the mystery.

This hymn was written by St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and is considered one of the seven great hymns of the Church. The rhythm is said to have come down from a marching song of the Roman Legions, "Behold Caesar, now triumphant in subjugating Gaul." The last two stanzas make up the Tantum Ergo that is used at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Learn More:
> Read the English lyrics to the whole hymn:
https://www.letras.com/catolicas/pange-lingua-latim/english.html
> Listen to Bishop Barron’s reflection on Aquinas’s Eucharistic hymns:
https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/homily/panis-angelicus/794/
> Listen to the Pange Lingua performed by Capella Gregoriana here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnrOwiYqTcc
> Read more about Aquinas's Eucharistic hymns here:
https://bit.ly/3Knsb8I
> Listen and watch this celebration of Benediction featuring the traditional Eucharistic hymn, “Adoro te devote”, also written by St. Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT9Z79HoLVY

Today’s Feast

> Learn more about the feast of Corpus Christi here:
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2013-06-02
and here:
https://bit.ly/3HAVDG0
> Read Pope Francis’ homily on the feast of Corpus Christi:
https://bit.ly/2S99P40
> discover how a 13th century nun’s vision led to feast of Corpus Christi:
https://bit.ly/4e8ZDhg
> Watch this video on the origin of Corpus Christi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLZmUWWVrzE
…listen to Fr. Richard Rohr’s homily on Corpus Christi:
https://cac.org/podcasts/feast-corpus-christi-one-body-one-suffering-one-happiness/
> Read Fr. Klein's essay on Corpus Christi:
http://americamagazine.org/node/128525
> Review what Catholics believe about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist:
https://waterloocatholics.org/real-presence
> Read “Reflections on the Eucharist”:
https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/reflections-eucharist
> Read: "How the Eucharist Opens Our Eyes to the Body of Christ"
https://bit.ly/3zLYhH0
> Read Terrance Klein's reflection on the ambiguity of this mystery:
http://www.americamagazine.org/content/good-word/bungling-body-and-blood
> Read “Mission is the heartbeat of the body of Christ”:
https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20100607_1.htm
> Listen to Bishop Barron’s homily on Corpus Christ:
https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/homily/corpus-christi/5165/
> Watch Bishop Barron’s reflection on the real presence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJjW3LXuHzo
> Pray this 3-minute retreat, “God Is With Us”
http://www.loyolapress.com/assets/Bookcovers/4879_god-is-with-us.swf
> Pray this litany for the feast of Corpus Christi:
https://bit.ly/3xX5pPy
> Enjoy this musical reflection on Corpus Christi:
https://bit.ly/2UJUyEO
> listen to John Michael Talbot’s “I Am the Bread of Life”
https://goo.gl/r0HJiN
> See how the Eucharist was portrayed in Medieval art:
https://bit.ly/2MRMptD

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - June 02, 2013 - Liturgical Calendar Worldwide Holy Hour with Pope Francis While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said,

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, traditionally known as Corpus Christi.

This feast that was established by Pope Urban IV during the Middle Ages to provide a special celebration for the Blessed Sacrament. While Holy Thursday celebrates the institution of the Eucharist, the commemoration of the Lord's passion on that night suppresses the rejoicing proper to the occasion. By contrast, Corpus Christi emphasizes and celebrates Jesus' Real Presence in the Eucharist. In many places, including Rome, a Corpus Christi procession is held to honor the sacrament and give witness to our belief that the Eucharist is both "the source and summit" of our lives as Catholic Christians. It is a way, in the words of Fr. Terrance Klein, "of insisting that our glorified Christ has a corporeal, rather than simply a spiritual, presence in the cosmos."

Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, you gave us the Eucharist as the memorial of your suffering and death. May our worship of this sacrament of your body and blood help us to experience the salvation you won for us and the peace of the kingdom where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Daily Prayer for Sunday, June 7

O Lord, let my spirit rise up to meet you
As the day rises to meet the sun

Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise the Lord in the heights.
Praise the Lord, all you angels.
Praise the Lord, all you hosts.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit….
(cf. Psalm 148)

God of light, your faithful love endures forever.
--Inspire all who preach and hear your word this day.
--Unite us in efforts to address the root causes of hunger and injustice.
--Restore those who feel unwelcome, rejected, or judged by our parish communities.

(Remember your personal concerns and needs here; give thanks for God's blessings)

Let us pray.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who has come to his people and set them free....
God has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
yours is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, now and forever.

+ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit….
____________________

Our Daily Prayer is based on the church's Liturgy of the Hours and is adapted from "Give Us This Day" published by The Liturgical Press. See our suggestions for how to use the Daily Prayer and our caution about praying the Psalms here:
http://waterloocatholics.org/daily-prayer

> Find today’s video reflection from Pray-As-You-Go:
https://pray-as-you-go.org/daily-meditation

EVENING EXAMEN FOR SATURDAY

God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.

> Take a few moments to reflect on this day:
• Where did you find Christ's presence in national or international events this week?
• Did you observe events in which God's presence, love and mercy were missing?
• For what are you most grateful today?
• What do you most regret today?

> Give thanks for this day and its many blessings.
> Ask for the grace to be more aware of God's presence and to become a better agent of God's love and mercy.

Pray these words from Mary's Magnificat:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
He has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Protect us Lord while we are awake and safeguard us while we sleep that we may keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

+ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit....
____________________

The Examen is a traditional devotional practice popularized by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Our Evening Examen is adapted for individuals living busy lives in the modern world.
> Find out more about the Examen here:
http://waterloocatholics.org/daily-examen
____________________

EVENING COMPLINE
Compline is the final prayer of the day in the Church’s “Liturgy of the Hours”. It marks the close of the day and welcomes the quiet of nighttime by praising the Divine Source of light and life.
> Trinity Church in New York offers a daily virtual Candlelight Compline service at 7:00pm. at
https://www.facebook.com/trinityretreatcenter