AN INVITATION TO ATTEND THE EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS THIS SUMMER!

AN INVITATION TO ATTEND THE EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS THIS SUMMER!

As you know, the Church in the US is celebrating a year of Eucharistic Revival. Here at St. Eugene’s we’ve had two 48 hour devotions and small group discussions. In July, a national gathering will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 17-21. We are hoping to have a good sized group from our parish attend. The Archdiocese has arranged for a travel package that includes transportation by bus and hotel accommodations. Visit archokc.org for more details. I plan to attend and would hope many will consider going. The cost is reasonable. On January 17, at 6pm at the Catholic Pastoral Center, a presentation on the Eucharist will be offered. There is also be more information about the national conference.

A BRIEF WORD ON THE POPE’S DECLARATION CONCERNING BLESSINGS

His Holiness Pope Francis has given priests permission to confer spontaneous blessings upon couples who are living together outside of marriage, including same-sex couples. The blessings are not a blessing of a union, but rather a blessing of individuals who are seeking the will of God. Priests bless all manner of people, no matter their situation in life. I’ve visited jails and conferred blessings upon inmates. I’ve had strangers stop me in airports and ask for a blessing. In those situations, the priest does not do a moral inquiry to determine if the person is “worthy” of a blessing. Instead, we pray with the person and ask God to bless and guide them in their life. The German church has been moving steadily toward developing formal ritual for the blessing of same sex couples. The Pope’s declaration halts that movement and places the blessing of such couples in a more coherent theological framework. It’s a difficult pastoral problem, actually. We want same sex couples and couples living together without marriage to know that they are part of the Church. They belong among us as our brothers and sisters. Still, we have no authority to teach that marriage is unnecessary or that it is no longer between men and women only. My advice: let us be charitable.