Polish Catholic Mission of Memphis, TN

Blessed Sacrament 100th Anniversary - 7-27-2024

June 9, 2024 Polish Mass

May 12, 2024 Polish Mass

Corpus Christi, B Homily by Fr Jacek Kowal, Pastor St Ann Bartlett and St Faustina Shrine Rector.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our Gospel reading for today takes us back to when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. He and his disciples were together in the upper room somewhere in Jerusalem. Their purpose for being there was to celebrate the Jewish feast of Passover. At some point during their meal, Jesus broke the bread and passed it among them saying: “This is my body.” Then he took the cup of wine, told them to drink from it, and said: “This is my blood to be poured out on behalf of many.” On that night, this strange and simple ceremony foreshadowed Jesus's sacrificial death, which was only an hour away. You and I today, see the cross in retrospect. It is now a fact of history, and we look back upon it. Such was not the case when Jesus and his disciples met in the upper room. The cross was not yet a reality except in the heart of God, but Jesus could see it before it ever happened. And he tried to show and to tell his disciples what it meant. In effect, he painted a picture of it. This first sacrificial meal was a preview of Calvary. Every time we read about it or partake of it, we see the cross through Christ's eyes. Let’s look for a moment and try to see what he saw.

First, we will see the true meaning of sin. And do not let the word “sin” slip through your mind as though it pertained merely to religion and nothing else. Sin is not some abstraction that the church has dreamed up as an excuse for her own existence, far from it. Many people who know little and care less about the church are firm believers in the reality of sin. Why does the government at every level spend millions of dollars to maintain police forces, jails, prisons, and courts of law? The basic reason
is sin. Why do car manufacturers equip their products with ignition keys, door locks, and security devices, increasing every car's cost by several hundred dollars? The primary reason is sin. What literature sees as the central problem of human life? It is always there whether you read the Bible, Shakespeare, modern novels, or ancient classics. The answer is sin. Sin is not a religious invention. It is a tragic reality, the deepest problem of our personal and social lives. And what is so wrong with sin? What is so tragic about it? Is it the dire consequences that it brings on the lives of the guilty? That, we must admit, is bad enough; but that is not a sin at its worst. Sin at its worst is seen in the sacrifice of Jesus, for there it poured its suffering not upon the guilty but upon the innocent. There sin took the life of Jesus, spat upon it, mocked it, beat it, and nailed it to a cross. That is always sin at its worst when it brings its curse upon the innocent.

We should not separate ourselves too far from those people who directly participate in the death of Christ. They were not that much different from you and me. Pilate was a politician. His sin was political expedience. Caiaphas was a religious fanatic with a closed mind. Judas was not an utterly bad man. There is no excuse for what he did, but he could still feel shame so deeply that it drove him to suicide. The soldiers were simply soldiers. They would no doubt argue that they were just doing their job.

The sin that crucified Jesus was not extraordinary. Every compromise that was there is here and every attitude that is here was there. But look at the consequence, and it fell on one who did not at all deserve it. So, it always is. There is not a sin in this congregation today so secret that the guilty one can keep its consequences within the boundaries of his own life. The sacrifice of Jesus symbolized this universal truth, that no man can ever bear all the consequences of his own guilt. For every sin that was committed builds a cross on which someone innocent will hang. When we hear Jesus say, “This is my body; this is my blood,” it faces us all with the fact of our own personal sin.

When we look at the cross with the eyes of Christ, we will also see the true meaning of salvation. And once more, do not hear the word “salvation” as though it was just a religious formula. Make no mistake about it – all people everywhere need and search for salvation of some sort. Why do we have schools? To save us from ignorance. Why do we have jobs? To save us from poverty. Why do we have hospitals? To save us from sickness and accidents. Why do we have laws and governments? To save us from anarchy. Why do we make friends? To save us from loneliness. All of life has something to do with salvation; it just happens that we don’t always call it that.

Thus, the church is not different from other institutions, except that we are concerned with the ultimate issue of saving men from wrongness to rightness. Our message of salvation is aimed at the problem which lies at the roots of all human problems. The Bible calls it sin. If you have a better word, use it; but be realistic enough to recognize our need to be saved from it. The sacrifice of Jesus has for over two thousand years symbolized the meeting of that need. In him, we see revealed not only a God of law who condemns our sin but a God of love who saves us from it.

There is a story about a boy. He had disobeyed his father and, as punishment, had been sent to his room for the night without his dinner. The evening passed; bedtime came; and there was this boy in his room – obstinate and angry. Downstairs was the father. He, too, had not eaten; he was thinking about his son. Finally, he went upstairs, sat next to the boy’s bed, and said: “I cannot ignore it when you disobey me, but I can spend the night with you.” That finished the boy. He snuggled up and wept in his father’s arms. He could rebel against the law, but he could not resist love.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The sacrifice of Jesus has spoken to you and me. We have made our bed of sin and, in a sense, must lie in it. But divine love has come to spend the night. Jesus broke bread, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body.” Then he took the cup of wine, told them all to drink from it, and said: “This is my blood to be poured out on behalf of many.” In that sacrifice, our sin is made graphically clear, but also our salvation is made gloriously possible. Amen.
https://www.facebook.com/stannbartlett
www.divinemercyshrine.site

Mmmmm Good!

Polish food rated from the best to the worst, according the TasteAtlas. Poles may certainly have a different opinion.

Getting ready for Polish Mass. Hurry on down!

Getting ready for Mass. come join us. No snow in the forecast !

We will be starting a few minutes late while we wait for a guest.

St. Faustino has the heat on. Come on down.

Welcome Fr. Mateusz!

Congratulations!!

Congratulations Fr Horst Lorenz!
Fr Horst will begin his ministry as the Cathedral Associate Pastor on February 1st.

We have two new priests in the Diocese