∫ [Piano music] ∫

The following presentation is made possible by the generosity of the viewers of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.

Good morning and welcome to Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls. Today we celebrate the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

My name is Dan Riley. I am joined by Tom McNamara and Darryl Schimeck, and our celebrant is Father James Wallace.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Hidden here before me, Lord I worship You. ∫
∫ Hidden in these symbols, yet completely true. ∫
∫ Lord, my soul surrenders, longing to obey. ∫
∫ And in contemplation wholly faints away. ∫

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
– Amen.

The Lord be with you.
– And with your spirit.

Good morning, brothers and sisters. Welcome for Mass here at Mercy Home. We’re delighted you could be with us on the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi. We celebrate the Eucharist in a very special way.

Today also kind of completes the triptych, if you will, of the end of the Easter season—with Pentecost, Holy Trinity last week, and now Corpus Christi. So we’re grateful to God for giving Himself to us in His Body and Blood.

So we prepare ourselves to celebrate this Mass by calling to mind our sins.

Lord Jesus, You are mighty God and Prince of Peace.
– Lord, have mercy.

You are Son of God and Son of Mary.
– Christ, have mercy.

You are Word made flesh and splendor of the Father.
– Lord, have mercy.

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Glory to God in the highest ∫
∫ And on earth peace to people of good will. ∫
∫ Glory to God in the highest ∫
∫ And on earth peace to people of good will. ∫
∫ [Piano music] ∫

Let us pray.

O God, who in this wonderful sacrament have left us a memorial of Your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood, that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of Your redemption. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.
– Amen.

A reading from the Book of Genesis:

In those days Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words:

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the Creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

The word of the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek. ∫
∫ You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek. ∫
∫ The Lord’s revelation to my Lord: ∫
∫ “Sit at my right hand ∫
∫ Until I make your foes your footstool.” ∫
∫ You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek. ∫

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians:

Brothers and sisters, I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was handed over, took bread and, after He had given thanks, broke it and said:

“This is My Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying:

“This cup is the new covenant in My Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.”

The word of the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ I am the living bread that came down from heaven, ∫
∫ Says the Lord; ∫
∫ Whoever eats this bread will live forever. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫

The Lord be with you.
– And with your spirit.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.
– Glory to You, O Lord.

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the Kingdom of God, and He healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached Him and said:

“Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions, for we are in a deserted place here.”

He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.”

They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.”

Now the men there numbered about 5,000.

Then He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about 50.” They did so and made them all sit down.

Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. When the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

The Gospel of the Lord.
– Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

So again today we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Our Lord. Here in our Mercy Home Chapel, there’s a beautiful Tabernacle. It’s kind of off screen right now, but maybe our directors can get a shot of it later on or something. You don’t want to see it right now because Father Scott is standing there on his head with cue cards for me. But anyways, the Tabernacle says “bread of life” in Latin. Bread of Life.

So, when we reach into the Tabernacle, when we receive from Our Lord here in the Eucharist, we really are receiving life. A couple elements, and there’s so much to talk here about the Eucharist and especially these very rich readings this morning.

We have Melchizedek in our first reading. Melchizedek is sort of a cryptic, mythological figure almost. He was the first king of Jerusalem and we don’t know his origins. It’s kind of, he has this sort of eternal quality about him—no beginning, no end. But he establishes a priesthood.

Now what’s interesting in ancient Israel is there was an order of priests that were of the tribe of Levi. They managed the temple in Jerusalem. So they were in charge of offering all the sacrifices—the animals, the incense, kind of making sure the building was kept up and so forth. But then there was another strain or another order of priests that had kind of been forgotten or they had gone underground. And this is the line or the order of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek was the first priest, and you could say Aaron, who was of the tribe of Levi, was the first priest of the Levitical priesthood. When Jesus comes along, Jesus basically is saying, “I’m not a Levite.” I’m not one of these guys that are just taking care of the temple, you know, offering animals and incense. I’m a guy in the line of Melchizedek.

And so what does Melchizedek do? Melchizedek takes bread and wine when Abraham has been victorious in a battle, and he offers it up to Abraham and to God. And then Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything. So Melchizedek has this aspect of worshiping God, of really offering oneself. And so this is what Jesus does on the cross. He’s offering Himself on the cross to the Father.

When we as priests celebrate the Mass, this is one element of the Mass—we’re worshiping God. So there’s kind of a vertical dimension, if you will, to the Eucharist—us connecting to God the Father in Jesus Christ. And then the Holy Spirit is flowing through us. By the way: Father, Son, Holy Spirit—why we’re following this up with the Holy Trinity.

So that’s one element—the vertical aspect of the Eucharist. But then there’s, of course, the horizontal aspect of the Eucharist, which is why we call it Communion as well. Communion, a sharing of minds and hearts. We come together as a body. And this is why we also have now this Gospel reading of Jesus feeding the multitude.

Notice what Jesus does. He’s very intentional about this. He gets the people out into a deserted place. He kind of wears them down all day with teaching, if you will—gets them tired. And then they’re in this dilemma, okay, what are they going to do? We can’t just send them away because they’re going to collapse on the way home, so He’s going to feed them. And obviously, they can’t get enough food from nearby villages, so He’s going to perform this miracle.

So He’s intentional about bringing them together, making them hunger, and then He’s going to provide for them. But you notice what He does. He says, first, “Get them in groups of 50s and 100s,” so they gather in cohorts, if you will. So it’s very orderly, kind of like the way we sit in a church, right? Structured pews. And then He says, have them sit down and recline.

There’s something about sitting down. When you’re sitting down, it’s actually, ironically, someone calls it taking a stance. When you sit down—not just like kind of laying down on the couch eating potato chips or whatever—but kind of in an upright posture, you’re there to receive, and you’re focused. But you’re also relaxed, different than standing.

So just like when you sit down to eat a meal versus the way I eat—just standing up eating cottage cheese over the sink or something, right?—when you sit down to eat, you’re focused, and you’re saying, “I’m giving this time for this meal and the people in front of me.” That’s what Jesus wants them to do—to be together, focused, and then sharing not just with Him, but with each other in the crowd. And then, you know, they’re all going to pass the baskets of fish and bread to one another.

So this is what the Eucharist does. It really unites us as a body, unites us as a community. And again, why it’s so important that we come to Mass. Yes, when we come to Mass, we are filled individually with love from God, but in a way that we can’t tell and we can’t feel always, we’re connected to each other.

So it’s very powerful for a family to come together to Mass, or say like they gather together for a funeral Mass. You know, a family might be grieving or a family might be experiencing division. The Eucharist can bond each other, bond all of us together.

And think about it—you know, you’re sitting in a church with people who might look differently from you. They’re of a different socioeconomic status. Might be different politically, theologically. You know, here we are as Americans and, you know, different nationalities even. But in the Eucharist, we all come together, and we’re united in love in the Trinity. And so we thank God for giving Himself to us in His Body and Blood. May we receive it. May we become like Him. And may the Kingdom of God come about. Amen.

 

And so, friends, we profess our faith together:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
Of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
The only Begotten Son of God,
Born of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light,
True God from true God,
Begotten, not made,
Consubstantial with the Father.
Through Him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation,
He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit
Was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
He suffered death and was buried,
And rose again on the third day
In accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
And His Kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
Who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
Who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins,
And I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
And the life of the world to come.
Amen.

Grateful to God for all the blessings He’s bestowed upon us,
We now pray for all the needs of our Church and of our world.

Our response to each prayer will be, “Lord, hear our prayer.”

For all those who have dedicated their lives to spreading the Gospel,
That they may continue to be a light for others,
We pray to the Lord.
– Lord, hear our prayer.

For those serving our country abroad,
May they return home safely to their families and friends,
We pray to the Lord.
– Lord, hear our prayer.

For the youth and benefactors of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
May they find happiness and peace during these beautiful summer months,
We pray to the Lord.
– Lord, hear our prayer.

For all who cannot physically receive the Eucharist at this time,
May God nourish them by making His presence known to them through others,
We pray to the Lord.
– Lord, hear our prayer.

Almighty and loving Father,
We thank You and we praise You and we love You.
So please now answer these prayers.
We make them through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ [Piano music continues] ∫

Pray, brothers and sisters,
That my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.
– May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
For the praise and glory of His name,
For our good and the good of all His holy Church.

Grant Your Church, O Lord, we pray,
The gifts of unity and peace,
Whose signs are to be seen in mystery
In the offerings we here present,
Through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

The Lord be with you.
– And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.
– We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
– It is right and just.

It is truly right and just,
Our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere,
To give You thanks, Lord, Holy Father,
Almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord.

For at the Last Supper with His Apostles,
Establishing for the ages to come
The saving memorial of the Cross,
He offered Himself to You as the unblemished Lamb,
The acceptable gift of perfect praise.

Nourishing Your faithful by this sacred mystery,
You make them holy, so that the human race,
Bound by one world, may be enlightened by one faith
And united by one bond of charity.

And so we approach the table of this wondrous sacrament,
So that, bathed in the sweetness of Your grace,
We may pass over to the heavenly realities here foreshadowed.

Therefore, all creatures of heaven and earth
Sing a new song in adoration,
And we, with all the hosts of angels, cry out,
And without end we acclaim:

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts. ∫
∫ Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫
∫ Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫

You are indeed holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.
Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,
By sending down Your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,
So that they may become for us
The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the time He was betrayed
And entered willingly into His Passion,
He took bread, and giving thanks, broke it,
And gave it to His disciples, saying:

“Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
For this is My Body, which will be given up for you.”

In a similar way, when supper was ended,
He took the chalice and, once more giving thanks,
He gave it to His disciples, saying:

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
For this is the chalice of My Blood,
The Blood of the new and eternal covenant,
Which will be poured out for you and for many
For the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of Me.”

The mystery of faith:

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ When we eat this bread and drink this cup, ∫
∫ We proclaim Your death, O Lord, ∫
∫ Until You come again. ∫

Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of His death and resurrection,
We offer You, Lord, the bread of life and the chalice of salvation,
Giving thanks that You have held us worthy to be in Your presence and minister to You.

Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
We may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.

Remember, Lord, Your Church,
Spread throughout the world,
And bring her to the fullness of charity,
Together with our Pope, our Archbishop, and all the clergy.

Remember also our brothers and sisters
Who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection,
And all who have died in Your mercy;
Welcome them into the light of Your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,
That with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
Blessed Joseph, her spouse,
With the Blessed Apostles and all the saints
Who have pleased You throughout the ages,
We may merit to be coheirs to eternal life,
And may praise and glorify You through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through Him, and with Him, and in Him,
O God, Almighty Father,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor is Yours, forever and ever.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Amen, amen, amen. ∫

At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
Graciously grant peace in our days,
That, by the help of Your mercy,
We may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
As we await the blessed hope
And the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

– For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours, now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to Your Apostles:
“My peace I leave you, My peace I give you,”
Look not on our sins but on the faith of Your Church,
And graciously grant her peace and unity
In accordance with Your will,
Who live and reign forever and ever.
– Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.
– And with your spirit.

Let us offer each other a sign of peace.

Peace, brothers and sisters. Thank you again for joining us for Mass.
Thank you for your intentions.
We offer every Mass for you, for your loved ones,
And especially for the intentions you hold in your hearts.

On behalf of Father Scott Donahue, everyone here at Mercy Home,
All the staff, especially the children—God bless you this day,
And may you enjoy His peace.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Grant us peace. ∫

Behold the Lamb of God,
Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

For those of you at home, please turn to page six in your TV Mass guide,
And join in singing our Communion song, “Love Is His Word.”

∫ Love is His word, love is His way ∫
∫ Feasting with all, fasting alone ∫
∫ Living and dying, rising again ∫
∫ Love, only love is His way ∫
∫ Richer than gold is the love of my Lord, ∫
∫ Better than splendor or wealth. ∫
∫ Love is His mark, love is His sign ∫
∫ Bread for our strength, wine for our joy ∫
∫ This is My Body, this is My Blood ∫
∫ Love, only love is His sign. ∫

Friends, I invite you to join me now in our prayer for the children of Mercy Home:

Our Lady of Mercy, we pray that You will guide, protect, and bless all boys and girls
Who this day have a home called Mercy.
May they find the Father’s mercy
As we offer them our hearts in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
May they see God’s mercy in action through our love, prayers, and sacrifices.

Let us pray.
Grant, O Lord, we pray,
That we may delight for all eternity in that share in Your divine life,
Which is foreshadowed in the present age by our reception of Your precious Body and Blood,
Who live and reign forever and ever.
– Amen.

Again, we appreciate your presence here for our Mercy Home Mass.
You know, typically on the Feast of Corpus Christi,
There can be a Eucharistic procession.
Obviously, we’re not going to do that here, and you all are at home.
But I know you might spend some time,
As soon as you turn off the TV,
Just doing a little procession in your heart.

You’ll give a little prayer of thanksgiving to God
And ask Him perhaps to stir up even more your faith and your love
For our Blessed Sacrament and for one another in the Body of Christ.

The Lord be with you.
– And with your spirit.

Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing.

May the God of all constellations order your days in His peace
And grant you the gifts of His blessing.
May He free you always from every distress
And confirm your hearts in His love,
So on this life’s journey you may be effective in good works,
Rich in the gifts of faith, hope, and charity,
And come happily to eternal life.
– Amen.

And may the peace and blessing of Almighty God,
The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
Come down on you all and remain with you forever.
– Amen.

Go forth. The Mass is ended.
– Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ My song is love unknown, ∫
∫ My Savior’s love to me. ∫
∫ Love to the loveless shown that they might lovely be. ∫
∫ Oh, who am I that for my sake ∫
∫ My Lord should take frail flesh and die. ∫

My friends, I just want to thank you for the ways in which you support the TV Mass here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Let us continue to pray for one another.
Please consider making an offering so that we can keep the TV Mass on the air.
And may God bless you, your family members, and your friends.

The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home is generously provided by G-I-A Publications, Inc., and its World Library Publications division.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

 

∫ [Piano music] ∫

The following presentation is made possible by the generosity of the viewers of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.

Good morning and welcome to Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls. Today we celebrate the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

My name is Dan Riley. I am joined by Tom McNamara and Darryl Schimeck, and our celebrant is Father James Wallace.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Hidden here before me, Lord I worship You. ∫
∫ Hidden in these symbols, yet completely true. ∫
∫ Lord, my soul surrenders, longing to obey. ∫
∫ And in contemplation wholly faints away. ∫

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
– Amen.

The Lord be with you.
– And with your spirit.

Good morning, brothers and sisters. Welcome for Mass here at Mercy Home. We’re delighted you could be with us on the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi. We celebrate the Eucharist in a very special way.

Today also kind of completes the triptych, if you will, of the end of the Easter season—with Pentecost, Holy Trinity last week, and now Corpus Christi. So we’re grateful to God for giving Himself to us in His Body and Blood.

So we prepare ourselves to celebrate this Mass by calling to mind our sins.

Lord Jesus, You are mighty God and Prince of Peace.
– Lord, have mercy.

You are Son of God and Son of Mary.
– Christ, have mercy.

You are Word made flesh and splendor of the Father.
– Lord, have mercy.

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Glory to God in the highest ∫
∫ And on earth peace to people of good will. ∫
∫ Glory to God in the highest ∫
∫ And on earth peace to people of good will. ∫
∫ [Piano music] ∫

Let us pray.

O God, who in this wonderful sacrament have left us a memorial of Your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood, that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of Your redemption. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.
– Amen.

A reading from the Book of Genesis:

In those days Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words:

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the Creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

The word of the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek. ∫
∫ You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek. ∫
∫ The Lord’s revelation to my Lord: ∫
∫ “Sit at my right hand ∫
∫ Until I make your foes your footstool.” ∫
∫ You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek. ∫

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians:

Brothers and sisters, I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was handed over, took bread and, after He had given thanks, broke it and said:

“This is My Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying:

“This cup is the new covenant in My Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.”

The word of the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ I am the living bread that came down from heaven, ∫
∫ Says the Lord; ∫
∫ Whoever eats this bread will live forever. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫

The Lord be with you.
– And with your spirit.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.
– Glory to You, O Lord.

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the Kingdom of God, and He healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached Him and said:

“Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions, for we are in a deserted place here.”

He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.”

They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.”

Now the men there numbered about 5,000.

Then He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about 50.” They did so and made them all sit down.

Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. When the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

The Gospel of the Lord.
– Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

So again today we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Our Lord. Here in our Mercy Home Chapel, there’s a beautiful Tabernacle. It’s kind of off screen right now, but maybe our directors can get a shot of it later on or something. You don’t want to see it right now because Father Scott is standing there on his head with cue cards for me. But anyways, the Tabernacle says “bread of life” in Latin. Bread of Life.

So, when we reach into the Tabernacle, when we receive from Our Lord here in the Eucharist, we really are receiving life. A couple elements, and there’s so much to talk here about the Eucharist and especially these very rich readings this morning.

We have Melchizedek in our first reading. Melchizedek is sort of a cryptic, mythological figure almost. He was the first king of Jerusalem and we don’t know his origins. It’s kind of, he has this sort of eternal quality about him—no beginning, no end. But he establishes a priesthood.

Now what’s interesting in ancient Israel is there was an order of priests that were of the tribe of Levi. They managed the temple in Jerusalem. So they were in charge of offering all the sacrifices—the animals, the incense, kind of making sure the building was kept up and so forth. But then there was another strain or another order of priests that had kind of been forgotten or they had gone underground. And this is the line or the order of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek was the first priest, and you could say Aaron, who was of the tribe of Levi, was the first priest of the Levitical priesthood. When Jesus comes along, Jesus basically is saying, “I’m not a Levite.” I’m not one of these guys that are just taking care of the temple, you know, offering animals and incense. I’m a guy in the line of Melchizedek.

And so what does Melchizedek do? Melchizedek takes bread and wine when Abraham has been victorious in a battle, and he offers it up to Abraham and to God. And then Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything. So Melchizedek has this aspect of worshiping God, of really offering oneself. And so this is what Jesus does on the cross. He’s offering Himself on the cross to the Father.

When we as priests celebrate the Mass, this is one element of the Mass—we’re worshiping God. So there’s kind of a vertical dimension, if you will, to the Eucharist—us connecting to God the Father in Jesus Christ. And then the Holy Spirit is flowing through us. By the way: Father, Son, Holy Spirit—why we’re following this up with the Holy Trinity.

So that’s one element—the vertical aspect of the Eucharist. But then there’s, of course, the horizontal aspect of the Eucharist, which is why we call it Communion as well. Communion, a sharing of minds and hearts. We come together as a body. And this is why we also have now this Gospel reading of Jesus feeding the multitude.

Notice what Jesus does. He’s very intentional about this. He gets the people out into a deserted place. He kind of wears them down all day with teaching, if you will—gets them tired. And then they’re in this dilemma, okay, what are they going to do? We can’t just send them away because they’re going to collapse on the way home, so He’s going to feed them. And obviously, they can’t get enough food from nearby villages, so He’s going to perform this miracle.

So He’s intentional about bringing them together, making them hunger, and then He’s going to provide for them. But you notice what He does. He says, first, “Get them in groups of 50s and 100s,” so they gather in cohorts, if you will. So it’s very orderly, kind of like the way we sit in a church, right? Structured pews. And then He says, have them sit down and recline.

There’s something about sitting down. When you’re sitting down, it’s actually, ironically, someone calls it taking a stance. When you sit down—not just like kind of laying down on the couch eating potato chips or whatever—but kind of in an upright posture, you’re there to receive, and you’re focused. But you’re also relaxed, different than standing.

So just like when you sit down to eat a meal versus the way I eat—just standing up eating cottage cheese over the sink or something, right?—when you sit down to eat, you’re focused, and you’re saying, “I’m giving this time for this meal and the people in front of me.” That’s what Jesus wants them to do—to be together, focused, and then sharing not just with Him, but with each other in the crowd. And then, you know, they’re all going to pass the baskets of fish and bread to one another.

So this is what the Eucharist does. It really unites us as a body, unites us as a community. And again, why it’s so important that we come to Mass. Yes, when we come to Mass, we are filled individually with love from God, but in a way that we can’t tell and we can’t feel always, we’re connected to each other.

So it’s very powerful for a family to come together to Mass, or say like they gather together for a funeral Mass. You know, a family might be grieving or a family might be experiencing division. The Eucharist can bond each other, bond all of us together.

And think about it—you know, you’re sitting in a church with people who might look differently from you. They’re of a different socioeconomic status. Might be different politically, theologically. You know, here we are as Americans and, you know, different nationalities even. But in the Eucharist, we all come together, and we’re united in love in the Trinity. And so we thank God for giving Himself to us in His Body and Blood. May we receive it. May we become like Him. And may the Kingdom of God come about. Amen.

 

And so, friends, we profess our faith together:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
Of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
The only Begotten Son of God,
Born of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light,
True God from true God,
Begotten, not made,
Consubstantial with the Father.
Through Him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation,
He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit
Was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
He suffered death and was buried,
And rose again on the third day
In accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
And His Kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
Who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
Who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins,
And I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
And the life of the world to come.
Amen.

Grateful to God for all the blessings He’s bestowed upon us,
We now pray for all the needs of our Church and of our world.

Our response to each prayer will be, “Lord, hear our prayer.”

For all those who have dedicated their lives to spreading the Gospel,
That they may continue to be a light for others,
We pray to the Lord.
– Lord, hear our prayer.

For those serving our country abroad,
May they return home safely to their families and friends,
We pray to the Lord.
– Lord, hear our prayer.

For the youth and benefactors of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
May they find happiness and peace during these beautiful summer months,
We pray to the Lord.
– Lord, hear our prayer.

For all who cannot physically receive the Eucharist at this time,
May God nourish them by making His presence known to them through others,
We pray to the Lord.
– Lord, hear our prayer.

Almighty and loving Father,
We thank You and we praise You and we love You.
So please now answer these prayers.
We make them through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ [Piano music continues] ∫

Pray, brothers and sisters,
That my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.
– May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
For the praise and glory of His name,
For our good and the good of all His holy Church.

Grant Your Church, O Lord, we pray,
The gifts of unity and peace,
Whose signs are to be seen in mystery
In the offerings we here present,
Through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

The Lord be with you.
– And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.
– We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
– It is right and just.

It is truly right and just,
Our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere,
To give You thanks, Lord, Holy Father,
Almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord.

For at the Last Supper with His Apostles,
Establishing for the ages to come
The saving memorial of the Cross,
He offered Himself to You as the unblemished Lamb,
The acceptable gift of perfect praise.

Nourishing Your faithful by this sacred mystery,
You make them holy, so that the human race,
Bound by one world, may be enlightened by one faith
And united by one bond of charity.

And so we approach the table of this wondrous sacrament,
So that, bathed in the sweetness of Your grace,
We may pass over to the heavenly realities here foreshadowed.

Therefore, all creatures of heaven and earth
Sing a new song in adoration,
And we, with all the hosts of angels, cry out,
And without end we acclaim:

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts. ∫
∫ Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫
∫ Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫

You are indeed holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.
Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,
By sending down Your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,
So that they may become for us
The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the time He was betrayed
And entered willingly into His Passion,
He took bread, and giving thanks, broke it,
And gave it to His disciples, saying:

“Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
For this is My Body, which will be given up for you.”

In a similar way, when supper was ended,
He took the chalice and, once more giving thanks,
He gave it to His disciples, saying:

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
For this is the chalice of My Blood,
The Blood of the new and eternal covenant,
Which will be poured out for you and for many
For the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of Me.”

The mystery of faith:

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ When we eat this bread and drink this cup, ∫
∫ We proclaim Your death, O Lord, ∫
∫ Until You come again. ∫

Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of His death and resurrection,
We offer You, Lord, the bread of life and the chalice of salvation,
Giving thanks that You have held us worthy to be in Your presence and minister to You.

Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
We may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.

Remember, Lord, Your Church,
Spread throughout the world,
And bring her to the fullness of charity,
Together with our Pope, our Archbishop, and all the clergy.

Remember also our brothers and sisters
Who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection,
And all who have died in Your mercy;
Welcome them into the light of Your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,
That with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
Blessed Joseph, her spouse,
With the Blessed Apostles and all the saints
Who have pleased You throughout the ages,
We may merit to be coheirs to eternal life,
And may praise and glorify You through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through Him, and with Him, and in Him,
O God, Almighty Father,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor is Yours, forever and ever.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Amen, amen, amen. ∫

At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
Graciously grant peace in our days,
That, by the help of Your mercy,
We may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
As we await the blessed hope
And the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

– For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours, now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to Your Apostles:
“My peace I leave you, My peace I give you,”
Look not on our sins but on the faith of Your Church,
And graciously grant her peace and unity
In accordance with Your will,
Who live and reign forever and ever.
– Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.
– And with your spirit.

Let us offer each other a sign of peace.

Peace, brothers and sisters. Thank you again for joining us for Mass.
Thank you for your intentions.
We offer every Mass for you, for your loved ones,
And especially for the intentions you hold in your hearts.

On behalf of Father Scott Donahue, everyone here at Mercy Home,
All the staff, especially the children—God bless you this day,
And may you enjoy His peace.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Grant us peace. ∫

Behold the Lamb of God,
Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

For those of you at home, please turn to page six in your TV Mass guide,
And join in singing our Communion song, “Love Is His Word.”

∫ Love is His word, love is His way ∫
∫ Feasting with all, fasting alone ∫
∫ Living and dying, rising again ∫
∫ Love, only love is His way ∫
∫ Richer than gold is the love of my Lord, ∫
∫ Better than splendor or wealth. ∫
∫ Love is His mark, love is His sign ∫
∫ Bread for our strength, wine for our joy ∫
∫ This is My Body, this is My Blood ∫
∫ Love, only love is His sign. ∫

Friends, I invite you to join me now in our prayer for the children of Mercy Home:

Our Lady of Mercy, we pray that You will guide, protect, and bless all boys and girls
Who this day have a home called Mercy.
May they find the Father’s mercy
As we offer them our hearts in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
May they see God’s mercy in action through our love, prayers, and sacrifices.

Let us pray.
Grant, O Lord, we pray,
That we may delight for all eternity in that share in Your divine life,
Which is foreshadowed in the present age by our reception of Your precious Body and Blood,
Who live and reign forever and ever.
– Amen.

Again, we appreciate your presence here for our Mercy Home Mass.
You know, typically on the Feast of Corpus Christi,
There can be a Eucharistic procession.
Obviously, we’re not going to do that here, and you all are at home.
But I know you might spend some time,
As soon as you turn off the TV,
Just doing a little procession in your heart.

You’ll give a little prayer of thanksgiving to God
And ask Him perhaps to stir up even more your faith and your love
For our Blessed Sacrament and for one another in the Body of Christ.

The Lord be with you.
– And with your spirit.

Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing.

May the God of all constellations order your days in His peace
And grant you the gifts of His blessing.
May He free you always from every distress
And confirm your hearts in His love,
So on this life’s journey you may be effective in good works,
Rich in the gifts of faith, hope, and charity,
And come happily to eternal life.
– Amen.

And may the peace and blessing of Almighty God,
The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
Come down on you all and remain with you forever.
– Amen.

Go forth. The Mass is ended.
– Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ My song is love unknown, ∫
∫ My Savior’s love to me. ∫
∫ Love to the loveless shown that they might lovely be. ∫
∫ Oh, who am I that for my sake ∫
∫ My Lord should take frail flesh and die. ∫

My friends, I just want to thank you for the ways in which you support the TV Mass here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Let us continue to pray for one another.
Please consider making an offering so that we can keep the TV Mass on the air.
And may God bless you, your family members, and your friends.

The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home is generously provided by G-I-A Publications, Inc., and its World Library Publications division.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

 

∫ [Piano music] ∫

The following presentation is made possible by the generosity of the viewers of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.

Good morning and welcome to Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls. Today we celebrate the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

My name is Dan Riley. I am joined by Tom McNamara and Darryl Schimeck, and our celebrant is Father James Wallace.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Hidden here before me, Lord I worship You. ∫
∫ Hidden in these symbols, yet completely true. ∫
∫ Lord, my soul surrenders, longing to obey. ∫
∫ And in contemplation wholly faints away. ∫

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
– Amen.

The Lord be with you.
– And with your spirit.

Good morning, brothers and sisters. Welcome for Mass here at Mercy Home. We’re delighted you could be with us on the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi. We celebrate the Eucharist in a very special way.

Today also kind of completes the triptych, if you will, of the end of the Easter season—with Pentecost, Holy Trinity last week, and now Corpus Christi. So we’re grateful to God for giving Himself to us in His Body and Blood.

So we prepare ourselves to celebrate this Mass by calling to mind our sins.

Lord Jesus, You are mighty God and Prince of Peace.
– Lord, have mercy.

You are Son of God and Son of Mary.
– Christ, have mercy.

You are Word made flesh and splendor of the Father.
– Lord, have mercy.

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Glory to God in the highest ∫
∫ And on earth peace to people of good will. ∫
∫ Glory to God in the highest ∫
∫ And on earth peace to people of good will. ∫
∫ [Piano music] ∫

Let us pray.

O God, who in this wonderful sacrament have left us a memorial of Your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood, that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of Your redemption. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.
– Amen.

A reading from the Book of Genesis:

In those days Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words:

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the Creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

The word of the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek. ∫
∫ You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek. ∫
∫ The Lord’s revelation to my Lord: ∫
∫ “Sit at my right hand ∫
∫ Until I make your foes your footstool.” ∫
∫ You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek. ∫

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians:

Brothers and sisters, I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was handed over, took bread and, after He had given thanks, broke it and said:

“This is My Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying:

“This cup is the new covenant in My Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.”

The word of the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ I am the living bread that came down from heaven, ∫
∫ Says the Lord; ∫
∫ Whoever eats this bread will live forever. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫

The Lord be with you.
– And with your spirit.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.
– Glory to You, O Lord.

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the Kingdom of God, and He healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached Him and said:

“Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions, for we are in a deserted place here.”

He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.”

They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.”

Now the men there numbered about 5,000.

Then He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about 50.” They did so and made them all sit down.

Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. When the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

The Gospel of the Lord.
– Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

So again today we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Our Lord. Here in our Mercy Home Chapel, there’s a beautiful Tabernacle. It’s kind of off screen right now, but maybe our directors can get a shot of it later on or something. You don’t want to see it right now because Father Scott is standing there on his head with cue cards for me. But anyways, the Tabernacle says “bread of life” in Latin. Bread of Life.

So, when we reach into the Tabernacle, when we receive from Our Lord here in the Eucharist, we really are receiving life. A couple elements, and there’s so much to talk here about the Eucharist and especially these very rich readings this morning.

We have Melchizedek in our first reading. Melchizedek is sort of a cryptic, mythological figure almost. He was the first king of Jerusalem and we don’t know his origins. It’s kind of, he has this sort of eternal quality about him—no beginning, no end. But he establishes a priesthood.

Now what’s interesting in ancient Israel is there was an order of priests that were of the tribe of Levi. They managed the temple in Jerusalem. So they were in charge of offering all the sacrifices—the animals, the incense, kind of making sure the building was kept up and so forth. But then there was another strain or another order of priests that had kind of been forgotten or they had gone underground. And this is the line or the order of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek was the first priest, and you could say Aaron, who was of the tribe of Levi, was the first priest of the Levitical priesthood. When Jesus comes along, Jesus basically is saying, “I’m not a Levite.” I’m not one of these guys that are just taking care of the temple, you know, offering animals and incense. I’m a guy in the line of Melchizedek.

And so what does Melchizedek do? Melchizedek takes bread and wine when Abraham has been victorious in a battle, and he offers it up to Abraham and to God. And then Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything. So Melchizedek has this aspect of worshiping God, of really offering oneself. And so this is what Jesus does on the cross. He’s offering Himself on the cross to the Father.

When we as priests celebrate the Mass, this is one element of the Mass—we’re worshiping God. So there’s kind of a vertical dimension, if you will, to the Eucharist—us connecting to God the Father in Jesus Christ. And then the Holy Spirit is flowing through us. By the way: Father, Son, Holy Spirit—why we’re following this up with the Holy Trinity.

So that’s one element—the vertical aspect of the Eucharist. But then there’s, of course, the horizontal aspect of the Eucharist, which is why we call it Communion as well. Communion, a sharing of minds and hearts. We come together as a body. And this is why we also have now this Gospel reading of Jesus feeding the multitude.

Notice what Jesus does. He’s very intentional about this. He gets the people out into a deserted place. He kind of wears them down all day with teaching, if you will—gets them tired. And then they’re in this dilemma, okay, what are they going to do? We can’t just send them away because they’re going to collapse on the way home, so He’s going to feed them. And obviously, they can’t get enough food from nearby villages, so He’s going to perform this miracle.

So He’s intentional about bringing them together, making them hunger, and then He’s going to provide for them. But you notice what He does. He says, first, “Get them in groups of 50s and 100s,” so they gather in cohorts, if you will. So it’s very orderly, kind of like the way we sit in a church, right? Structured pews. And then He says, have them sit down and recline.

There’s something about sitting down. When you’re sitting down, it’s actually, ironically, someone calls it taking a stance. When you sit down—not just like kind of laying down on the couch eating potato chips or whatever—but kind of in an upright posture, you’re there to receive, and you’re focused. But you’re also relaxed, different than standing.

So just like when you sit down to eat a meal versus the way I eat—just standing up eating cottage cheese over the sink or something, right?—when you sit down to eat, you’re focused, and you’re saying, “I’m giving this time for this meal and the people in front of me.” That’s what Jesus wants them to do—to be together, focused, and then sharing not just with Him, but with each other in the crowd. And then, you know, they’re all going to pass the baskets of fish and bread to one another.

So this is what the Eucharist does. It really unites us as a body, unites us as a community. And again, why it’s so important that we come to Mass. Yes, when we come to Mass, we are filled individually with love from God, but in a way that we can’t tell and we can’t feel always, we’re connected to each other.

So it’s very powerful for a family to come together to Mass, or say like they gather together for a funeral Mass. You know, a family might be grieving or a family might be experiencing division. The Eucharist can bond each other, bond all of us together.

And think about it—you know, you’re sitting in a church with people who might look differently from you. They’re of a different socioeconomic status. Might be different politically, theologically. You know, here we are as Americans and, you know, different nationalities even. But in the Eucharist, we all come together, and we’re united in love in the Trinity. And so we thank God for giving Himself to us in His Body and Blood. May we receive it. May we become like Him. And may the Kingdom of God come about. Amen.

 

And so, friends, we profess our faith together:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
Of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
The only Begotten Son of God,
Born of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light,
True God from true God,
Begotten, not made,
Consubstantial with the Father.
Through Him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation,
He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit
Was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
He suffered death and was buried,
And rose again on the third day
In accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
And His Kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
Who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
Who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins,
And I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
And the life of the world to come.
Amen.

Grateful to God for all the blessings He’s bestowed upon us,
We now pray for all the needs of our Church and of our world.

Our response to each prayer will be, “Lord, hear our prayer.”

For all those who have dedicated their lives to spreading the Gospel,
That they may continue to be a light for others,
We pray to the Lord.
– Lord, hear our prayer.

For those serving our country abroad,
May they return home safely to their families and friends,
We pray to the Lord.
– Lord, hear our prayer.

For the youth and benefactors of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
May they find happiness and peace during these beautiful summer months,
We pray to the Lord.
– Lord, hear our prayer.

For all who cannot physically receive the Eucharist at this time,
May God nourish them by making His presence known to them through others,
We pray to the Lord.
– Lord, hear our prayer.

Almighty and loving Father,
We thank You and we praise You and we love You.
So please now answer these prayers.
We make them through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ [Piano music continues] ∫

Pray, brothers and sisters,
That my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.
– May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
For the praise and glory of His name,
For our good and the good of all His holy Church.

Grant Your Church, O Lord, we pray,
The gifts of unity and peace,
Whose signs are to be seen in mystery
In the offerings we here present,
Through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

The Lord be with you.
– And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.
– We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
– It is right and just.

It is truly right and just,
Our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere,
To give You thanks, Lord, Holy Father,
Almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord.

For at the Last Supper with His Apostles,
Establishing for the ages to come
The saving memorial of the Cross,
He offered Himself to You as the unblemished Lamb,
The acceptable gift of perfect praise.

Nourishing Your faithful by this sacred mystery,
You make them holy, so that the human race,
Bound by one world, may be enlightened by one faith
And united by one bond of charity.

And so we approach the table of this wondrous sacrament,
So that, bathed in the sweetness of Your grace,
We may pass over to the heavenly realities here foreshadowed.

Therefore, all creatures of heaven and earth
Sing a new song in adoration,
And we, with all the hosts of angels, cry out,
And without end we acclaim:

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts. ∫
∫ Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫
∫ Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫

You are indeed holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.
Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,
By sending down Your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,
So that they may become for us
The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the time He was betrayed
And entered willingly into His Passion,
He took bread, and giving thanks, broke it,
And gave it to His disciples, saying:

“Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
For this is My Body, which will be given up for you.”

In a similar way, when supper was ended,
He took the chalice and, once more giving thanks,
He gave it to His disciples, saying:

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
For this is the chalice of My Blood,
The Blood of the new and eternal covenant,
Which will be poured out for you and for many
For the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of Me.”

The mystery of faith:

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ When we eat this bread and drink this cup, ∫
∫ We proclaim Your death, O Lord, ∫
∫ Until You come again. ∫

Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of His death and resurrection,
We offer You, Lord, the bread of life and the chalice of salvation,
Giving thanks that You have held us worthy to be in Your presence and minister to You.

Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
We may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.

Remember, Lord, Your Church,
Spread throughout the world,
And bring her to the fullness of charity,
Together with our Pope, our Archbishop, and all the clergy.

Remember also our brothers and sisters
Who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection,
And all who have died in Your mercy;
Welcome them into the light of Your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,
That with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
Blessed Joseph, her spouse,
With the Blessed Apostles and all the saints
Who have pleased You throughout the ages,
We may merit to be coheirs to eternal life,
And may praise and glorify You through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through Him, and with Him, and in Him,
O God, Almighty Father,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor is Yours, forever and ever.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Amen, amen, amen. ∫

At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
Graciously grant peace in our days,
That, by the help of Your mercy,
We may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
As we await the blessed hope
And the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

– For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours, now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to Your Apostles:
“My peace I leave you, My peace I give you,”
Look not on our sins but on the faith of Your Church,
And graciously grant her peace and unity
In accordance with Your will,
Who live and reign forever and ever.
– Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.
– And with your spirit.

Let us offer each other a sign of peace.

Peace, brothers and sisters. Thank you again for joining us for Mass.
Thank you for your intentions.
We offer every Mass for you, for your loved ones,
And especially for the intentions you hold in your hearts.

On behalf of Father Scott Donahue, everyone here at Mercy Home,
All the staff, especially the children—God bless you this day,
And may you enjoy His peace.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Grant us peace. ∫

Behold the Lamb of God,
Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

For those of you at home, please turn to page six in your TV Mass guide,
And join in singing our Communion song, “Love Is His Word.”

∫ Love is His word, love is His way ∫
∫ Feasting with all, fasting alone ∫
∫ Living and dying, rising again ∫
∫ Love, only love is His way ∫
∫ Richer than gold is the love of my Lord, ∫
∫ Better than splendor or wealth. ∫
∫ Love is His mark, love is His sign ∫
∫ Bread for our strength, wine for our joy ∫
∫ This is My Body, this is My Blood ∫
∫ Love, only love is His sign. ∫

Friends, I invite you to join me now in our prayer for the children of Mercy Home:

Our Lady of Mercy, we pray that You will guide, protect, and bless all boys and girls
Who this day have a home called Mercy.
May they find the Father’s mercy
As we offer them our hearts in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
May they see God’s mercy in action through our love, prayers, and sacrifices.

Let us pray.
Grant, O Lord, we pray,
That we may delight for all eternity in that share in Your divine life,
Which is foreshadowed in the present age by our reception of Your precious Body and Blood,
Who live and reign forever and ever.
– Amen.

Again, we appreciate your presence here for our Mercy Home Mass.
You know, typically on the Feast of Corpus Christi,
There can be a Eucharistic procession.
Obviously, we’re not going to do that here, and you all are at home.
But I know you might spend some time,
As soon as you turn off the TV,
Just doing a little procession in your heart.

You’ll give a little prayer of thanksgiving to God
And ask Him perhaps to stir up even more your faith and your love
For our Blessed Sacrament and for one another in the Body of Christ.

The Lord be with you.
– And with your spirit.

Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing.

May the God of all constellations order your days in His peace
And grant you the gifts of His blessing.
May He free you always from every distress
And confirm your hearts in His love,
So on this life’s journey you may be effective in good works,
Rich in the gifts of faith, hope, and charity,
And come happily to eternal life.
– Amen.

And may the peace and blessing of Almighty God,
The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
Come down on you all and remain with you forever.
– Amen.

Go forth. The Mass is ended.
– Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ My song is love unknown, ∫
∫ My Savior’s love to me. ∫
∫ Love to the loveless shown that they might lovely be. ∫
∫ Oh, who am I that for my sake ∫
∫ My Lord should take frail flesh and die. ∫

My friends, I just want to thank you for the ways in which you support the TV Mass here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Let us continue to pray for one another.
Please consider making an offering so that we can keep the TV Mass on the air.
And may God bless you, your family members, and your friends.

The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home is generously provided by G-I-A Publications, Inc., and its World Library Publications division.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

 

So again today we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Our Lord. Here in our Mercy Home Chapel, there’s a beautiful Tabernacle. It’s kind of off screen right now, but maybe our directors can get a shot of it later on or something. You don’t want to see it right now because Father Scott is standing there on his head with cue cards for me. But anyways, the Tabernacle says “bread of life” in Latin. Bread of Life.

So, when we reach into the Tabernacle, when we receive from Our Lord here in the Eucharist, we really are receiving life. A couple elements, and there’s so much to talk here about the Eucharist and especially these very rich readings this morning.

We have Melchizedek in our first reading. Melchizedek is sort of a cryptic, mythological figure almost. He was the first king of Jerusalem and we don’t know his origins. It’s kind of, he has this sort of eternal quality about him—no beginning, no end. But he establishes a priesthood.

Now what’s interesting in ancient Israel is there was an order of priests that were of the tribe of Levi. They managed the temple in Jerusalem. So they were in charge of offering all the sacrifices—the animals, the incense, kind of making sure the building was kept up and so forth. But then there was another strain or another order of priests that had kind of been forgotten or they had gone underground. And this is the line or the order of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek was the first priest, and you could say Aaron, who was of the tribe of Levi, was the first priest of the Levitical priesthood. When Jesus comes along, Jesus basically is saying, “I’m not a Levite.” I’m not one of these guys that are just taking care of the temple, you know, offering animals and incense. I’m a guy in the line of Melchizedek.

And so what does Melchizedek do? Melchizedek takes bread and wine when Abraham has been victorious in a battle, and he offers it up to Abraham and to God. And then Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything. So Melchizedek has this aspect of worshiping God, of really offering oneself. And so this is what Jesus does on the cross. He’s offering Himself on the cross to the Father.

When we as priests celebrate the Mass, this is one element of the Mass—we’re worshiping God. So there’s kind of a vertical dimension, if you will, to the Eucharist—us connecting to God the Father in Jesus Christ. And then the Holy Spirit is flowing through us. By the way: Father, Son, Holy Spirit—why we’re following this up with the Holy Trinity.

So that’s one element—the vertical aspect of the Eucharist. But then there’s, of course, the horizontal aspect of the Eucharist, which is why we call it Communion as well. Communion, a sharing of minds and hearts. We come together as a body. And this is why we also have now this Gospel reading of Jesus feeding the multitude.

Notice what Jesus does. He’s very intentional about this. He gets the people out into a deserted place. He kind of wears them down all day with teaching, if you will—gets them tired. And then they’re in this dilemma, okay, what are they going to do? We can’t just send them away because they’re going to collapse on the way home, so He’s going to feed them. And obviously, they can’t get enough food from nearby villages, so He’s going to perform this miracle.

So He’s intentional about bringing them together, making them hunger, and then He’s going to provide for them. But you notice what He does. He says, first, “Get them in groups of 50s and 100s,” so they gather in cohorts, if you will. So it’s very orderly, kind of like the way we sit in a church, right? Structured pews. And then He says, have them sit down and recline.

There’s something about sitting down. When you’re sitting down, it’s actually, ironically, someone calls it taking a stance. When you sit down—not just like kind of laying down on the couch eating potato chips or whatever—but kind of in an upright posture, you’re there to receive, and you’re focused. But you’re also relaxed, different than standing.

So just like when you sit down to eat a meal versus the way I eat—just standing up eating cottage cheese over the sink or something, right?—when you sit down to eat, you’re focused, and you’re saying, “I’m giving this time for this meal and the people in front of me.” That’s what Jesus wants them to do—to be together, focused, and then sharing not just with Him, but with each other in the crowd. And then, you know, they’re all going to pass the baskets of fish and bread to one another.

So this is what the Eucharist does. It really unites us as a body, unites us as a community. And again, why it’s so important that we come to Mass. Yes, when we come to Mass, we are filled individually with love from God, but in a way that we can’t tell and we can’t feel always, we’re connected to each other.

So it’s very powerful for a family to come together to Mass, or say like they gather together for a funeral Mass. You know, a family might be grieving or a family might be experiencing division. The Eucharist can bond each other, bond all of us together.

And think about it—you know, you’re sitting in a church with people who might look differently from you. They’re of a different socioeconomic status. Might be different politically, theologically. You know, here we are as Americans and, you know, different nationalities even. But in the Eucharist, we all come together, and we’re united in love in the Trinity. And so we thank God for giving Himself to us in His Body and Blood. May we receive it. May we become like Him. And may the Kingdom of God come about. Amen.