St. Philip Neri

by Fr. Jess Ty  |  06/14/2020  |  Weekly Reflection

Dear Family of God,

Do you know a story about what St. Philip Neri did when he saw someone leaving church right after Communion?

He sent servers with candles and bells to accompany the man. The guy stormed back into the Church and confronted the priest. "What kind of joke is this?" he demanded. St. Philip Neri said, "It's no joke. The rules of the liturgy say the Blessed Sacrament should be treated with reverence. You left the Church immediately with no prayer of thanksgiving. You were carrying the Blessed Sacrament within you. So I asked the boys to accompany you to honor Him."

After Communion you and I are tabernacles - the physical presence of Jesus continues in us for a brief time. That's why we have the Communion hymn, a time of silence, the Communion Prayer -- and even the announcements, to build up the Body of Christ in practical ways. I encourage you to use well the time after Communion to say thanks, to express your gratitude, and to pray for one another. Pray that we will all be bearers of God’s love to our broken world.

May we all experience Communion with all the saints as one Body of Christ, and receive their help in times of need.

Yours in Christ and Mary Immaculate,

Fr. Jess Ty