Pastor’s Letter: February 1, 2026

Pastor’s Letter: February 1, 2026

30 Jan 2026 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,

Peace and blessing to you all! Last weekend, we braved the cold and snow to kick off our Catholic Schools Week. All of our student speakers were amazing and gave us a great lead in to announcing our Changing Lives St. Philomena Tuition Assistance Campaign. As I shared at each of the Masses, our parish leaders are confident that this campaign will keep St. Philomena on firm footing and our school thriving for generations to come. I am so thankful for those who have already helped give us such a great jumpstart. Please continue to pray for the success of our campaign and prayerfully consider how you might be able to support this good work.

This weekend at the Masses we are sharing a version of the school auction video we used two years ago. What I really love about this video is hearing from people who graduated from St. Philomena School in the past who are now reflecting back on the gift of our school. I am so energized by hearing the good they see and the desire they have for future generations to enjoy the fruits of what we offer. The parents and grandparents talk about how happy they are for their kids and grandkids to share the experience they had. One of our grads talks about ownership and the desire to take care of our good school. Several mention the gift of caring staff and our good Catholic family atmosphere. Last weekend at the 9am Mass, one of our students speakers shared a common motto here: “Once a Tiger, Always a Tiger.” That certainly rings true as we listen to graduates from previous decades.

In a similar way in our Catholic Faith, we can reflect on what draws us together in unity. In some parts of our life we might be united by the teams we root for or perhaps our family background. In other parts, we might be united by our family situation or our work. One of the great gifts of our Faith is how we are all drawn together in unity—in Communion—with God and one another through the Holy Eucharist.

As we have talked about in previous weeks, the Eucharist is both Christ really and truly present and the one sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. However, the Eucharist is also a source of unity for us with Christ and each other. We call the Eucharist “Holy Communion” because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes us sharers in his Body and Blood to form a single body (CCC 1331). The greatest fruit of Holy Communion is intimate union with Christ (CCC 1391). What material food does for our bodily life, Holy Communion does for our spiritual life—it preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism. Holy Communion separates us from sin—it cleanses us from the remnants of our past sins and preserves us from future sins. It strengthens charity in us; wipes away venial sins; preserves us from mortal sin. The more united we are to Christ—the more difficult it is to break away from him by mortal sin.

For St. Paul, sharing in a sacrificial meal implies a union, so through reception of the Eucharist we are united to Christ. Continuing, our union with Christ unites us to one another and to the Church that is created through his Body. St. Gregory of Nyssa (330-395 A.D.) explains how this unity occurs when the faithful receive the Eucharist. He says, just as the bread is transformed during the consecration, so too is the Christian after receiving Communion. Here we begin to see the link between the Eucharistic Body and the Church with the people transformed into the Body of Christ. In the Eucharist, the unity of believers is expressed and brought about. This unity is not based on human feelings and attractions but based solely on Christ. It would be easy to admit that there is no human institution that could unite people of such diverse circumstances—unity is brought about because of the Eucharist. This gift of unity possible from the Eucharist reminds me of a teaching from St. John Chrysostom—he said that the Eucharist is truly a great equalizer, noting that the Mass is one of the few places where you see rich and poor next to each other. We could substitute any descriptions which in the world might highlight differences and even at times division…but in the Mass we find that we can be united in Christ. Sometime back I was preparing for Mass at one of my previous parishes. In one of the gathering areas, I heard two men arguing with passion about politics and their different views…up until it was time for Mass. The men stood up, shook hands, and then walked into the church together! It was a joyful thing to see!

This unity that the Eucharist produces among us happens because we are united first to Christ. As the Catechism says, the Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being (CCC 1324).  Basically, this means that through the Eucharist we are united to God and to each other. United to each other, we begin to see each other in a special way—in the way God sees us. As Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI and others have said, the Eucharist becomes of itself the school of active love for neighbor. The Eucharist educates us to this love in a deeper way; it shows us, in fact, what value each person, our brother or sister, has in God’s eyes if Christ offers Himself equally to each one. The awareness of that dignity becomes the deepest motive of our relationship with our neighbor.

So, through the Eucharist Christ unites all the faithful in one body—the Church. Communion renews, strengthens, and deepens this membership in the Church (CCC 1396). A real visible sign of this unity is the structure of the Church—the pope, bishops, and priests, dioceses and parishes. In addition to this visible unity, the Eucharist also produces a unity which we can’t physically see. In the Eucharist, we are united with members of the Church on Earth, but also those already in heaven. So, through the Eucharist we are united to Mary and all the saints, martyrs, and holy men and women who have gone on before us to life with God. All of this is a wonderful reminder of why we are never alone when we are united to Christ! I will be away this week for my continuing education – know of my prayers and blessing for you all this week!

In Christ,
Father Luke