One of the Side Chapels at Uppsala Cathedral, Photo taken by the Blogger December 2008. The Diorama on the Altar depicts the lives of Our Lord and Lady and are manifested fully in the Eucharist.
In the new liturgical calendar Corpus Christi is celebrated Sunday, while in the traditional Calendar it is celebrated Thursday. I listened intently on the homily of our Pastor and his thoughts on the matter and it struck a chord in my consciousness. He lamented the fact that now a days the term "Sunday's Best" is already missing from our vocabulary. He made the observation how church goers attend mass wearing thongs and casual clothes, while on non-church activities these same people would be dressed up so nicely. So ,he posed the question - Is this trend an indication that we as Christians don't recognize the Body of Christ any longer? Is it a failure to recognize His Body? A lack of faith in the Real Presence of Christ? To underscore this observation he brought our attention to the religious images in the Church. He said that these images are the likeness of Christ, they seem to our sight as the image and likeness of Christ, but in reality they are not, because these are mere objects made of wood, shaped and painted to look like Christ. But he pointed to us again the Bread and Wine on the Altar. He said that the Bread and Wine are objects but they don't resemble the image of Christ from the human point of view, but in reality though they do not show the likeness of Christ, yet the Bread and Wine is the REAL CHRIST. That's why he reminded the congregation that not a hundred novenas and devotions to the Saints could ever compare with the glory, dignity and efficacy of a single Mass. He said that these novenas to Saints are mere sign posts guiding us to Christ. Hence the apex of through devotion is the Eucharist which we celebrate in the Mass.
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