Open your hearts to receive Jesus! Jesus is always there to welcome us with open arms, but we also need to make a corresponding move to receive His love, mercy, and grace. We follow Jesus' words in today's Gospel that whoever receives Him receives the Father, and whoever receives the good in others will receive a good reward. Love, serve, and give generously to others as God gives to you, and you will be like Him!

The command from God "Do not be afraid" appears more often in Sacred Scripture than any other instruction. This command shows us that fear is the biggest stumbling block to our relationship with God and others. The crippling fear that often overtakes our good intentions and best efforts truly undermines the work of the Holy Spirit in us. The remedy to fear is courage, trust, and faith in God. With God at our side, of whom should we be afraid? We enter our daily lives with a deep trust, surrender, and serenity knowing that God sees us and all things in their entirety. We have only to be faithful and look to our God to provide our daily bread for all situations, especially for those circumstances beyond our understanding and control.

God loves His people! After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, the Lord calls His people to be faithful to His commandments and become His special possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. St. Paul reminds the Romans that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Jesus pities the people because they were like sheep without a shepherd, so He appoints the twelve disciples with spiritual authority over the people for their healing and sanctification.

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharist is the divine gift of God Himself who pours Himself out for our reconciliation and peace.