As I sat in Mass on the Solemnity of the feast of Corpus Christi and listened to our priest describe the celebrations he witnessed in Bogotá, Columbia, my mind drifted off to Rome, where, 9 hours after touching down, my husband and I were standing in the courtyard of the Archbasilica of St John Lateran participating in a Mass being said by Pope Francis.
As Mass concluded, candles were lit and distributed, and we had the unforgettable privilege of taking part in the procession down Via Merulana to the Basilica of St Mary Major.
Despite my mind being thousands of miles away, the words Fr. Whittington spoke rang in my ears.
“In a place where religion has not yet retreated into the shadows…”
He went on to describe the thousands of people who filled the streets, laying down a blanket of petals from millions of flowers, with flickering candlelight they marched. They sang songs of praise and worship and songs of joy as they gave homage to the Body and Blood of Christ.
Oh how I wish I could experience this year after year. How I wish religion would reemerge from the shadows in our country.
We, of all people, have something to celebrate… HIS Body and HIS Blood that is our salvation.
__________________________
How can we, as Christians, come out of the shadows? Let’s talk about that.
