Weekly message
from Fr. Chris

Dear SPA Family,
A while ago, I visited my family in Poland. Before my departure, one of my friends in Chicago who wasn’t in Poland for over 30 years, asked me to bring her a loaf of Polish bread. A bit surprised by this request, I packed a large loaf of Polish bread into my suitcase. After arrival at O’Hare, I decided to visit my friend first before going to my parish. My friend opened the doors, and I came in holding that bread in my hands. My friend couldn’t stop crying and kissing it. For Elżbieta and her family, the bread brought from Poland was unique, and irreplaceable. It tasted different. That bread brought the memories and taste of Poland, and emotions for their homeland. And then I thought that this bread was food for the longing soul rather than food for the body. In the smell of this bread, one could feel the ripening fields of cereals under the Polish sky, the smell of cornflowers that fade with the cut grain, and the unique smell of the wind passing over the fields, meadows, and forests. Eating this bread, one could hear the reapers bustling in the field and the scream of frightened quail. This bread also carried my own memory of my family home and my mother hustling to bake bread on Saturday evenings. This bread, which satisfies the physical hunger, has become a symbol of the values that satisfy the hunger of the longing soul.

My visit to Elżbieta’s home reminded me of the genius composer Frédéric Chopin, who was a man full of internal anxieties, thirst, and hunger, often looking for happiness without God. When he was dying, his friend, Bishop Jełowicki visited him. After a long conversation, he decided to make a confession, and then he received Holy Communion. His face became serene, it reflected the peace that had entered his soul. He looked happy. Bp. Jełowicki, in his letter, quoted one of Chopin’s last words: “I love God... It’s good that I'm dying like this... Pray for me, see you in heaven... God has already forgiven me... Oh, how good God is...” Chopin accepted a white piece of bread that satisfies our deepest hungers.

What are some of the hungers we long for in life? Hunger for love, perfection, eternity, a sense of the meaning of life, in a word, hunger for those values that are enclosed in the word God. This white piece of bread is not only a symbol, but it is God Himself. This Bread is the body of Christ. Before his Passion, Christ took bread in his hands, broke it, and handed it to his disciples, saying: “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you.” If I believe in Christ as my Savior and God, I have to trust Him even when His teaching is difficult and not fully understood, even when He says that this white piece of bread is His Body, that He is present in it. Bread is very important in our lives, and this is one of the reasons why Christ used it as a sign of His presence among us.

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi is the feast of Christ’s presence in the form of bread and wine. On this day, the streets of many cities, towns, and villages change their appearance. Colorful decorations can be spotted everywhere, and colorful processions go down the streets. First Communion children in immaculate white clothes throw flowers so that the street looks like a flower carpet. Altar servers pour incense into the thurifer. A priest walks under the canopy and holds a golden monstrance in which the white consecrated bread is enclosed. In front of this white bread, the faithful fall to their knees and sing: “Hail, living Host, in which Jesus Christ hides the Deity! Hail, Jesus, Son of Mary, You are truly present among us.”
Have a blessed week. Fr. Chris