Praise Jesus for the gift of the Eucharist! This weekend we celebrated First Holy Communion for our parishes.  I am so proud of all of our First Communicants in making this commitment to Jesus, as well as their parents for being good examples to their children of putting Jesus first in their lives. 

In light of the Eucharist which First Communicants received this weekend, I would like to dedicate this bulletin article to some catechesis on the Eucharist.  I would like to start with a reminder of not what, but whom, the Eucharist is.  The Eucharist is Jesus Christ, Our Lord and God.  When we receive the Eucharist we are receiving the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the Savior of the World. It is not a symbol we receive, nor is it playacting the Last Supper.  The bread and wine that are brought to the altar are transformed into Jesus Christ.  Jesus Himself tells us in the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel that His Flesh is true food, and His Blood is true drink, and that we must eat His Flesh and drink His Blood in order to have eternal life.  Many of His disciples left Him after this teaching, but instead of explaining Himself and asking them to return He simply reiterated that same teaching and asked His apostles if they wanted to leave too after knowing this teaching.  We call what happens at Mass, transubstantiation. This simply means the substance (the what-it-is) changes, while the accidence (the qualities) stay the same.  So it still looks like, smells like, feels like, and tastes like bread and wine, but the substance has changed into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus.  This realization should leave us in awe, and hopefully help us to examine our lives before going up to receive Him who died for us.  

Next I’m going to talk about presenting ourselves for Communion. I would like to talk about this as I think many of us we do not know why the Church teaches that there are requirements for receiving Holy Communion. I will start with sharing a passage from St. Paul to the Corinthians written around the year 51 A.D. and then another passage by St. Justin Martyr written around the year 150 A.D.  Both of these writings are from the earliest days of the Church. 

First, St. Paul: “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall have to answer for the body and the blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup.  For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.” This is precisely why the Church says if we have serious sin on our soul (look in the examinations of conscience we have for examples of this as well as the requirements of a mortal sin), then we must go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation before receiving the Eucharist.  This is for our own good, so that we can receive the fullness of grace rather than placing further judgment on ourselves. This isn’t a new teaching, but from the very beginning of the Church. St. Paul like a good pastor is looking out for the eternal souls of the Corinthians. The Eucharist is Communion with Christ, and so we should desire to be prepared not only outwardly but also inwardly in our souls.  

Now from St. Justin:  “And this food is called among us the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined.”  The first thing that St. Justin says is that we must believe what the Church teaches; in other words we must be Catholic, and profess to be true all that the Church teaches. If someone is not Catholic, that’s fine, but they are unable to receive the Eucharist because they are not in-communion with the Church which Christ gave the Eucharist to. Secondly, St. Justin says you must be baptized.  This one is not often contested, but put simply, you are not a member of the Body of Christ until you are baptized, and so you cannot receive the Body of Christ without being a member of it. Lastly, St. Justin states that you must live as Christ has enjoined, which is really an echo of what St. Paul says.  

I hope this teaching, as well as the example of faith of our First Communicants, help us to strengthen our faith in the Eucharist being Jesus Christ Himself.  

God Bless. – Fr. Seth 

There will be a May Crowning after the 9am Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea and after the 10am Mass at the Cathedral this Sunday, May 4.  Please join us as we honor Mary, our Blessed Mother.  

All are invited to a simple breakfast following the 7am Mass at the Cathedral this Friday, May 2.  

Knights of Columbus will hand out tootsie rolls after Mass this weekend at the Cathedral and St. Mary Star of the Sea to support and raise awareness of those with intellectual disabilities.  They will be accepting free will donations.  

Next Sunday in honor of Mother's Day, the Knights of Columbus at St. Michael's will be offering their pancake breakfast free to everyone.  All are welcome to join us in celebrating and showing appreciation for mothers.  

Join us for Into the Breach, a compelling 12-episode video series from the Knights of Columbus that encourages and equips Catholic men to boldly live their faith. Meetings are held every Thursday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Michael's Church. Each week focuses on a key theme—such as brotherhood, leadership, fatherhood, and spiritual warfare—offering meaningful insights and group discussion. We've had a great turnout so far, and the response has been inspiring. Both men and women are welcome to attend—come grow in faith and fellowship with us! 

Laundry Love:  Thank you to all who donated $ for Laundry Love this past month.  On 4/15 our team served 51 walk-ins at Spirit Valley Laundry.  They represented 103 individuals including family members.  We funded 105 loads washed and dried for $845.  Assistance needed during our next service day, May 20th from 8:30-11:30, for "quarter-plugging" the machines and general hospitality as we serve our neighbors in need.  Contact Mary Ann at 218-409-1705.  Cash/check donations appreciated, SMC/memo line Laundry Love.

CHUM:  As a CHUM Member Congregation we were asked to focus on cereal donations:  hot/cold whole grain cereals, whole grain pastas, and whole grain crackers.   All non-perishable food donations are needed and appreciated.

Damiano:  We have committed to preparing and serving the Saturday meal on May 10, June 14, and July 12 and need 3 volunteers to work 1:30-6pm.  If you would like to volunteer, please contact Gina at 218-428-1392.  We will hold our monthly BIA meeting from 3-4pm at the Damiano cafeteria during the break between food prep and serving.

Support Catholic Education in Duluth! Join us for our annual Stellabration event with food, drinks, silent and live auctions, and state fair fun! Silent auction opens May 26th at 12:00pm and doors to the event open at 5:00 on May 30th. To learn more about how to attend or participate in the silent auction please visit www.stellamaris.academy/stellabration

SMA's High School is expanding their course offerings to include college level courses on campus for our upper level students, including courses in advanced mathematics, chemistry, and physics.  Instructors of these courses need an advanced degree (Masters or higher) in the specific area of instruction.  If you or someone you know is passionate about their studies/profession and would be great at instructing a course at our high school campus, contact our principal 218-623-6252 or email: jesse.murrray@stellamaris.academy for more details.  

Please join the Duluth Serra Ministry in praying for our May Seminarians of the Month, Deacon Phil Mayer and Deacon Jacob Tschida. Deacon Phil is in his fourth year of Configuration at Sacred Heart Seminary in Milwaukee. His home parish is St. Joseph in Crosby. Deacon Jacob is also in his fourth year of Configuration at the North American Pontifical College in Rome. His home parish is Immaculate Heart in Crosslake. Both Deacon Phil and Deacon Jacob will be ordained into the priesthood in June.