CORPUS CHRISTI

Carpet of Flowers for Corpus Christi
I love the traditions of the Catholic Church. Traditions can be a way of expressing our faith story, so that, as adults, we experience it anew. It is also a way of teaching (as if through "hands on" techniques) the faith to children and those who are new to it.

This past weekend, we celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi - or the Body and Blood of Christ. At the Saturday evening Mass, there is always a procession with the Blessed Sacrament around the church property. We stop at each corner and pray. We pray for the people who live there and in thanksgiving and petition for the things that happen in each directions (the seat of State government in Lansing, for example, and Michigan State University, to our immediate south, the country's government to the east, and the Great Lakes and farmlands to the north.)

We also do a humble version of an old tradition - making a carpet of flowers for those carrying the Blessed Sacrament to walk over....i.e. a carpet of flowers for Jesus. Anastasia and I assisted with making the carpet this year. It is a lovely work.

We "learn" sacrifice very simply by sacrificing the pretty flowers - God's gift to us - and offering them back to glorify Him and show Him our love....reminding ourselves that we love GOD - not His gifts. I have to say that tearing those flowers up is hard to do! And to see the priest, deacons and servers walk right over it at the end of Mass, as the procession starts, also rather makes me wince. So our labor has been sacrifice, too. And temporary, as are all the works we do here on this earth.

Through the procession we show in an outward way what is happening on a deeper level....we are all "processing" through life - traveling together, trying to follow Jesus, keeping one another from wandering away.

It is always beautiful, and memorable, and I'm so glad we do it!