I am the living bread
Corpus Christi
Cobh
7June 2026
My friends,
To suggest that our regular presence at Sunday Mass is the best way of taking the pulse of our spiritual health is often contested – on the grounds that there are a lot of very good people who choose not to join in the shared prayer of Holy Mass. This is a fact.
Why they choose to do so is another question and it is one worth asking on this Feast of Corpus Christi on which we celebrate the Eucharist Holy Mass as ‘the source and summit’ of the life of the Church and of our personal life in Christ.
The question as to why so many have abandoned participation as Mass is not easily explained but all of us could have a go at doing so because we have experienced it in our own families.
The reason most often suggested is that of the abuse scandals. No doubt that is the case for some because of personal hurt. However, one suspects that the scandals have served as an excuse for many who were already indifferent or already semi-detached from parish community life. Meanwhile, there is evolving experience of life for people of all ages. Our view of things is being reshaped, reformed by the technology in which we are immersed, our family structures are often dictated by the demands of employers and when we have recreation time, sports and hobbies take precedence.
Another significant development has been the growing awareness and appreciation of nature and the outdoors as a source of spiritual and physical renewal. Linked to that is the cultural priority being given to wellbeing as a personal individual pursuit.
Taken together, these social patterns have taken hold of our minds and hearts – young and not so young. In a family context, if parent’s personal spirituality is nourished primarily by short term promotions, it is hardly fair to blame the children for following suit. If sport or any other pursuit takes priority over attendance at prayer the personal spiritual well runs dry, over time.
It is true to say that we feel deeply the loss of the support and prayer of a new generation. We are poorer for their absence. The sense of loss comes from our disappointment that the extraordinary gift that is ours through the Holy Eucharist is so poorly appreciated in a time, despite our prosperity a great spiritual hunger has taken hold, reflected is the addictive lifestyle of so many.
Though often despondent, we do not give up. Our hope is strong because the treasure we hold is precious, indeed priceless. We know too that there are many who come here to pray before the Blessed Sacrament – doing so quietly with a deep trust in the Eucharist Presence. We are continually heartened by those whose great witness is their commitment to Eucharistic Adoration – most especially the Benedictine Community of Sisters at The Mount, whose whole lives are dedicated to Eucharistic Adoration.
Isaiah reminds us that God’s ways are not ours. Grace abounds and Providence unfolds along paths unknown to us.
O Sacrament most Holy, O Sacrament Divine
All praise and all thanksgiving be always Thine.
