Rector’s Reflections

June 22, 2025

Dear People of God,

Today, we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi — The Body and Blood of Christ. Eucharist means “giving thanks.” What is the real meaning of today’s Eucharistic Feast? Let me share a story. 

 On Sand and Stone

Two friends were walking through the desert. They argued at some point in the journey, and one friend slapped the other in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt and, without saying anything, wrote on the sand: “Today, my best friend slapped me on the face.”

They kept walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started to drown, but his friend saved him. After he recovered from near-drowning, he wrote on a stone: “Today, my best friend saved my life.”

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him: “After I hurt you, you wrote on the sand, and just now after I helped you, you wrote on a stone. Why?”

The friend replied: “When someone hurts us, we should write it down on the sand so that the winds of forgiveness can blow it away. But when someone does some good things for us, we must engrave it in stone so that no wind can ever erase it.”

So, let us learn to write our hurts on the sand and to carve our blessings in stone.

At the same time, we gather as the Body of Christ every weekend, knowing God’s grace is entwined with our freedom. We gather every weekend to be strengthened and nourished by the Lord’s Word and fed around the Lord’s Table to go forth and “feed” our sisters and brothers — especially the poor, homeless, immigrants, and have-nots in our city, country, and world. The Lord has promised to be with us always and continually be our hope, joy and eternal food. We need to “flock” together as “Church” — as God’s People, to realize we are a pilgrim people and be nourished, strengthened, and commissioned to reach out to others in His Name. The Lord feeds us, but the Eucharist also means we feed each other. 

Keep reading and share this story…

One day, I hopped into a taxi, and we took off heading to the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The other car’s driver whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was very friendly.

So, I asked, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!” At this moment, my taxi driver taught me what I now call “The Law of the Garbage Truck.” He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, frustration, anger, and disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to others at work, home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up with regrets, so “Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.” 

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it! 

And always “take life” by giving back, for we must be Eucharist for each other. The Eucharist exists not only to change bread and wine but also to change us! We must love this world back into life, for we are the Body of Christ. 

Enjoy Summer,

Fr. Greg

A Little Humor from the Rector