Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ  (Corpus Christi)

Dearest Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

Last Sunday , on the Feast of the Holy Trinity, we reflected on the profound mystery of who God is in personhood.  God's very nature is to give himself in an interpersonal sharing of love.  Jesus, as the second person of the Trinity, gives of himself in his living and dying to His Father, and the Father in turn, gives Jesus the fullness of life.  This is why, today, we remember that Jesus invites us to enter into this divine-human sharing of life.

In this everlasting gift of Eucharist, we recognize the ever-present working and love of God in our lives.  Jesus is here as a constant presence to lead and sustain us in our earthly walk.  And so today, in that same spirit and inspiration, we welcome our new Pastor, Fr. Ray Tintle, O.F.M.  In passing on this ministry to Fr. Ray, I want to say how I am most incredibly grateful for the growth in love and faith that I have witnessed take place in my time with you, I know that this will only continue to grow more fruitful under Fr. Ray's guidance and inspiration.  Fr. Ray brings many wonderful and delightful personal and pastoral gifts to this ministry, and I know that he will find much fulfillment in the love and the faith that he will find here in ministering to you.  God is so good to us, as we recognize in the gift of the Body and Blood of Christ sharing in Eucharist, may we all come more deeply in appreciate and embrace this gift of Jesus who is with us, and who gives his very self for us.  It is Jesus who calls us, who leads us, and who sustains us in all that we are and all that we do.  So may we continue to grow in understanding of why we come together in community as Eucharistic people, we come together to celebrate our communion with Jesus, and our union with each other in our hope of life shared together.

I thank you most gratefully and lovingly for all that you have given to me in my time here with you.  It has been a great joy and privilege to serve you as Pastor here at Old Mission San Miguel.  I will always remember this time that I have shared with you as very peaceful and loving.  The peace and the beauty of San Miguel will always be my memory of this place and time, and each of you have carved that into my heart of that which I will cherish in the future.  Please know that I hold all of you in my prayers.  And as always, as I have written before… I am your brother!

My deepest love to each of you!

Fr. Larry Gosslin, O.F.M.