Corpus Christi: A reminder of Who We Are

Corpus Christi can be reflected with Pope Leo's latest encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. Looking at the Body of Christ is very human and Divine.  It is rooted in love, the only power there is.  This is the love incarnated in flesh.  This is the Word made flesh.

People who do not want to face the truth about vulnerabilities of life would avoid suffering and humiliation.  This is the opposite of looking at the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.  People do not want to look weak, too old, too young, dumb or not smart enough, or anything below standard.  People like to hide life's inevitable reality that human beings are vulnerable, and not perfect.  We cannot not have everything but everything belongs to God.  We cannot know it all, but we only know some.   Everybody has a piece of God's truth.  People want to be God by clinging to misguided power, resources (money), and fame.  Human beings not united with God's Divine Will are constructing His Tower of Babel (MH 1).

People would like to avoid pain or suffering of losing someone even death so some people would choose the extraordinary life support at all cost because "death" or separation from loved one is too painful to accept.  Some people cannot see what is eternal.  It might be hard to face but the capitalist world that we live in has been used to the convenience, efficiency, productivity, and pleasures of life.  There is a good and bad in all these.  If we have lost the love of God and neighbor in all of these, the ability to develop virtue from experiences then we have seen life as an object to be abused rather than to be loved.  The traditional economics is measured by performance, by numbers, or by some criteria.  Anything that is below standard is rejected or thrown into trash. ]This includes life thrown or abandoned if certain person does not meet the criteria or standards.  

People want to be in control.  People want to avoid trouble, arguments, the inconvenient truth, or painful conversation.  Anything not rooted in God's Will can go the wrong way (MH 7).  This leads to technology slipping into the wounded world that we are in.  The Alone Together shows how the robots would be preferred by some people to solve the unacceptable attitudes or the imperfection of an unexamined life.  The slavery that is brought by greed can be seen through different periods of power and domination during Prehistoric Age, Iron Age, Industrial Age, Computer Age, Information Age, Artificial Intelligence, and Space Age.  We are enslaved by sin when we lose track of who is ultimately in charge of life and Creation, that our mission is not ours but God's.  People want to be at the center stage.  At the cost of others, people do not want to suffer or have mercy.  This is greed, power gone wrong.  War, injustice, and abusing others are evidences of the Babel syndrome (MH 10).

Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, did not flee from suffering when it is God's Will.  He showed his mercy and love for His Creatures. His body and blood on the cross.  By His body and blood, we have been sanctified and redeemed.  Only God can give life.  Eucharist is the body and blood that Christ asked us to do in remembrance of Him (Luke 22:18-20).  

With diversities forgotten, tragedies overlooked, human dignity violated, people fail to respect but the domination by all means becomes the rule. To claim to have the unlimited resources when there are limitations and to claim one's supremacy above any beliefs is to disregard the dialogue, the transformation from the conflicting differences, and the prophetic stance of truth, then humanity has forgotten that our communion with God is the humanity's greatest strength (MH 25-27).  

Justice is at the service to the most vulnerable of our society.  Reparation is good for the harm done in the past but we are to learn from the past so as not to repeat the abuses of the humanity's failure to work for the common good (MG 87-89).  The common good is the responsibility of all.  The reality of our world can only be transformed through  transparency, accountability, and evaluation (MH 86). We are not robots living in utopian world.  We are human beings growing with lived experience and the knowledge of truth.

We are created in the image of God.  Jesus Christ is both human and Divine.  He is love.  We are creatures of Love.  God gives each human being a dignity that nobody can take away.  We are redeemed by His love. God is patiently waiting for our actions to be stripped off of the attributes that do not belong to God alone.   

This is an invitation to learn more about the latest encyclical of Pope Leo XIV.  The challenges of our era united with our call to be in communion can transform the way we build and develop relationships, embracing the universal Christ.  There is the forgiving truth that the eternal love is offered to us by Most Precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  

Note: My own pastel version of an original painting display in one of the retreats I attended.

Read More:

Magnifica Humanitas

Alone Together

Webinar on June 9 7:30PM ET on Magnifica Humanitas

Webinar on June 9 7:30PM ET: Magnifica Humanitas: Disarming AI, Being Fully Human

MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS: DISARMING AI, BEING FULLY HUMAN,

AND INTEGRAL ECOLOGY 

Tuesday, June 9th

7:30 pm EST

Register at bit.ly/MagHumWeb

Pope Leo XIV wrote his first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.  This gives the in-depth reflection on the emerging technologies in today's world and how the human beings in today's world use this technology to make things convenient and efficient. On the other hand, this encyclical also highlights how humanity can either flourish in loving relationships with his neighbor and with God or work towards destruction given the unguided use of technology, desire not guided by God.

Learn more about the encyclical through the webinar hosted by various non-profit organizations: https://chapter.laudatosimovement.org/2026/06/magnifica-humanitas-disarming-ai-being-fully-human-and-integral-ecology/

Invitation to Write and/ Communicate to US (Arch)Bishops from Laudato Si' Movement

Laudato Si' Movement North America through its network and friends asks to mail or communicate to US (Arch)Bishops to let them know your support to the following:

1. Mass for Creation
   Write our own (Arch)bishop(s), letting them know that we will be praying for them and the Conference as they discern and vote on the Mass for Creation at their June 10-12 meeting/USCCB Assembly for Spring.  Please mail your letter or express your support of the Mass for Creation with the intention that the Bishop will know your thoughts before he goes to Florida along with other Bishops.
   
   Here is the slide deck on the Mass for Creation: 
   Letter template: 
   if you go to file, make a copy, then you can edit directly in googledrive, or of course feel free to write a card too, which always tends to land best!)

Note: Sr. Marylou and Corpus Christi's IWA Community has already taken a step on this.  We thank Margie and Rosa Maria for their collaboration.

2. Synodal Listening Session during the Season of Creation
   
   
   Contact their bishop (and/or auxiliary bishop(s)) by June 15 to schedule a synodal listening session during the Season of Creation (or at latest in early October).  These are small group sessions with youth and/or frontline community members, with questions/discussion topics from LSM. 
   a.  Learn more about synodal listening sessions here.
   b. Background Care for Creation Synodal Listening Sessions here.
   c. Sample Invitation to bishop here.
   d.  Example letter here.

   
   

The Bishops from the Global South represented by Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Oceana, asks the Global North to support the three pillars:

a. non-proliferation and phase-out: Immediately cease all new exploration and production of coal, oil, and gas. 

b. fair phase-out:  Equitably phase out current production based on each nation’s historical responsibility and capacity. 

c. Global just transition: Ensure a fair and inclusive shift to renewable energy, leaving no worker, community, or country behind. 

Manifesto from Global South: https://repositorio.celam.org/files/original/3288/Iglesia_Sur_Global_manifiesto_ENG.pdf

Season of Creation here: https://seasonofcreation.org/

Global Ecological Events in Summer and Early Fall

SUMMER EVENTS

JUNE 5: World Environment Day

The world is seeing the effects of Climate Crisis and every action matters. The world does not delay on its impact but show the humanity of how we take care of the earth.  Denial is not the solution but to shift our mind to a new lifestyle and thinking. 

The transformative power of working together towards the planet healing is possible.  Clean energy and sustainable lifestyle is possible.  Join the call to action to make joy renewable:

• Start a conversation
• Fund a solution
• Shift a policy
• Share a story
• Make your moves in ways that move others

 #WorldEnvironmentDay 

JULY CHALLENGE: Save the World by Refusing Plastic for One Month

According to Ocean Blue project, there are 400 million tons of plastic that are produced globally and 8–11 million tons of plastic enters the ocean. The microplastics eventually end up being eaten by the creatures and into the food system.  

Do you want to save the world from plastics?  Challenge yourself not to buy products with plastic packaging, build a habit of buying eco-friendly products or patronize sustainable packaged produce..  Join the plastic free July challenge here: Plastic-Free July Challenge 

Y o u  c a n  m a k e  a  d I f f e r e n c e.

 

SEPTEMBER 1 - OCTOBER 4: Theme Living Water in Season of Creation

Season of Creation (September 1 - October 4) is one of the major feasts celebrated by the whole Christian Community, including the Catholic faithful.  Laudato Si' Movement serves on the steering committee for the Season of Creation observance.   The Season of Creation has a designated theme each year.  Last year's theme was Peace, and this year's theme is Living Water. 

According to United Nations, 1.8 billion people still do not have drinking water on-premises and 3.4 billion people still not able to have a good sanitation system.  If you live in the cities where there is a heavy industries such as oil and gas that consumes billions of gallons of water, without conservation, water resilience and infrastructure investments and improvement strategies, the cities can soon face a water crisis which some of the cities are now in such state.  According to Country Adventures, drought, though not new, is in several states like Texas. California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Nevada.

Given the life that water gives and the necessity for water to sustain life, this is an invitation to reflect on what sector and industries does water go?  Something to reflect is to ponder on what is God calling us during this time of our age, in terms of our lifestyle to have sustainable water?  If you belong to a city with oil and gas, the extraction requires billions of gallons of water.  Do the benefits from oil and gas overproduction outweigh the suffering caused by the lack of water?  Or vice versa? The reality shows us that the cities are suffering from water shortage, and hurting the family from illnesses such as cancer, respiratory illnesses, premature births among others? These are documented research and we know the truth.  This Season of Creation with its theme of Living Water, calls everyone to find ways to raise awareness on our call to action to have sustainable water, take care of waterways, conserve water, to be an advocate for the life-giving water.

 

The Growing Beauty in Towne Twin Village

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit
- Nelson Henderson

God first planted a garden. And indeed it is the purest of human pleasures-  Francis Bacon

  

“Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts.”  – Marianne Williams

"And I think about the plants, who have no choice, really, oftentimes in where they land, And yet, wherever they land, they're going to thrive and grow the very best that they can" - Rosemary Gladstar

If you would like to have a tour of the Towne Twin Village or support the mission of housing for the vulnerable and ecological sustainability, contact Mr. Mark Wittig at markswittig5@gmail.com.