Blessed by God... a Lenten Parish Mission with Fr. James (Jim) Kubicki, S.J.

This week was a wonderful week for my parish of Saint Alphonsus Liguori in Zionsville, IN. We brought in Father Jim Kubicki, S.J. for our Lenten Parish Mission. He shared with us about the importance of the Eucharist in our lives. He broke the three evening talks down by discussing the Eucharist in terms of "what we believe about the Eucharist," "how we celebrate the Eucharist," and "how we live the Eucharist." He cited several references to both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Pope John Paul II had called the Church to an entire Year of the Eucharist from October 2004 through October 2005. It is interesting that John Paul II went home to the Father's House on April 5, 2005, during the Year of the Eucharist. He was truly a man who was dedicated to the gift of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. 

After Pope Benedict XVI began his pontificate, he concluded what Pope John Paul II had begun. His Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church's Life and Mission, Sacramentum Caritatis (22 February 2007) has been helpful to understand how important the Eucharist really is in the lives of Catholic Christians and the very life of the Church, what the Second Vatican Council called "the Source and Summit of our Faith." Fr. Kubicki, S.J. also shared about the spirituality of offering ourselves each and every day and each and every moment of every day to God. This in turn allows us to be united to Jesus Christ Himself which has immense redemptive value. We can offer our sufferings and sacrifices with Jesus to the Father which makes us participants of the salvation of the world. The wonderful prayer the Apostleship of Prayer encourages people to pray is the Daily Offering Prayer. It is a great way to start one's day. 

Here is one example of this prayer:

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, and the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month. Amen.


Overall, we enjoyed Father Kubicki and his thoughts on the Holy Eucharist. It was especially interesting how he tied in our Lenten Mission with what he does personally in his life as a Jesuit priest. He is the National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer, which has an incredible website with great resources. I am confident that our parish grew closer to Jesus in the Eucharist through this year's parish Lenten Mission. Thank you God for bringing Father Kubicki, S.J. to share with us about your Son Jesus who comes to us in the Eucharist. Keep him safe and sound in all his work with the Apostleship of Prayer. 


If you would like to hear more from Father Kubicki, S.J., he has a podcast through the Apostleship of Prayer.