Dear Friends,

This Sunday, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Body & Blood of Christ. This might well be called the Feast of Presence... or "Presents"! As a Eucharistic people we are blessed to share in the Presence of Christ in a deeply profound way. We are fed and nourished by this Presence, but his 'gift' calls us be "be gift" to others. It is, indeed, a gift intended to 'keep on giving'... not just to us, but ­through us. The story of the ministry of Jesus on this earth is the story of a man who was "present" over and over again to people who were ill, to 'undesirables' to tax collectors and to lepers, to women to children, and to men in need, to those who mourned, to a wide variety of people on the margins of society of his time. Those moments of giving... of 'presence' were bound by time and place; however, in giving us the gift of Eucharist, Jesus ensured his "presence" with and within us as we "do this in memory of him." Our receiving this gift of Presence in the Eucharist is intended to nurture us, but also to move us out beyond our own time and space and into the lives of those in need in our world. We are now to be the 'presence' that makes a difference in the lives of others, just as Jesus did in his time. The reading below, which we will use as our 2nd reading this Sunday, reminds me of a little quote that I cut out of a Maryknoll magazine close to 40 years ago. It read: "Lord, make me Your bread, then break me up and pass me around." These words continue to touch me deeply, and the prayerful reading below echoes this theme.


If you are seeking a community to "break bread" with, a "community of believers" to journey with you in a deeper way... one where every voice is heard, and women and men are unafraid to acknowledge the equality of women and men; and to embrace feminine as well as masculine... and beyond... images of God, we invite you to join us at Spirit of Life. As a community, we try wholeheartedly to "be Christ" to one another, to tend to the needs of one another, and to those in need in our world. Together, we celebrate our belief that we are being transformed by God's grace as we gather together in prayer. We warmly invite you to come and gather with us at our Table, and join in our experience of the "kin-dom" of God. We are an inclusive, open, affirming and interactive community, deeply committed to being a people of "justice and joy."

May you be bread blessed and broken in your world,

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