Anniversary of Dedication - St. Theresa Chapel June 6, 2008
Homily by Fr. Marcel Bouchard, Pastor of Corpus Christi Parish

I. When we gather to celebrate the anniversary of the dedication of a church, as we do here at St. Theresa Chapel this morning, we celebrate all that has gone before us and brought us to this moment. There is a joy and a sadness in this.

A joy because of all the wonderful people who have passed in and out of this house of God. Those who were baptized, celebrated reconciliation, received their first Communion, were confirmed, were married, were commended to the care of God in funeral rites. Those who for years and years celebrated the Eucharist at this table of the Lord. And let's not forget all the wonderful things that happened in the hall downstairs - minstrel shows, religious education classes, rummage sales, meat pie suppers, gathering meals, and so on.

A joy because we are gathered together again - not just we in the pews and at the altar. Because we believe in the Communion of the Saints, we believe that all those who have ever prayed and worshiped at St. Theresa's are with us before the Lord this morning. Women and men who prayed for the safety of children and siblings and spouses in the Second World War, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars, for instance, are here praying with us for the safety of our troops in Iraq.

A joy because, as St. Paul said to the Corinthians in the second reading this morning, he could stand before us and say:

Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

... the temple of God, which you are, is holy.

A joy because we are the temple of God and it is here, most of all at the Eucharist, where the Lord make us holy.

II. But there is a sadness, too. Because 82 years of people, prayers, and Eucharist have passed, and many of those people have gone, moved, become too ill to join us, or been called home to God. I bet most of us here can think of at least one person (many!) he or she would like to have right here this morning to see and hear and touch.

There is a sadness because this is the last anniversary of dedication we will celebrate at St. Theresa Chapel. Just like we would like to have the people who have gone before us here to celebrate with us today, we would like this house of God to be here for us to celebrate its dedication over and over again into the future.

There is a sadness because things change, and not always in ways that we would like them to, or in ways we are able to alter.

But even in sadness our joy can conquer because the Church is essentially its members, with Christ as its head. Still, the church building is important, as is its location. To walk around from here means to encounter houses and homes, and a Montessori school for children, a ball field, a post office, Gus Lunadei's produce stand, and the Cape Cod Canal with all its travel - ships through and cars over - and the life that swims within it. It recalls for us the powerful water of life gushing from the temple in the first reading. Water that nourishes all sorts of life - creatures, fish, trees, produce, and so on. This life is gift from God, but it is within us and goes with us wherever we go.

Joy will conquer because we are the Body of Christ - made so by the Eucharist we celebrate and share at this table - but also by name - the parish of Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ).

III. What we need is Eucharistic thinking. This is the challenge to which Jesus called the Samaritan woman when he said:

God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.

Yes, from the beginning of time, when humans were first recognizably human, we have discovered or created holy places, places where the community comes together for worship, for supplication, for healing and comfort. These places, like our beloved chapel, become part of the religious imagination and the lived experience of a community.

But Eucharistic thinking grasps the fact that we are the Body of Christ, made so by the Lord himself. And we will continue to break open the word and share the bread and cup receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in our family home, Corpus Christi Church. We are God's temple, we worship in Spirit and truth. This is what God calls us to be and do.

Joy will conquer if we continue to be like the little one St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower and Doctor of the Church. That is, if we do the best we can to live the vocation of love - love especially for the least ones, knowing that we are all least ones at times.

Joy will conquer if we pray, as St. Theresa did in her morning prayer:

O my God! I ask of Thee for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, to accept for love of Thee the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all Eternity.

Joy will have the last word because we are the temple of God, wherever we are, and we are holy.