Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • April 26, 2024 3 Gulf Pine Catholic (ISSN No. 0746-3804) April 26, 2024 Volume 41, Issue 18 The GULF PINE CATHOLIC , published every other week, is an official publication of the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi. Editorial offices are located at 1790 Popps Ferry Road, Biloxi, MS 39532. Periodical postage paid at Gulfport, MS. —POSTMASTER— Send address changes to: The GULF PINE CATHOLIC 1790 Popps Ferry Road Biloxi, MS 39532 —PUBLISHER— Most Rev. Louis F. Kihneman —EDITOR— Terry Dickson —PRODUCTION/ ADVERTISING — Shirley M c Cusker —BILLING — Aimee M c Lendon —CIRCULATION— Robin Peeler —PHOTOGRAPHY— Juliana Skelton —OFFICEHOURS— 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday —PHONE NUMBERS— Editor: 228-702-2126 Production/Advertising: 228-702-2109 Billing: 228-702-2127 Circulation: 228-702-2100 Photography: 228-201-2132 —EMAIL— News: tdickson@biloxidiocese.org Production / Advertising: smccusker@biloxidiocese.org Billing: amclendon@biloxidiocese.org Circulation: rpeeler@biloxidiocese.org Photography: jskelton@biloxidiocese.org —OFFICEAND MAILINGADDRESS — 1790 Popps Ferry Road Biloxi, MS 39532 —WEBSITE— www.gulfpinecatholic.com —SUBSCRIPTIONS — Subscription rate is $18 per year. When changing address, renewing or inquiring about a subscription, customer should include a recent address label with old address and new address. Allow three weeks for changes of address. —DEADLINES for MAY 1 0— News copy and photos: Due MAY 2, 4 p.m. Advertising: Completed Ad and/or copy due MAY 2, 10 a.m. Bishop Kihneman’s Schedule April 26 Equestrian Order of the -28 Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem Annual Meeting, Biloxi April 26 Knights of Columbus State -28 Conference, Biloxi April 30 Confirmation, Our Lady of the Gulf Parish, Bay St. Louis, 6 p.m. May 2 Confirmation, Sacred Heart Parish, Hattiesburg, 6 p.m. May 3 Invocation, Rotary Club District Conference, Biloxi, 9:30 a.m. May 4 Confirmation, Vietnamese Martyrs Parish, Biloxi, 5 p.m. May 5 Confirmation, St. Alphonsus Parish, Ocean Springs, Includes Holy Spirit Parish, Vancleave, and Christ the King Mission, Latimer, 5:30 p.m. May 6 Confirmation, Hispanic Community, Our Lady of Fatima, Biloxi, 6 p.m. May 7 School Principals Meeting and Luncheon, Gulfport, 11:30 a.m. May 8 Annual Association of Priests Meeting, St. Francis Parish, Madison, 10:30 a.m. May 9 Foundation Meeting, Pastoral Center, Biloxi, 3 p.m. May 10 Confirmation, Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Biloxi, 6 p.m. May 12 Confirmation, Sacred Heart Parish, D’Iberville, 5 p.m. BY BISHOP LOUIS F. KIHNEMAN III Bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a partic- ipation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17) St. Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians that from the very beginning the early Church celebrated the Eucharist, and it tells us how important the celebra- tion of the Mass was to the early Church. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?” relates the Eucharist with what happened in Egypt with the Passover. The third cup of wine of the Passover dinner is the Cup of Blessing. Through the Last Supper, our blessing cup is the blood of Christ, and through our participation in the blood of Christ, the angel of death passes us by. The early church, remembering the Paschal lamb -- the Paschal sacrifice, cele- brated the breaking of the bread, just as we do, with the fullness of understanding that this is not just unleavened bread, but that the unleavened bread, blessed and broken, becomes our participation in the body of Christ. And the blood of the Paschal lamb, Jesus, becomes our participation in the blood of Christ. The First Letter to the Corinthians is written by Paul just 20 years after Jesus Bishop Kihneman Our blessing cup is the blood of Christ rose from the dead and ascended to the Father. We continue the tradition every time we gather around the Altar to cele- brate the Most Holy Eucharist. Also in his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul -- in extreme contrast of our participa- tion in the Eucharist -- compares the Eucharist with the sacrifices of the Temple and even with pagan sacrifices: “Therefore, my beloved, avoid idolatry. I am speaking as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I am saying” (10:14-15). “Look at Israel according to the flesh; are not those who eat the sacrifices partic- ipants in the altar? So what am I saying? That meat sacrificed to idols is anything? Or that an idol is anything? No, I mean that what they sacrifice, [they sacrifice] to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to become participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons (1 Co 10:18-21). All sacrifices, he says, bring about communion or fellow- ship. The offerings of idolatry bring about a fellowship with demons, but the Christian sacrifice brings about a communion with the Body and Blood of Jesus! We are blessed to have the gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that when we sin, we can turn back, approach Jesus in the sacrament, ask for, and receive forgive- ness so that we may come to His altar in holiness and in love. Together, we become one body as a community as we participate in the Eucharist, and we become one with Jesus as we receive His body and His blood in Holy Communion. “Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” Jesus gives us His body to eat and His blood to drink, and we taste heaven! We taste the salvation of Jesus Christ, we taste the love of Jesus as He becomes one with our body and our blood. We receive the body of the Son of God! We receive life eternal every time we gather for the Eucharist and receive His body and His blood. SEE BISHOP’S COLUMN, PAGE 6