June 7, 2026

Dear Parishioners,

I’ve noticed when I give out communion at Mass that when I say “The Body of Christ” I whisper it. I’m not sure if this simply developed out of a habit of manners–trying to keep a low voice when inside, especially inside a church–or for some other unintentional reason, but the more I think about it, the more I find whispering appropriate (if I may humbly say so myself). Why?

To me, whispering conveys a sense of something significant, something secret and privileged. There is a greater intentionality and meaning behind the words that are whispered. Think of a lover whispering “I love you” in their lover’s ear. It has a more profound effect than just saying out loud in a regular tone “I love you, honey.” Even shouting “I LOVE YOU, HONEY!!” wouldn’t warm the heart as much as a whisper would. It was John Steinbeck who wrote, “A whisper can be stronger than a shout.”

Mischievous children will abuse the whisper, doing it purposefully in front of others to make them feel excluded, but we mustn’t think all whispering is bad. Secrets, secrets are no fun, secrets, secrets hurt someone. True for the 1st grader; not necessarily true for the adult. I think of Emily Dickinson, who wrote often about the power of silence and whispering. Here is one of her poems, a short, but beloved piece:

I’m Nobody! Who are you?

Are you – Nobody – too?

Then there’s a pair of us!

Don’t tell! they’d banish us – you know!

How dreary – to be – Somebody!

How public – like a Frog –

To tell your name – the livelong June –

To an admiring Bog!

A frog croaks loudly for anyone to hear. There is nothing really significant communicated in that croaking. But the two Nobodies whispering to each other their commonality establishes a deep bond between the two. Only they can share in that mutuality. That mutuality is so beautiful and tender, it must be treated delicately. A whisper is delicate. It is fitting for something fragile, and all beautiful and meaningful things, in my mind, are ultimately fragile. Whispering shows you are in the presence of something sacred. Dickinson wrote on another occasion in a personal letter, “Life is the finest secret. So long as that remains, we all must whisper.”

The Eucharist is one of the finest secrets. It is fragile, it is beautiful, it is tender. Hence, we whisper around it. We are in the presence of something sacred. Sure, I say “The Body of Christ” dozens of times in repetition at Mass–hundreds of times a week–but it doesn’t feel rote to me, like I’m stamping tickets at a movie theater or shouting out “Beer here!” like a beer vendor at Wrigley for anyone interested. I feel like I’m saying something special to you, a special message from God. I’m not making a statement, not proclaiming to the entire congregation the reality of the real presence. That’s not what this moment in the Mass is about. Nor am I asking you for the secret password and when you respond correctly “Amen” (and not “New England Clam Chowder”) you get the reward. No. “The Body of Christ” is a dialogue between you and the Lord. I’m just the conduit or the translator. That’s why I whisper. Jesus from his own body–his own heart–is communicating something profound to your beautiful heart and body. The question is, are you able to hear it?

Whispering can be very intimate and even uncomfortable. Think again of that image above of a lover whispering into his beloved’s ear, “I love you.” If you are presently married, imagine your husband or wife whispering that to you. How would you react? I bet most of you would be a little freaked out. You’re probably not used to hearing that kind of tone from your spouse, especially if you’ve been married for many years. You would question what is wrong with your spouse and then you would be a little confused on how to respond, if you found out they were serious.

Well, most of you have been receiving communion for a long time, as long, if not longer, than you’ve been married. Is “The Body of Christ” at Mass like the perfunctory “I love you, honey” from the husband walking out the door in the morning for work? Sure, that’s not terrible–it’s better than nothing–but don’t you want the secret? Don’t you want your lover to whisper into your ear, conveying a sense of deep desire and passion?

“Stay with us, Lord, the evening draws near.” Those disciples on the road to Emmaus heard the whisper of Jesus, and they didn’t want him to leave. Jesus has that desire and passion for you. And he wants to whisper it into your heart at the Mass. Ask the Holy Spirit to let your heart receive that whisper. May the “Amen” you whisper back to him come from the depths of your beautiful heart.

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Congratulations on a successful school year to all students and teachers at all schools. Our school dismissed this past Friday. Enjoy your summer break and we’ll see you in August.

While most parish groups are on a summer hiatus, we continue to be busy with weddings, baptisms, and funerals. We have 13 weddings this June alone! That’s wonderful news for our church. Congratulations to all couples being married (and families having their children baptized). I want to thank our wedding coordinators, our bereavement ministers, and our front office rectory staff for their hard work in helping me with these sacraments.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will be consecrating our country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Thursday evening, the eve of the Feast of the Sacred Heart (Friday, June 12), in honor of our nation’s 250th anniversary. The USCCB wrote, “As we reflect with gratitude on the blessings God has bestowed on our country, our devotion to the Sacred Heart demands that we consider how we might foster truth, justice, and charity in American life.” May God continue to bless our nation, and may all Americans grow closer to Christ’s heart.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. James Wallace