Today in Rome, a eucharistic procession for the feast of Corpus Christi will wind its way from the Basilica of St. John Lateran to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. On Sunday, Catholics here in the United States will celebrate this solemnity that's about the ways we can encounter God in the world -- specifically in the Eucharist, of course, but also in the other sacraments, in Scripture, in the created universe, and in the community.
That word, "encounter," is one of Pope Francis' favorites, popping up often in his public addresses and used 32 times in his apostolic exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel. He talks about encounter as an antidote to our "throwaway culture," in which people who are seen as useless are cast aside: the unborn, the elderly, immigrants, the poor. If we encounter Christ in those people who are usually marginalized and get to know them, then we won't be able to throw them away. You don't ignore and neglect a friend.
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